---
name: sales-indie10k
description: "Indie10k (indie10k.com) platform help — an indie-maker growth platform whose free front door is an AI Idea Validator plus a distinctive Idea Invalidator (\"don't build\") that roasts an idea for weak distribution, weak wallets, and weak positioning, alongside a one-page PRD generator and other micro-tools, all feeding a paid daily \"Reps\" accountability system toward the 10k-MRR milestone. Tuned for bootstrapped indie hackers and micro-SaaS, not VCs. Use when validating or invalidating a startup idea in Indie10k, reading its pros/risks/effort/competition/monetization breakdown, using the Idea Invalidator to gut-check reasons NOT to build, generating a one-page PRD to hand to Claude Code, weighing the free tier vs Builder vs Hacker plans, or asking whether it has an API. UI-only, no public API. Do NOT use for the tool-agnostic validate-before-building method or comparing idea validators (use /sales-idea-validation), or building the smoke-test landing page (use /sales-funnel)."
argument-hint: "[describe what you need help with in Indie10k]"
license: MIT
version: 1.0.0
tags: [sales, idea-validation, platform]
---

# Indie10k Platform Help

Indie10k (**indie10k.com**) is an **indie-maker growth platform** for bootstrapped solo founders,
indie hackers, and vibe coders. Its public front door is a suite of **free AI micro-tools** — an
**Idea Validator** (pros/risks/effort/competition/monetization, tailored to indie/micro-SaaS, **no
numeric score**), a distinctive **Idea Invalidator** ("don't build" — a short *roast* that hunts for
weak distribution, weak wallets, and weak positioning), and a **PRD Generator** — all of which funnel
into the paid core product: a daily **"Reps"** accountability system (bite-sized traffic/feedback/
revenue actions with evidence logging) built around the **"TenK"** goal of compounding toward the
10k-MRR milestone. **UI-only — no public API.**

## Step 1 — Gather context

If `references/learnings.md` exists, read it first for accumulated platform knowledge.

Ask only what you can't infer from the user's prompt:

1. **Which part of Indie10k?** (a) the **Idea Validator** (the pros/risks/effort breakdown), (b) the
   **Idea Invalidator** ("don't build" roast), (c) the **PRD Generator** or another free tool, (d) the
   paid **"Reps"** daily accountability system, (e) pricing (free vs Builder vs Hacker), (f) whether it
   has an **API / export**.
2. **What's the idea, in one sentence?** (only if they're running the validator/invalidator).
3. **What have you got so far** — just a hunch, an AI score, a landing page, a waitlist, or someone
   offered to pay?

Skip-ahead rule: if the user's prompt already contains enough context, skip to Step 2.

## Step 2 — Route or answer directly

Indie10k's tools are one indie-maker workflow. Most of the *thinking* a founder needs is tool-agnostic
— route it:

| The user's real question | Route to |
|---|---|
| Should I trust this verdict? How do I *actually* validate? Comparing validators | `/sales-idea-validation` |
| Build the smoke-test / fake-door landing page the demand test runs on | `/sales-funnel` |
| Grow a pre-launch waitlist and capture signups | `/sales-audience-growth` |
| Reddit-based real-demand signal to cross-check the verdict | `/sales-trendseeker` |

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

Answer **directly** only for Indie10k-specific mechanics (the Validator vs the Invalidator, the roast's
three failure lenses, the PRD sections, the Reps/TenK system, Builder-vs-Hacker gating, "does it have
an API").

## Step 3 — Indie10k platform reference

**Read `references/platform-guide.md`** for the full reference — every free tool and its output shape,
the Idea Validator's five sections, the Idea Invalidator's three failure lenses, the PRD Generator's
seven-part spec, the Reps/TenK accountability model, pricing/plan gates (free cap, Builder, Hacker),
and the (absent) automation surface.

Answer using only the relevant section — don't dump the whole guide.

