---
name: sales-ideacheck
description: "IdeaCheck (ideacheck.ai) platform help — an AI startup-idea validation tool that turns one idea description into a saved evidence report across seven modules (market opportunity, competitive landscape, target-audience profiling, financial viability, risk, industry context, scenario modeling), exportable to PDF, Word, and Excel. Its edge in the crowded validator field is pricing: one credit = one full report offered three ways at once — pay-per-report, a credit pack whose credits never expire, and a low monthly subscription — same complete report on every plan (no feature gating). Use when running an idea through IdeaCheck, interpreting its report or modules, choosing between its pay-per-report vs never-expire pack vs monthly plans, exporting reports, or asking whether it has an API. UI-only — no public API, webhooks, or Zapier. Do NOT use for the tool-agnostic validate-before-building method or comparing validators (use /sales-idea-validation), or building the smoke-test landing page (use /sales-funnel)."
argument-hint: "[describe what you need help with in IdeaCheck]"
license: MIT
version: 1.0.0
tags: [sales, validation, pre-launch, platform]
---

# IdeaCheck Platform Help

IdeaCheck (ideacheck.ai) is an **AI startup-idea validation tool**. You describe your business idea,
spend **one credit** to run the full analysis pipeline, and get a **saved evidence report** across
**seven modules** (market opportunity, competitive landscape, target-audience profiling, financial
viability/unit economics, risk assessment, industry context, scenario modeling), exportable to
**PDF, Word, and Excel**. Its distinguishing trait in a crowded field is **pricing flexibility**: the
same complete report is sold **three ways at once** — pay-per-report (Try Once), a **credit 5-pack
whose credits never expire**, and a **low monthly Starter subscription** — with **no feature gating**
between plans (only quantity and expiry differ). It's a fast structured second opinion and document
generator — **not a substitute for real demand validation** — and it has **no public API** (UI tool).

## 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 IdeaCheck?**
   - A) Run an idea through it and interpret the report / a specific module
   - B) Understand the pricing — which of the three models (pay-per-report, never-expire pack, monthly) fits how you'll use it
   - C) Get the report out (PDF / Word / Excel export)
   - D) Automate or export programmatically (API reality)
2. **What's the real question — "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` (a report is not demand) — route in Step 2.
3. **Will you re-validate the same idea multiple times as it pivots?** This decides which pricing model
   is actually cheapest — cover it in Step 4.

Skip-ahead: if the user wants the validate-before-building *method* or to compare validators across the
market, route to `/sales-idea-validation` 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 IdeaCheck against other validators (Informly, IdeaProof, Validator AI, DimeADozen…) | `/sales-idea-validation {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}` |
| Turning the report's marketing/audience sections into a real **content** program | `/sales-content {question}` |

When routing, give the exact command: "This is a {domain} question — run: `/sales-idea-validation {original question}`"

Otherwise, answer IdeaCheck-specific questions using Step 3.

## Step 3 — IdeaCheck platform reference

**Read `references/platform-guide.md`** for the full reference — the seven modules and what each
produces, the credit system (one credit = one full report), the three co-existing pricing models and
which is cheapest for how you'll use it, the PDF/Word/Excel export options, why an AI report reads
optimistic, and the no-public-API automation reality.

Answer using only the relevant section — don't dump the full reference.

## Step 4 — Actionable guidance

- **Treat the report and any score as a directional gut check, not demand.** The report is an **LLM
  opinion** generated from a short idea description — its market sizing, financials, and competitor
  set are **AI estimates**, not measured demand. Tell the user to **keep the structured outputs**
  (competitor/positioning, target-audience profiles, risks, unit-economics scaffold) to sharpen the
  pitch, and take the **go/no-go from real behavior** — a smoke test or pre-sale — not from the report.
  Route the real test to `/sales-idea-validation`.
- **Pick the pricing model by your re-run count, not the sticker price.** IdeaCheck sells the *same*
  report **three ways**: **Try Once** (pay-per-report), a **5-pack whose credits never expire**, and a
  **monthly Starter** (a batch of credits that **expire at period end**). The trap: a founder
  re-validates the *same* idea several times as it pivots, so the "cheapest" single report can cost more
  across the iteration cycle. Rule of thumb: **one idea, one run → Try Once; a few ideas over months
  with no deadline → the never-expire pack; validating many ideas within one month → the monthly plan
  (but its unused credits expire).** All plans get the identical full report — **you're buying quantity
  and expiry terms, not features.** **Always flag the exact prices and credit terms as best-effort and
  tell the user to confirm current pricing on ideacheck.ai** — the tiers and expiry rules move.
- **Finalize the idea framing before you spend a credit.** One credit = one full report, and a thin or
  vague input produces a thin report — tell the user to sharpen the one-line idea, audience, and problem
  first so they don't burn a credit (or a re-run) fixing the input.
- **Use the module outputs as first drafts, then replace them with tested ones.** The
  target-audience profiles, competitive positioning, and financial scaffold are fast **starting drafts**
  — good enough to launch a smoke test with, but the copy/positioning that survive are the ones that
  convert. Push real ad/landing testing to `/sales-content` and `/sales-funnel`; export to Word/Excel to
  edit the numbers by hand (they're estimates, not projections).
- **There's no public API — don't plan an integration around it.** If asked to automate, export in bulk,
  or pipe reports into another system, say plainly there's **no documented public API, no webhooks, no
  Zapier/Make, no MCP**. The only way to get data out is to **export the report (PDF/Word/Excel) and
  parse it yourself**. The thing actually worth automating is the real signal (landing-page
  conversions), not the generated report — route that to `/sales-idea-validation` and `/sales-funnel`.

