--- name: sales-ideabrowser description: "IdeaBrowser (ideabrowser.com, Greg Isenberg) platform help — the paid market-leader idea-DISCOVERY catalog that VentureVault and Ideagrape clone: it turns Reddit/search/YouTube signals into pre-researched ideas with opportunity scores (revenue/execution/GTM), plus a free Idea of the Day emailed daily, a 1,000+ Idea Database, interrogatable Idea Agents, and a 40-step Research Agent on your OWN ideas. Pricey annual tiers (Starter/Pro/Empire); UI-only — NO public API, MCP, or webhooks (only Pro data exports + a third-party Apify scraper). Use when browsing IdeaBrowser or its Idea of the Day, interpreting opportunity scores, running the Research Agent on your idea, deciding if the annual price is worth it vs the free VentureVault or cheaper Ideagrape, or asking whether it has an API to export the ideas. Do NOT use for the tool-agnostic validate-before-building method or comparing idea validators across the market (use /sales-idea-validation), or building the smoke-test landing page (use /sales-funnel)." argument-hint: "[describe what you need help with in IdeaBrowser]" license: MIT version: 1.0.0 tags: [sales, validation, pre-launch, platform] --- # IdeaBrowser Platform Help IdeaBrowser (**ideabrowser.com** — by Greg Isenberg, launched May 2025) is the **paid market-leader startup-idea discovery catalog**: it ingests Reddit threads, search-trend data, and YouTube signals and produces **fully-formed, pre-researched startup ideas**, each carrying an **opportunity score** and a breakdown (problem severity, feasibility, timing, search volume, growth %, founder fit, revenue potential, execution difficulty, go-to-market). It's the original that the free **VentureVault** and cheaper **Ideagrape** / **BuildOrNot** clone. Beyond browsing, its AI agents (**Idea Agent / AI Chat**, **Research Agent**, **Chat Strategist**) research and pressure-test ideas — including **your own**. It's an idea-*discovery* tool, **not proof of demand**, it's **expensive** (~$499–$2,999/yr), and it has **no public API** (a UI app; Pro data exports + a third-party Apify scraper are the only export paths). ## Step 1 — Gather context If `references/learnings.md` exists, read it first for accumulated platform knowledge. Ask only what you can't infer: 1. **What do you want from IdeaBrowser?** - A) **Browse the catalog / Idea of the Day** to find a niche worth building - B) **Interpret an idea's opportunity score** and its market breakdown - C) **Run the Research Agent / Chat Strategist** on your *own* idea - D) Decide **whether the price is worth it** vs free/cheaper alternatives - E) Get the ideas out / automate them (export / API reality) - F) Judge whether a **browsed, scored idea = validated demand** 2. **What's the real question — "what should I build / is this idea worth building?" or "how do I use this tool?"** If it's the go/no-go decision, that's `/sales-idea-validation` (browsing a curated idea list and reading an AI score are not demand) — route in Step 2. Skip-ahead: if the user wants the validate-before-building *method* or to compare validators across the market, that's a `/sales-idea-validation` question — route immediately. ## Step 2 — Route or answer directly | If the user's question is about… | Route to | |---|---| | The validate-before-building **method**, or the go/no-go decision itself | `/sales-idea-validation {question}` | | Comparing IdeaBrowser against other validators/discovery tools (VentureVault, Ideagrape, BuildOrNot, Validator AI…) | `/sales-idea-validation {question}` | | The **free** IdeaBrowser alternative specifically | `/sales-venturevault {question}` | | The **cheaper** discovery+validation hybrid alternative | `/sales-ideagrape {question}` | | Deep **Reddit demand-signal** discovery / scoring as its own workflow | `/sales-trendseeker {question}` | | Building the smoke-test / fake-door **landing page** to test real demand | `/sales-funnel {question}` | | Growing a pre-launch **waitlist** / capturing real demand | `/sales-audience-growth {question}` | When routing, give the exact command: "This is a {domain} question — run: `/sales-idea-validation {original question}`" Otherwise, answer IdeaBrowser-specific questions using Step 3. ## Step 3 — IdeaBrowser platform reference **Read `references/platform-guide.md`** for the full reference — the modules (Idea of the Day, the Idea Database, Ideas Leaderboard, Trends, AI Idea Generator, Idea Agent / AI Chat, the 40-step Research Agent, Chat Strategist, Idea Builder), the opportunity-score components, the **annual pricing tiers** (free → Starter ~$499 → Pro ~$1,499 → Empire ~$2,999) and what each gates, the **no-public-API** automation reality (Pro data exports + the third-party Apify scraper as the only export paths; no webhooks/Zapier/MCP), and the disambiguation from its clones. Answer using only the relevant section — don't dump the full reference. ## Step 4 — Actionable guidance - **Use IdeaBrowser for discovery, not for the decision.