## Step 4 — Actionable guidance

- **The Validator's prose (and the Invalidator's roast) are AI opinions, not demand.** Indie10k's
  Idea Validator gives a *qualitative* breakdown (pros, risks, effort, competition, monetization) with
  **no numeric score** — it's a focus accelerator, not proof. Keep the structured parts (risks,
  competitor/pricing benchmarks, monetization ideas) to sharpen the pitch; take the go/no-go from a
  real behavior test (smoke test / pre-sale). Route that test to `/sales-funnel` + `/sales-audience-growth`.
- **Use the Idea Invalidator on purpose — as a red-team, not a verdict.** Its whole job is to argue
  *against* the idea, returning a short roast of the "gnarliest reason it flops" across three lenses —
  **weak distribution, weak wallets (nobody pays), weak positioning**. Treat each callout as a
  hypothesis to go *disprove* with real customers, not as a kill decision. Pairing the Validator's
  upside with the Invalidator's downside is the tool's distinctive two-sided gut check — but both are
  still model output.
- **Treat the one-page PRD as a build-handoff artifact.** The PRD Generator outputs a first-principles
  spec — **Problem → User & Job → Success Metric (7 days) → Solution → Scope v1 → Risks → Next steps** —
  that you can paste into **Claude Code / Cursor** to start building. Its value is forcing a 7-day
  success metric and a v1 scope before you code; it is not validated demand.
- **Explain the "Reps" system as the real product, and set expectations.** Indie10k's paid core is a
  daily accountability loop (one metric per week, one small evidence-logged rep per day toward the
  10k-MRR goal) — it's a *habit/consistency* engine, not an idea generator. It explicitly **does not
  guarantee financial outcomes.** The validator/invalidator/PRD tools are the free top of funnel.
- **Present all pricing/plan gates as best-effort** and tell the user to confirm at
  indie10k.com/pricing — this is a small, fast-moving indie beta. State the gates: **Free** caps at
  completing **7 reps** then requires upgrade; **Builder** (~$9/mo) = unlimited reps for early-phase
  projects + a private project profile; **Hacker** (~$19/mo) = unlimited reps for revenue-generating
  projects + a public profile + higher-priority support.
- **There's no API — point automation at the demand test, not the report.** Indie10k is UI-only (no
  public API, webhooks, Zapier/Make, or MCP). Don't plan an integration around it — copy the validator
  breakdown or PRD text out by hand, and put any real pipeline on the demand side (landing-page
  analytics, waitlist capture, pre-sale checkout events).

If you discover a gotcha, workaround, or tip not covered in `references/learnings.md`, append it there.

## Gotchas

*Best-effort from research (2026-07) — this is a small indie beta; verify the tool set, the Reps cap, and Builder/Hacker pricing at indie10k.com.*

- **The Idea Validator gives no score.** Unlike MiskMap (0-100) or IdeaProof (100-pt), Indie10k's
  validator returns *qualitative* prose (one-liner, pros, risks, effort Low/Med/High, competition &
  revenue models). Don't expect a number or a BUILD/PASS verdict — it's a "focus accelerator."
- **The Idea Invalidator is deliberately negative.** "Don't build" (`/tools/dontbuild`) roasts your
  idea on purpose — a harsh output is the feature, not a bug. Read it as a red-team blind-spot check,
  not a rejection.
- **Free tier caps at 7 reps, not the AI tools.** The free plan lets you complete **7 reps** before an
  upgrade is required; the standalone AI tools (validator, invalidator, PRD) are the free lead-gen
  front door. Confirm current caps live.
- **"Reps" is a habit product, not a validator.** The paid subscription is daily accountability toward
  the 10k-MRR goal — it explicitly **does not guarantee financial outcomes** and won't tell you *what*
  to build; the validation tools do that, separately.
- **A generated verdict, roast, or PRD is not validated demand.** All three are AI output from a short
  description — always follow with a real-behavior test (smoke test / pre-sale).
- **No API, webhooks, Zapier, or MCP.** UI-only; there's no export beyond copy/paste. Don't build
  automation on it.

