competitive-analysis

Pack Availability Guard

Before telling the user to run a skill from another project-local pack, check .agents/project.json.enabled_packs. If the target pack is not enabled, recommend npx skillpacks install <pack> from the project shell, instead of the target skill. After install, tell Codex users to start a fresh Codex CLI session if the $ skill list remains stale. Global skills are always valid. Skills from this same pack are valid because the current skill is already running from that pack.

Competitive Analysis — Orchestrator

Invoke as $competitive-analysis.

This is a Pattern A framework-decomposition orchestrator that runs as a self-advancing Research Session Loop (see docs/research-session-loop-convention.md and the Execution Model below). It resolves product/research scope, recommends competitive-analysis frameworks, runs each selected framework inline one per session, and synthesizes the approved framework outputs into the canonical competitive landscape report. Individual frameworks live as child skills under frameworks/.

Available frameworks:

Framework	Slug	Lens	Default
Porter's Five Forces	porter-five-forces	Industry structure, power dynamics, substitutes, entrants, rivalry	Yes
SWOT	swot	Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats against market evidence	Yes
Strategic Group Map	strategic-group-map	Competitive clusters, positioning axes, whitespace by segment	Optional
Feature/Pricing Matrix	feature-pricing-matrix	Capability, package, and price comparisons across alternatives	Yes

Report-First Approval Gate

Default to scope-first approval: before synthesized research, inspect only enough repository, user, and source context to propose research scope, source plan, assumptions, output paths, and approval questions in a review alignment page plus a concise conversation summary.

Do not perform synthesized research, rank candidates, make recommendations, or write working packets or canonical deliverables until final compiled YAML approves the research scope. Minimal pre-approval discovery may identify available files, source categories, and open questions; label it as scope evidence, not findings.

After approved research-scope YAML, perform the research and write only the non-canonical working packet defined in the staged workflow. Then update the review alignment page with findings and stop again for feedback-only YAML or final compiled YAML artifact approval before creating or updating canonical research, spec, or task files.

Do not include Recommended next skill, Recommended next command, or downstream routing language. The approval request itself is the next action. Only emit next-skill routing after the approved artifact has been written or updated.

Staged Research Workflow

Use this staged workflow for synthesized research or report outputs that would create or update canonical research, spec, or task files.

1. Stage 1 - Scope discovery and approval. Inspect only enough repository, user, and source context to propose research scope, source plan, assumptions, output paths, and approval questions. Build the review HTML alignment page before synthesized research. The page must render the proposed scope, available source categories, known context, assumptions/confidence, proposed working-packet and canonical output paths, and research-scope approval gates. Stop for final compiled YAML approval of the research scope. Do not perform synthesized research, rank candidates, make recommendations, or write working packets, canonical research, spec, or task files in Stage 1.
2. Stage 2 - Research and artifact review. Only after approved research-scope YAML with no unresolved needs-clarification, unresolved down feedback, or other unresolved negative feedback, perform the synthesized research, run required source/code checks, and write only a non-canonical working packet: flat mode uses research/_working/preliminary-<skill>-research.md; product-path mode uses research/{slug}/_working/preliminary-<skill>-research.md. Replace <skill> with this skill's name value. Raw evidence or search logs may remain as supporting evidence where this skill already requires them, but synthesized deliverables stay in the working packet. Update the review HTML alignment page so it renders the complete working-packet substance as structured HTML review UI: purpose-built sections, tables, matrices, gates, cards, and tier-appropriate charts or diagrams that preserve every packet section, finding, caveat, and decision detail without summary loss. Raw Markdown packet text may appear only as a supplemental source view after the rendered review UI; do not make a Full Preliminary Packet or Full Working Packet raw Markdown dump, giant <pre><code> block, link-only view, or source-only view the primary review surface. Include the evidence matrix, assumptions/confidence register, source coverage gaps, proposed canonical file changes, and artifact approval gates. Stop for either feedback-only YAML or final compiled YAML. Feedback-only YAML revises the working packet and page, then remains in Stage 2.
3. Stage 3 - Finalize approved artifacts. Consume final compiled YAML for artifact approval only when it has no unresolved needs-clarification, unresolved down feedback, or other unresolved negative feedback. Apply approved edits first, archive the working packet to docs/history/archive/YYYY-MM-DD/HHMMSS/<original-working-path>, remove the active working packet, write the approved canonical artifacts to the unchanged output paths below, and convert the alignment page to confirmed with the approval record preserved.