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) — IdeaCheck's pricing, credit terms, and module set move; verify at ideacheck.ai.*

- **The report is an AI opinion, not demand.** A polished multi-module report generated from a short
  description validates nothing on its own — follow it with a real-behavior test (smoke test / pre-sale).
- **Three pricing models, one report — buy on re-run count.** Pay-per-report, a **never-expire 5-pack**,
  and a **monthly** plan all deliver the identical full report; the monthly plan's **unused credits
  expire at period end** while the pack's don't. Match the model to how often you'll re-validate.
- **Market-size / financial numbers are AI estimates.** Verify TAM, unit economics, and projections
  against primary sources before quoting them; export to Excel and replace the numbers by hand.
- **One credit = one full report, and thin input → thin report.** A vague idea description wastes a
  credit — sharpen the framing first; re-running after a pivot spends another credit.
- **No public API, no webhooks, no Zapier/Make/MCP.** It's a UI tool; the only export is
  **PDF/Word/Excel** you download and parse. You can't script or batch it.
- **Niche indie tool, thin independent review presence.** Few third-party reviews — weigh marketing
  claims (module counts, "deep research tier") accordingly and confirm the current feature set live.

## Related skills

- `/sales-idea-validation` — The tool-agnostic validate-before-building method + the full validator landscape (use this to actually decide build-or-not; a report is not demand)
- `/sales-informly` — Informly platform help (a close per-report sibling — one idea → a large multi-report PDF; contrast IdeaCheck's three co-existing pricing models against Informly's single per-report price)
- `/sales-ideaproof` — IdeaProof platform help (credit-based 120s validation + a pre-launch asset suite — another credit-metered sibling)
- `/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-content` — Turn the report's marketing/audience sections into a real content/ad program
- `/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: "IdeaCheck gave my idea a solid report — should I build it?"
**User says**: "IdeaCheck ran all the modules and the report looks good. Is my idea validated?"
**Skill does**: Explains the report is an **LLM opinion** generated from a short description — its market
sizing, financials, and competitor set are **AI estimates**, not demand. Tells the user to keep the
structured parts (competitor/positioning, target-audience profiles, risks) to sharpen the pitch, then
route the real go/no-go to `/sales-idea-validation` — a smoke test or pre-sale where a stranger takes an
action — rather than trusting the report.
**Result**: The founder gets real demand signal before building, using IdeaCheck's structure, not its verdict.

### Example 2: Which IdeaCheck plan is actually cheapest for me?
**User says**: "IdeaCheck has a $2.99 single report, a 5-pack, and a monthly plan — which should I get?"
**Skill does**: Explains all three deliver the **identical full report** — you're buying quantity and
expiry, not features. Maps the choice to **re-run count**: one idea run once → **Try Once**; a few ideas
over months with no deadline → the **5-pack whose credits never expire**; validating many ideas inside
one month → the **monthly Starter** (but its unused credits expire at period end). Warns that a founder
who re-validates the *same* idea through several pivots can pay more with "cheap" single reports than one
pack, and to confirm current prices on ideacheck.ai.
**Result**: The user picks the model that matches their iteration cycle instead of the lowest sticker price.

### Example 3: Can I export or automate IdeaCheck reports? (developer/automation)
**User says**: "I want to run 30 ideas through IdeaCheck and pull the reports into a database via API."
**Skill does**: States plainly there's **no documented public API, no webhooks, no Zapier/Make, no MCP**
— it's a UI tool whose only export is **PDF/Word/Excel**, so there's no supported way to batch or export
programmatically. Suggests exporting to Excel/Word and parsing locally, or using a tool built for
programmatic validation, and notes the thing worth automating is a real demand signal (landing-page
conversions), not a generated report — pointing to `/sales-idea-validation` and `/sales-funnel`.
**Result**: The user avoids building on a non-existent API and picks a workable path.

## Troubleshooting

### The report reads glowing / it never really tells me not to build
**Symptom**: Every module assumes the idea should proceed and the tone is encouraging.
**Cause**: The report is a short-prompt LLM output — it pattern-matches to plausible-sounding
encouragement and can invent supporting "facts" (market size, demand).
**Solution**: Stop treating the report as the decision. Keep the structured outputs (competitors, risks,
audience profiles, unit-economics scaffold) and run a real demand test — smoke test or pre-sale — via
`/sales-idea-validation`.

### I paid for a single report but want to validate more ideas / a pivot
**Symptom**: Expected ongoing access; a second idea (or a re-run after a pivot) asks for another credit.
**Cause**: **One credit = one full report.** Try Once buys a single report; re-running spends another.
**Solution**: If you'll re-validate repeatedly, switch model: the **5-pack** (credits never expire) for a
few ideas over time, or the **monthly Starter** for many ideas inside one month (its unused credits
expire). Finalize each idea's framing before spending a credit. Confirm current prices on ideacheck.ai.

### I want an API or a way to export/automate
**Symptom**: Want to script IdeaCheck or pull reports into another system.
**Cause**: IdeaCheck has no documented public API, webhooks, or iPaaS connectors; it's a web tool that
exports PDF/Word/Excel only.
**Solution**: Export the report and parse it locally, or use a tool intended for programmatic use;
automate a real demand signal (landing-page analytics) instead. See `/sales-idea-validation`.