## Related skills

- `/sales-idea-validation` — the tool-agnostic validate-before-building method and the full idea-validator comparison (start here to decide whether to trust any verdict)
- `/sales-miskmap` — a Claude-powered skeptic validator that gives a 0-100 score and bridges to building via code prompts (the score-based cousin of Indie10k's no-score validator + invalidator)
- `/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 signups once you're testing demand
- `/sales-trendseeker` — Reddit-based real-demand signal to cross-check Indie10k's verdict
- `/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: "The Idea Validator listed pros and risks but gave no score — is my idea good?"
**User says**: "Indie10k's Idea Validator gave me a pros/risks/effort breakdown but no number. Should I build?"
**Skill does**: Explains that Indie10k's validator is *qualitative by design* (no numeric score or verdict) — a focus accelerator, not proof. Keeps the structured parts (risks, competitor/pricing benchmarks, monetization ideas) to sharpen the pitch, and prescribes the real test: run the same idea through the **Idea Invalidator** to red-team it, then build a smoke-test landing page with a pre-committed conversion threshold and attempt a pre-sale — routing the build to `/sales-funnel` and signups to `/sales-audience-growth`.
**Result**: The founder stops waiting for a number and earns a go/no-go from stranger behavior.

### Example 2: "Should I use the 'don't build' tool, and how seriously do I take the roast?"
**User says**: "The Idea Invalidator roasted my idea pretty hard. Is it saying I should quit?"
**Skill does**: Frames the Idea Invalidator as an intentional red-team whose job is to argue *against* the idea across three lenses — **weak distribution, weak wallets, weak positioning**. Tells the user to treat each callout as a hypothesis to go disprove with real customers, not a kill decision, and to pair it with the Validator's upside for a two-sided gut check. Reiterates that a harsh roast is AI opinion, not demand — the decision still comes from a real behavior test.
**Result**: The user mines the roast for blind spots instead of over-reacting to it.

### Example 3 (automation): "Can I pull my Indie10k PRD or validator output into Notion via API?"
**User says**: "I want to auto-export my Indie10k PRDs and validation reports into Notion / my repo — is there an API or webhook?"
**Skill does**: States plainly that Indie10k is **UI-only — no public API, no webhooks, no Zapier/Make, no MCP**, and there's no export beyond copy/paste. Offers the realistic path: copy the PRD's **Problem → User & Job → Success Metric (7 days) → Solution → Scope v1 → Risks → Next steps** text straight into Claude Code / Cursor to start building, and — since the report isn't demand anyway — point any real pipeline at the demand test (landing-page analytics, waitlist, pre-sale events).
**Result**: The user stops trying to integrate a UI-only tool and uses the PRD where it actually pays off.

## Troubleshooting

### "The validator's output feels generic / too shallow to act on"
**Symptom**: The pros/risks/effort breakdown reads vague and could apply to any idea.
**Cause**: The tool takes a single free-text idea; thin input ("an app for X") yields generic output, and it's tuned for a fast indie gut check, not a deep report.
**Solution**: Re-run with a **specific target customer + a painkiller problem** in the description, then run the same idea through the **Idea Invalidator** to surface the weakest link. Keep the structured parts, and cross-check against a second validator or a real-demand signal (`/sales-trendseeker`).

### "I hit a wall after a few days — it says I need to upgrade"
**Symptom**: The free plan stops letting you log progress.
**Cause**: The free tier caps at completing **7 reps** before an upgrade is required; the AI tools are free but the accountability loop is gated.
**Solution**: Decide whether you want the *habit* product before paying — **Builder** (~$9/mo) covers unlimited reps for early-phase projects, **Hacker** (~$19/mo) is for revenue-generating projects with a public profile. Confirm current caps and pricing at indie10k.com/pricing.

### "I want to export the report / connect it to my stack"
**Symptom**: Looking for an API, webhook, or Zapier connector.
**Cause**: Indie10k is UI-only — there is no public API, webhooks, Zapier/Make, or MCP.
**Solution**: Copy the validator breakdown or the PRD text out manually (the PRD pastes cleanly into Claude Code). Build any automation around the demand side instead — landing-page analytics, waitlist capture, and pre-sale checkout events.