Canonical output paths remain unchanged. Search logs and other supporting evidence remain allowed only where this skill's output contract already requires them.

Evidence And Feedback Handling

Treat user feedback as input to evaluate, not as automatic ground truth.

• For factual, evidentiary, technical, or source-backed claims: verify against available evidence. If the user appears to misunderstand the evidence or states something factually incorrect, push back clearly and cite the evidence. Do not rewrite findings merely to agree.
• For taste, brand, positioning preference, risk appetite, prioritization, or other subjective judgment calls: weigh user feedback heavily and adapt the recommendation unless it conflicts with verified evidence.
• When feedback mixes facts and preference, separate them explicitly: correct the factual part, then incorporate the preference where it is a legitimate judgment call.
• When uncertain, say what is known, what is inferred, and what would change the conclusion.

Prerequisites

Detect mode before proceeding:

• Concept-validation mode activates when: no research/icp.md AND (no meaningful codebase OR $ARGUMENTS contains "concept"/"validate"). Use this mode to validate market gaps after a concept has been shaped by $idea-scope-brief or an equivalent brief; if no concept is clear, recommend $idea-scope-brief first. Announce mode to user, then ask for concept description (problem, audience, approach).
• Standard mode (default): Read the codebase, README, CLAUDE.md, and existing research/specs (research/icp.md or research/{slug}/icp.md, research/enterprise-icp.md or research/{slug}/enterprise-icp.md, research/mvp-gap.md or research/{slug}/mvp-gap.md) to understand the product.
• Read research/.progress.yaml when present. Normalize active_path (singular legacy) to active_paths (plural list) when reading; treat legacy abandoned as archived and exclude archived/deferred/revisit/promoted paths plus research/_archive/ scopes from active target selection. In standard mode, scope the full competitive analysis to the first entry in active_paths by default. Treat product_paths[] entries with status: deferred or status: revisit_candidate as parked product paths, not as extra full research tracks.

Provisional product-path evidence. When a referenced product path is not present in research/.progress.yaml (either absent entirely or not in active_paths or product_paths[]), do not treat it as a canonical active path. Before using it as source context, require an explicit provisional-path evidence reference: a review-only-approved alignment page (e.g., alignment/idea-scope-brief-{topic}.html with approval_status: review-only-approved) that fully renders the proposed path's concept, brief, and manifest entry. If no such evidence exists, ask the user whether to proceed with the path as unverified context or to run $idea-scope-brief first.

Execution Model — Research Session Loop

This is a self-advancing Pattern A research orchestrator (see docs/research-session-loop-convention.md). Each invocation starts cold, resolves its state from pasted YAML + filesystem, runs exactly one heavy phase, emits the next gate, and stops. The user advances the loop by starting a fresh Codex session and re-invoking $competitive-analysis. The user never invokes a framework subskill directly — the orchestrator follows each selected framework's subskill inline.

State lives in two places only:

• Run manifest — research/_working/competitive-analysis-run.yaml (flat) or research/{slug}/_working/competitive-analysis-run.yaml (product-path). Records the selected framework set and each framework's intermediate path. Written when the multi-select YAML is approved. Shape:

  orchestrator: competitive-analysis
  slug: skills-showcase            # omit in flat mode
  selected_frameworks:
    - slug: porter-five-forces
      intermediate: research/skills-showcase/competitive-analysis-porter-five-forces.md
    - slug: swot
      intermediate: research/skills-showcase/competitive-analysis-swot.md
  

• Canonical-intermediate existence — a selected framework is done when research/competitive-analysis-{framework}.md (or research/{slug}/competitive-analysis-{framework}.md) exists, pending otherwise. pending = selected − existing-intermediates. The manifest stores selection only, not per-framework status.

research/.progress.yaml stays coarse — its pipeline_stage is a pointer, not per-framework status.

