ThinkFlow is a set of skills for Claude Chat that helps you think through and validate ideas before implementing. It runs you through four sequential phases: brainstorming, strategic review, engineering review, and design review. Each phase produces a design doc artifact you can carry forward. You can stop at any phase — the output is always a usable design doc.
- Go to claude.ai and create a new Project
- Name it (e.g., "ThinkFlow")
- Open project settings → Custom Instructions: paste the full contents of
project-instructions.md - Open project settings → Project Knowledge: upload these 4 files:
thinkflow.mdceo-review.mdeng-review.mddesign-review.md
- Start a new conversation inside the project
Start: Describe your idea. Claude runs ThinkFlow automatically.
Switch phase: Say CEO review, eng review, or design review at any point.
Skip: Jump straight to any phase — phases are not strictly sequential.
Stop: Stop whenever you want. The design doc artifact is preserved.
Standalone: Paste a design doc into a new conversation in the same project and say the phase name to run just that phase.
| Phase | Name | Purpose | Input | Output |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ThinkFlow | Brainstorming & idea validation | Your idea | Design Doc (Artifact) |
| 2 | CEO Review | Strategic scope & ambition review | Design Doc | Updated Design Doc |
| 3 | Eng Review | Architecture & technical review | Design Doc | Updated Design Doc |
| 4 | Design Review | UX/UI & interaction review | Design Doc | Final Design Doc |
- Claude asks one question at a time — respond naturally, this is a conversation
- If the context window fills up during a long session, copy the latest artifact into a new conversation in the same project to continue
- You can run any phase standalone: paste an existing design doc and say the phase name
- Phases can be skipped or reordered — use what's useful for your situation