** Its value is a **curated, pre-researched shortlist** — browse the catalog / Idea of the Day to find candidate niches and see what a scored idea looks like, then take the go/no-go from a real demand test (smoke test / pre-sale), not from the score. Route the real test to `/sales-idea-validation`. - **Treat the opportunity scores and market breakdown as AI estimates, not facts.** The score components (revenue potential, execution difficulty, GTM, search volume, growth %) are **AI-generated and unaudited** — read them as a directional lens and **verify any market-size or revenue number against a primary source**. A high opportunity score is not demand; a browsable idea has been *researched*, not *validated by a paying stranger*. - **The Research Agent report is a deeper AI opinion — keep the structure, discard the verdict.** The 40-step Research Agent (and Chat Strategist) produce a thorough report on *your own* idea, but reviewers note it **doesn't link claims to data sources** — it's a well-organized LLM synthesis. Keep the competitor list, risks, positioning, and GTM ammo to sharpen the pitch; earn the go/no-go from real behavior. - **Weigh the price honestly against free/cheaper alternatives.** IdeaBrowser is **by far the priciest** in the cluster (~$499/$1,499/$2,999 per year, billed annually). If the user only needs a shortlist, the **free VentureVault** or **cheaper Ideagrape** cover the browse-and-score job — reserve IdeaBrowser for its deeper agents/data if they'll actually use them. A common take: it "earns its cost while you're still hunting for an idea; once you have one, cheaper tools get you to proof for less." - **There's no public API — don't plan an integration around it.** No documented REST/GraphQL API, no webhooks, no Zapier/Make, no MCP. The **only export paths are Pro-tier data exports and a third-party Apify scraper** (`marielise.dev/ideabrowser-scraper`, not official) — treat the scraper as unsupported (it can break and may conflict with the terms). If they need the ideas elsewhere, point them at the **Pro data export** (if they subscribe) or **reconstructing the underlying signals from source** (the Reddit API, a keyword/search-volume tool, Google Trends, YouTube, Product Hunt). The thing worth automating is a **real demand signal** (landing-page conversions), not a directory of AI-scored ideas. - **Get the free vs paid split right.** The **Idea of the Day** (browse today's idea + the daily email) is free and the best zero-cost way to sample the product; the **full Idea Database, AI Idea Generator, Research Agent, Chat Strategist, Idea Builder, and exports are paid** (Starter unlocks the catalog + a monthly AI-idea quota; Pro adds Research Agent reports + exports). Confirm current gating at ideabrowser.com/pricing. If you discover a gotcha or tip not in `references/learnings.md`, append it there with today's date. ## Gotchas *Best-effort from research (2026-07) — IdeaBrowser ships features fast (a "launch week" cadence) and the live site rate-limited automated fetches; verify current tiers, quotas, and module names at ideabrowser.com.* - **A browsed, scored idea is not validated demand.** The catalog gives you a *researched* idea with an AI opportunity score — not proof anyone will pay. Follow it with a real-behavior test (smoke test / pre-sale); the go/no-go is a stranger taking an action. - **Opportunity scores and market numbers are AI estimates.** Revenue potential, execution difficulty, search volume, growth %, and market size are model/data-generated, not audited — verify any number against a primary source. - **The Research Agent doesn't cite sources.** Its 40-step report reads authoritative but reviewers fault it for not linking claims to data — treat it as structured AI synthesis, keep the useful parts, and don't mistake the write-up for evidence. - **It's expensive and billed annually.** ~$499 (Starter) / ~$1,499 (Pro) / ~$2,999 (Empire) per year — the priciest tool in the cluster. The free VentureVault and cheaper Ideagrape cover the browse-and- score job; pay for IdeaBrowser only for its deeper agents/data. - **No public API, no webhooks, no Zapier/Make/MCP.** UI web app. Export is limited to Pro data exports and an **unofficial third-party Apify scraper** — you can't build a supported integration on it. - **It's Greg Isenberg's product with a big audience — don't confuse hype with demand.