State resolution (resolve the first match; YAML first, then most-progressed A→E)

On each invocation, after Product-Path Scope Resolution (step 0), resolve state:

State	Detected when	Heavy phase this session	Emits / stops with
0 — pasted YAML	a compiled alignment YAML is pasted	branch on approval_status: ready-for-agent-review → apply the approval for the gate it answers (light: write manifest and/or prior framework intermediate, archive consumed source), then fall through to the next pending state below; not-approved → amend the named page (refinement session) and stop	amended page, or proceeds ↓
A — done	canonical research/competitive-analysis.md (or research/{slug}/competitive-analysis.md) exists	—	done; emit next-skill route (synthesis step)
B — synthesize	run manifest exists, all selected intermediates exist, no canonical competitive-analysis.md (also forced by --synthesize)	synthesis (step 4)	synthesis review page
C — run framework	run manifest exists, ≥1 selected framework pending	run next pending framework inline at its research stage (step 3)	that framework's findings review page
E — build selection	no run manifest and no canonical (cold start)	establish context → mode detect → recommend frameworks → build multi-select page (steps 1–2)	multi-select review page

Cold entry (no state F). This orchestrator uses context_intake: scoped — there is no deep-interview phase. A cold start (nothing on disk) resolves directly to state E; the 1–3 light scope questions fold into the head of the E session.

Light vs heavy. Recording the approved selection into the run manifest (state 0→C head), writing an already-reviewed framework intermediate, and archiving a consumed source are light — they fold into the head of the next heavy session. The heavy phase (one framework's research, synthesis) is the only thing isolated per session.

Shortcuts. $competitive-analysis --synthesize forces state B. $competitive-analysis core presets the state-E multi-select defaults to porter-five-forces, swot, and feature-pricing-matrix (the user may still add strategic-group-map); it does not skip the selection gate.

---

Process

0. Product-Path Scope Resolution

Resolve research scope by product path before using code or app structure as a hint:

1. If $ARGUMENTS names a non-archived research/{slug}/ directory or a product-path ID whose scope_path points there, use that path. Treat {slug} as the product/app name, not the ICP, audience, or segment label.
2. If $ARGUMENTS names only research/_archive/{slug}/ or a manifest entry with status: archived or legacy status: abandoned, stop and warn that the path is archived; do not write or update scoped outputs there.
3. Read research/.progress.yaml when present. Normalize legacy active_path to active_paths on read and write back active_paths on manifest updates. Treat legacy abandoned as archived; exclude archived, abandoned, deferred, revisit_candidate, promoted, and any scope_path under research/_archive/ from active target selection.
4. If active product paths exist in the manifest, use those paths. If multiple active paths exist, ask which one to target unless this skill explicitly supports cross-path output.
5. If no active manifest target exists, list non-archived product directories under research/, excluding research/_archive/ and dot directories. Auto-select only when exactly one exists; ask when multiple exist.
6. If no product directories exist, use flat research/ single-product mode.
7. Detect monorepo/app/package structure only as a secondary hint. Suggest creating a missing research/{slug}/ product path when code clearly exposes an app, but do not require code or monorepo detection before using research/{slug}/.

When product path {slug} is active, read and write research under research/{slug}/, specs under specs/{slug}/, and treat top-level research/*.md files as flat-mode documents or cross-path summaries.

1. Establish Product Context

Standard mode: Read CLAUDE.md, README, package config, key source files. Read research/icp.md (or research/{slug}/icp.md) if it exists — the ICP defines the competitive frame. Read research/enterprise-icp.md (or research/{slug}/enterprise-icp.md) and research/mvp-gap.md (or research/{slug}/mvp-gap.md) if they exist. Summarise what the product does, who it's for, and what problem it solves.

