product-mode skill
A CLAUDE.md and AGENTS.md file with seven principles: the agent frames the problem and scope before it writes code
- 171 ★ on the repository
- Last commit
- MIT
Minimal access
Why this level
- The instruction files change agent behavior, and init appends a section to your `CLAUDE.md` and creates folders in the repository
Install
- Works in
In your terminal, with SkillFoxx CLI
npx skillfoxx add skills/product-modeDetects the agents on your machine, shows the access level and pins the version.
Other ways to install
Access and checks
How we reviewMinimal accessThe tool runs nothing and makes no network calls.
- The instruction files change agent behavior, and init appends a section to your `CLAUDE.md` and creates folders in the repository
This is third-party code. Review the repository files before installing.
What it does
product-mode gives a coding agent product rules inside the project. The core is a `CLAUDE.md` and `AGENTS.md` pair with seven principles: frame the problem before the solution, make assumptions and unknowns visible, ship the smallest change, name the tradeoffs, define done by outcome, without regard to output, instrument before shipping, and log the decision with its reversibility. A five-question pre-flight checklist and a table of when the rigor can be skipped come with them. The CLI is optional. `product-mode init` creates `.product-mode/checklist/` and `.product-mode/decisions/`, adds a section on prior decisions to `CLAUDE.md` or `AGENTS.md` and installs three slash commands: `/preflight`, `/decision` and `/product-review`. In Codex you type `$` instead of the slash. The first command builds the pre-flight checklist from the conversation and saves it, the second writes a decision record, and the third checks a plan or pull request against the seven principles and changes nothing. The repository also has three worked examples, such as a dashboard and a referral system, and six authored scenarios for testing how the agent handles uncertainty.
Who it is for. Product managers and developers in mixed teams where Claude Code, Cursor or Codex take on features without a clear brief.
Good fit when
- An agent starts on a dashboard and you first need to learn whose decision it will support
- The team wants decision records in the repository so the agent reads them before a new task
- Before a large feature you want to answer five questions and save them to `.product-mode/checklist/`
- A plan or pull request should go through `/product-review` for a list of gaps with the smallest fix
- The project already has a `CLAUDE.md` and the principles must be merged in following the step-by-step guide
Not a fit when
- You are fixing a typo or a small documentation line: the exceptions table in the file already exempts such cases
- You need a measured evaluation of an agent: the repository scenarios are authored cases and there are no measured results
- You want engineering-only rules for a solo developer: a shorter file such as the Karpathy-inspired guidelines fits better
Example request
Add a dashboard to our app. Before coding, help me frame the problem, name the unknowns, pick the smallest scope and define successLimitations
The principles work as instructions, so an agent can skip them, and the file does not know your users or business: missing facts have to come from you. The examples in the repository illustrate reasoning and contain no measurements. The CLI needs Node.js 20.19 or newer and installs separately from the instruction files. Version 1.1.0 is conservative about edits: only small edits to ordinary documentation count as trivial automatically, while code and agent instructions go through review. The `.product-mode/` folder and the section added to `CLAUDE.md` stay in the repository and enter commit history.
How to disable. Remove the principles from `CLAUDE.md` or `AGENTS.md`, delete the `.product-mode/` folder and the slash commands from `.claude/skills/` and `.agents/skills/`. The global CLI is removed with `npm uninstall -g product-mode`.
FAQ
How do I add product-mode to Claude Code?
Put the `CLAUDE.md` from the repository in the project root, or merge the principles into an existing one. Codex and Cursor read `AGENTS.md`. No npm package is needed for that.
What does product-mode init do?
It creates `.product-mode/checklist/` and `.product-mode/decisions/`, adds a reference to them in `CLAUDE.md` or `AGENTS.md` and installs `/preflight`, `/decision` and `/product-review`. It never overwrites existing commands and can be re-run safely.
How do I call the commands in Codex?
Type a dollar sign instead of the slash: `$preflight`, `$decision`. Codex and Cursor use `.agents/skills/`, Claude Code uses `.claude/skills/`.
How does product-mode differ from the Karpathy-inspired guidelines?
The author calls it the PM-team counterpart. The Karpathy guidelines fix an engineer failure modes, while product-mode adds a layer before code: problem, scope, tradeoffs and outcome measurement.
Is Node.js required to use the principles?
No, the text file is enough. Node.js 20.19 or newer is only needed for the `product-mode` CLI with the `checklist`, `decision` and `init` commands.
Discussion
No questions or reviews yet.
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Comparison with similar tools
Cards that share the main search query, and how they differ.
| Tool | Official | Repository stars | Main difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| product-mode (this card) | no | 171 | |
| Karpathy-inspired Claude Code guidelines | no | 232,688 | four principles for an engineer: assumptions, simplicity, surgical edits; no product questions or decision records |
| PM Skills | no | 27,935 | a large plugin set for product managers, while this is one short rules file for the agent and three commands |
README in short
The README opens with a quick start for a new project and a link to the merge guide, then three worked examples and a section on resolving uncertainty in different ways. Next come the table of seven principles, the five-question checklist and the optional CLI commands. A section on proposing a new principle closes the page.