** Positive Product Hunt buzz and a large following are marketing signals, not proof *your* pick will sell. ## Related skills - `/sales-idea-validation` — The tool-agnostic validate-before-building method + the full validator/discovery landscape (use this to actually decide build-or-not; browsing a scored idea list is not demand) - `/sales-venturevault` — VentureVault platform help (the **free** IdeaBrowser alternative — a browsable vault of AI-scored, pre-researched ideas at no cost) - `/sales-ideagrape` — Ideagrape platform help (a **cheaper** IdeaBrowser alternative blending idea discovery with AI validation, with a capped free tier) - `/sales-buildornot` — BuildOrNot platform help (a discovery data platform + free AI evaluator — a paid-preview discovery sibling) - `/sales-trendseeker` — Reddit-based demand discovery + evidence scoring (a real-signal sibling to a curated idea catalog) - `/sales-funnel` — Build the smoke-test / fake-door landing page the real demand test runs on - `/sales-audience-growth` — Grow a pre-launch waitlist and capture real demand - `/sales-do` — Not sure which skill to use? The router matches any sales objective to the right skill. Install: `npx skills add sales-skills/sales --skill sales-do -a claude-code` ## Examples ### Example 1: "IdeaBrowser gave an idea a high opportunity score — should I build it?" **User says**: "The Idea of the Day scored really high on IdeaBrowser. Is that a green light to build?" **Skill does**: Positions IdeaBrowser as a **discovery** tool — the opportunity score (revenue potential, execution difficulty, GTM, search volume, growth) is an **AI estimate to sanity-check, not proof of demand** — and tells the user to verify any market number against a primary source. Insists the go/no-go comes from a real behavior test (smoke test / pre-sale), routing the decision to `/sales-idea-validation`, the landing page to `/sales-funnel`, and the waitlist to `/sales-audience-growth`. **Result**: The founder treats the score as a shortlist signal and earns the decision from stranger behavior. ### Example 2: "Is IdeaBrowser worth $499+/yr, or should I use a free/cheaper tool?" **User says**: "IdeaBrowser is expensive. Do I need it, or is VentureVault / Ideagrape enough?" **Skill does**: Frames IdeaBrowser as the **priciest** tool in the cluster (~$499/$1,499/$2,999/yr, annual) and separates the jobs: if the user only needs a **shortlist**, the free **VentureVault** or cheaper **Ideagrape** cover browse-and-score; IdeaBrowser earns its cost only if they'll use the deeper **Research Agent / Chat Strategist / data**. Notes the common take — "worth it while hunting for an idea, overkill once you have one" — and routes cross-tool comparison to `/sales-idea-validation`. **Result**: The user picks the cheapest tool that does the job they actually need, not the flashiest. ### Example 3: Can I export IdeaBrowser's ideas via an API? (developer/automation) **User says**: "I want to pull IdeaBrowser's scored ideas into my own database via API." **Skill does**: States plainly there's **no documented public API, no webhooks, no Zapier/Make, no MCP** — it's a UI web app, and the only export paths are **Pro-tier data exports** and an **unofficial third-party Apify scraper** (`marielise.dev/ideabrowser-scraper`), which is unsupported and may break or conflict with terms. Suggests the workable path: use Pro exports if you're a subscriber, or reconstruct the underlying signals from source (Reddit API, search-trend/keyword tools, YouTube), and automate a **real demand signal** (landing-page analytics) instead of a directory. **Result**: The user avoids building on a non-existent API and picks a supported/first-party path. ## Troubleshooting ### Every idea looks promising / the scores feel optimistic **Symptom**: The catalog's opportunity scores make most ideas look like winners. **Cause**: The scores and market breakdown are **AI/data estimates**, not audited — they read directional and can skew encouraging. **Solution**: Use the scores to *rank and shortlist*, not to decide. Verify any market/revenue number against a primary source, then run a real demand test (smoke test / pre-sale) via `/sales-idea-validation`. ### The Research Agent report looks thorough but I can't verify its claims **Symptom**: A long, confident Research Agent write-up with no linked sources. **Cause**: The 40-step Research Agent synthesizes a report but **doesn't cite data sources** — it's structured LLM output, not evidence. **Solution**: Keep the structured parts (competitors, risks, positioning, GTM), verify any specific stat independently, and take the go/no-go from real behavior, not the report's tone. ### I want an API or a way to export/automate the ideas **Symptom**: Want to script IdeaBrowser or pull its scored ideas into another system. **Cause**: IdeaBrowser has no documented public API, webhooks, or iPaaS connectors; export is limited to Pro-tier data exports and an unofficial third-party Apify scraper. **Solution**: Use Pro data exports if you subscribe, or reconstruct the signals from source (Reddit API, search-trend/keyword tools, YouTube). Don't build on the Apify scraper as if it were official. Automate a real demand signal (landing-page analytics) instead. See `/sales-idea-validation`.