Concept-validation mode: Use research/idea-brief.md when present, otherwise use the concept description from Prerequisites. Summarise what the concept proposes (problem, audience, approach). Confirm with the user before building the multi-select page.

Write the context summary, resolved mode, candidate competitor categories, known competitors from arguments, and source gaps to research/_working/preliminary-competitive-analysis-research.md (or research/{slug}/_working/preliminary-competitive-analysis-research.md) so framework subskills inherit the same scope.

2. State E — Recommend Frameworks & Build Multi-Select Page

Recommend framework defaults based on context:

• Always default: porter-five-forces, swot, and feature-pricing-matrix.
• Default strategic-group-map when the category has more than five likely competitors, multiple segments, multiple buyer types, or the user asks for landscape/positioning whitespace.
• Concept-validation mode: keep porter-five-forces and swot defaulted; use feature-pricing-matrix only when named competitors or visible pricing alternatives exist; use strategic-group-map when the concept competes across multiple categories.
• core shortcut: default only porter-five-forces, swot, and feature-pricing-matrix; still allow the user to add strategic-group-map.

Build the framework multi-select review alignment page: mode, product-path scope, context summary, selected/default frameworks, optional frameworks, which canonical sections each framework feeds, output paths, source coverage gaps, a loop explanation (the selected set is the scope-and-candidate approval gate; each selected framework is then run inline — one findings page per framework — and the run advances by re-invoking $competitive-analysis), and the approval gate.

This multi-select approval is the Stage-1 scope approval for the whole selected set. Stop for compiled YAML. Do not write the run manifest or run any framework in this session — that is state C.

3. State C — Run Next Pending Framework (inline)

This session consumes the approved multi-select YAML (state 0→C) or advances after a prior framework's approval. At the head of the session, do the light bookkeeping first:

1. Write the run manifest if it does not yet exist: research/_working/competitive-analysis-run.yaml (flat) or research/{slug}/_working/competitive-analysis-run.yaml (product-path), recording selected_frameworks with each framework's slug and canonical intermediate path. Include only frameworks the user selected.
2. If a prior framework's reviewed content was just approved by the pasted YAML, write its canonical intermediate research/competitive-analysis-{fw}.md (or research/{slug}/competitive-analysis-{fw}.md) from the already-reviewed working packet, and archive that framework's working packet and superseded review page.

Then run the one heavy phase: determine the next pending framework (first selected framework whose canonical intermediate does not yet exist), then load and follow that framework subskill's SKILL.md inline, entering at its research stage (Stage 2) — the multi-select approval already satisfied the framework's Stage-1 scope gate, so perform the research, write its working packet, and build a single findings review page. Stop for that framework's compiled YAML.

Framework intermediate paths (research/{slug}/ in product-path mode): research/competitive-analysis-porter-five-forces.md, research/competitive-analysis-swot.md, research/competitive-analysis-strategic-group-map.md, research/competitive-analysis-feature-pricing-matrix.md.

Advance the loop by self-re-invocation. The confirmed-page handoff and the terminal message name $competitive-analysis and tell the user to start a fresh Codex session and re-invoke, reporting progress as "k of N frameworks complete". Do not emit cross-skill routing here — that happens only after synthesis (step 4).

4. State B — Synthesis (auto-detected; also $competitive-analysis --synthesize)

Enter synthesis when the run manifest exists, all selected framework intermediates exist, and no canonical research/competitive-analysis.md yet exists. An explicit $competitive-analysis --synthesize also forces this state. Read all existing research/competitive-analysis-*.md framework outputs for the active scope. At least one approved framework output must exist; if none exist, stop and ask the user to run $competitive-analysis to select and run frameworks first.

