What it does
/propose is a Claude Code skill that breaks the first-idea trap by generating multiple design approaches in parallel. When you’re stuck on a design decision, invoke /propose and three subagents spin up simultaneously—each with a distinct philosophy: a Pragmatist seeking the smallest viable change, an Architect building for extensibility, and a Wildcard challenging your assumptions. Each agent reads your actual codebase, grounds proposals in real files, and returns a four-part analysis: Approach, How It Works, Tradeoffs, and Effort estimate.
How it works
After you describe a design question, Claude launches three independent subagents in parallel. Each agent reviews your codebase and proposes a solution without making changes. They return their findings in a consistent format, which Claude then ranks by fit for your situation, flags a clear winner or hybrid option, and asks which direction you’d like to pursue.
Use cases
- Unblock design decisions when you’re torn between approaches
- Explore alternative architectures before committing to one path
- Challenge your assumptions by forcing lateral thinking
- Ground proposals in reality by having agents read actual code
- Make faster decisions by seeing trade-offs side-by-side in one turn
Who benefits
Product designers, design ops leads, and technical leads who use Claude Code and want a structured way to explore multiple design directions without implementation overhead.