Synthesize across framework outputs into the canonical deliverables below:

• competitor landscape and categories
• company/product profiles
• observable GTM and pricing patterns
• market gaps and white-space opportunities
• implications for deferred product paths when evidence materially changes them
• concept-validation ## Gap Assessment when the orchestrator context selected concept-validation mode
• ## Next Steps using the unchanged routing contract below

Build the report-first alignment page before writing. Only after final compiled YAML approval, write canonical artifacts, then on this canonical write archive the run manifest (competitive-analysis-run.yaml) and the synthesis working packet under docs/history/archive/YYYY-MM-DD/HHMMSS/<original-working-path>, update research/.progress.yaml pipeline_stage to competitive-analysis (and any deferred-path evidence that changed), and emit downstream next-step routing. This is the one place cross-orchestrator routing is allowed.

Deliverables

• research/competitive-analysis.md (or research/{slug}/competitive-analysis.md) — Full competitive landscape: summary, competitor profiles, observable GTM patterns, market gaps, competitive positioning (gaps identified, lessons), signals for downstream research, next steps. In concept-validation mode, includes ## Gap Assessment section (Market State, Incumbent Quality, Gap Quality, Verdict).
• research/competitive-analysis-search-log.md (or research/{slug}/competitive-analysis-search-log.md) — Raw research log: every query, findings, source attribution, reasoning
• research/.progress.yaml — update only when active-path evidence changes a deferred product path's status, reason, evidence refs, revisit trigger, or next skill. Use product_paths terminology instead of branch terminology. When writing manifest entries, include pipeline_stage: competitive-analysis on the active path entry.

Standard mode next steps: ## Next Steps section with a Recommended item and Other options (2–4 alternatives). Choose the recommended item by the first matching condition:

1. IF no research/journey-map.md: check .agents/project.json.enabled_packs for customer-lifecycle — if customer-lifecycle is not enabled, recommend npx skillpacks install customer-lifecycle from the project shell, first; if customer-lifecycle is enabled, recommend $journey-map — map the customer and user journey before solution-value decisions, using competitive gaps as inspiration
2. IF no research/positioning.md: $positioning — frame the market category and alternatives after journey evidence shows where value is delivered
3. IF no specs/user-flow-*.md: check .agents/project.json.enabled_packs for product-design — if product-design is not enabled, recommend npx skillpacks install product-design from the project shell, first; if product-design is enabled, recommend $user-flow-map [top journey-backed market gap or positioning opportunity] — map flow structure before UI requirements, layout variants, and production specification
4. IF no research/value-prop.md AND solution-customer fit is weak, disputed, or needs explicit fit scoring: $value-prop-canvas — validate contested solution-fit evidence as an optional detour
5. IF no research/gtm.md: check .agents/project.json.enabled_packs for business-growth — if business-growth is not enabled, recommend npx skillpacks install business-growth from the project shell, first; if business-growth is enabled, recommend $gtm — build go-to-market plan leveraging competitive gaps
6. IF codebase exists and no research/mvp-gap.md: check .agents/project.json.enabled_packs for business-ops — if business-ops is not enabled, recommend npx skillpacks install business-ops from the project shell, first; if business-ops is enabled, recommend $mvp-gap — check if the codebase exploits the gaps found

Use this format in the output:

Next Steps

Recommended: [first matching command above] — [reason grounded in this analysis]

Other options:

• npx skillpacks install customer-lifecycle from the project shell, or $journey-map — map the customer journey to find where competitors fall short (if no research/journey-map.md and not recommended; check .agents/project.json.enabled_packs for customer-lifecycle — if not enabled, recommend npx skillpacks install customer-lifecycle from the project shell; if enabled, recommend $journey-map)
• $positioning — frame the market category and competitive alternatives after journey evidence exists (if no research/positioning.md and not recommended)
• check .agents/project.json.enabled_packs for product-design — if product-design is not enabled, recommend npx skillpacks install product-design from the project shell, first; if product-design is enabled, recommend $user-flow-map [top journey-backed market gap or positioning opportunity] — map flow structure before UI requirements, layout variants, and production specification (if positioning exists and not recommended)
• $value-prop-canvas — optional detour only when solution-customer fit is weak, disputed, or needs explicit fit scoring before positioning/spec work
• check .agents/project.json.enabled_packs for business-growth — if business-growth is not enabled, recommend npx skillpacks install business-growth from the project shell, first; if business-growth is enabled, recommend $gtm — build go-to-market plan leveraging competitive gaps (if no research/gtm.md and not recommended)
• check .agents/project.json.enabled_packs for business-ops — if business-ops is not enabled, recommend npx skillpacks install business-ops from the project shell, first; if business-ops is enabled, recommend $mvp-gap — check if the codebase exploits the gaps found (if codebase exists, no research/mvp-gap.md exists, and not recommended)
• check .agents/project.json.enabled_packs for product-design — if product-design is not enabled, recommend npx skillpacks install product-design from the project shell, first; if product-design is enabled, recommend $brainstorm — generate alternative solution ideas (only if the analysis found multiple plausible market gaps and product direction is still unclear)

Only include items whose conditions are met. Do not recommend brainstorm just because competitive whitespace exists.

Concept-validation mode next steps: Use the same Recommended + Other options format, but choose the recommendation from the validated ## Gap Assessment verdict:

Next Steps

Recommended: [verdict-based next step] — [reason grounded in the gap assessment]

Other options:

• IF verdict is Proceed to Customer Discovery: recommend $customer-discovery — the competitive gap is validated; define who to build for
• IF verdict is Pivot concept: recommend $brainstorm — the market has a gap, but this concept needs a different angle before ICP work is useful
• IF verdict is Abandon: recommend No follow-up skill recommended — the analysis did not find a meaningful gap worth pursuing; include $brainstorm only if the user wants to explore a new concept
• $competitive-analysis — re-run in standard mode after ICP is defined (only after a proceed verdict and after $customer-discovery creates research/icp.md)

Task Classification

When this skill produces follow-up work, file it by execution semantics:

• Immediately actionable implementation or documentation work goes in tasks/todo.md.
• Human-only external actions tied to automated steps go in tasks/manual-todo.md with _(blocks: Step N.X)_ or _(after: Step N.X)_; repo edits, SDK wiring, generated assets, local commands, tests, audits, and authenticated CLI/API work stay in tasks/todo.md.
• One-time condition-gated records, baselines, or future measurements go in tasks/record-todo.md with source, condition, non-blocking reason, evidence, and promotion rule.
• Cadence-based reviews, playtests, adoption checks, investor updates, retros, or docs-health checks go in tasks/recurring-todo.md with cadence, owner/agent, next due, evidence path, and escalation conditions.
• Do not put non-blocking records or recurring obligations in tasks/todo.md unless they have been explicitly promoted into current execution work.

Constraints

• Framework execution must use web search extensively — every competitor in a framework output or synthesis must come from a search result.
• Cite sources for competitor facts.
• Be honest about uncertainty.
• Stay in analysis mode — no product changes, architecture, or positioning recommendations. Positioning belongs in $positioning.
• Focus on actionable insights over raw lists.
• Do not overwrite existing research/competitive-analysis.md (or research/{slug}/competitive-analysis.md) without asking.
• Prefer recent sources (last 12 months).
• Search breadth over depth initially.
• Present before writing — never write until findings are validated.
• Parent self-advances one phase per invocation and follows the next pending framework's subskill inline (entering at its research stage). It records the selected framework set in the run manifest, runs each selected framework inline, and synthesizes; progress is the existence of canonical intermediates. The loop advances by re-invoking $competitive-analysis (fresh Codex session between sessions). Do not queue framework work in tasks/todo.md or hand it to $exec.
• Framework subskills must not emit Recommended next skill or Recommended next command; routing belongs to synthesis after canonical artifacts are approved.
• ## Next Steps must be the final section in the output file, with a recommended next step and 2–4 other options.

Alignment Page

When this skill produces durable deliverables (research, specs, plans, reports, prototypes, or any document output), build a full-depth HTML alignment page following ALIGNMENT-PAGE.md in this skill's directory. Output: alignment/competitive-analysis-{topic}.html.

Default Shipping Contract

Follow the shared shipping contract convention in CLAUDE.md.