---
name: synthesize
description: Consolidate brainstorm rounds into an organized synthesis. Themes emerge, winners surface, evolution becomes visible.
---

# Synthesize

Multiple brainstorm rounds produce a chronological stream of options. That's hard to compare. This skill reorganizes them by theme so the structure of the solution space becomes visible.

## Why This Works

Brainstorming in rounds is powerful — later rounds displace earlier favorites, and cross-pollination between ideas creates options that neither round would produce alone. But the chronological output obscures patterns. Synthesizing by theme reveals:

- Which categories have the most options (where the design space is richest)
- Which categories have zero options (blind spots)
- How thinking evolved across rounds
- The true top contenders, ranked against the full field

## On Activation

1. **Mine** — Collect every option from the conversation.
2. **Categorize** — Group by emergent theme, not by round.
3. **Tabulate** — Compact table per category.
4. **Crown** — Winners table with clear ranking.
5. **Reflect** — Note how thinking evolved across rounds.

## Phase 1: Mine

Scan the conversation for all brainstormed options. Summarize each one compactly.

Include options from ALL sources — `/brainstorm` invocations, informal suggestions, user-injected ideas, variations that emerged in discussion. Don't filter yet.

If the conversation contains only one brainstorm round, that's fine — synthesis still adds value by reorganizing and re-evaluating.

## Phase 2: Categorize

Group options into themes that **emerge from the options themselves**. Do not use predetermined categories. Look for shared mechanisms, shared philosophies, shared scope, or shared trade-off axes.

Name each category with a verb phrase that captures the shared intent — not a mechanical label.

## Phase 3: Tabulate

For each category, produce a compact table. Be opinionated in your assessments.

Order categories from strongest to weakest (category containing the overall winner goes first).

## Phase 4: Crown

Present a winners table. Note complementary options that strengthen the winner rather than competing with it.

Explain why #1 beats #2.

## Phase 5: Reflect

Note how thinking evolved across rounds. Did later rounds displace earlier favorites? Did user-injected context shift the design space? Were there surprising convergences?

This validates that multiple rounds were worth the investment.

## Anti-patterns

- **Chronological listing** — Organizing by round is concatenation, not synthesis. Organize by theme.
- **Dropping options** — Include everything, even bad ideas. Seeing why they're bad is part of the landscape.
- **Generic categories** — "Good ideas" and "Bad ideas" is not categorization. Find the structural axis.
- **Burying the winners** — The winners table should be immediately scannable.
- **Inventing options** — Synthesis organizes what exists. Don't sneak in new ideas (that's brainstorming).

---

The user has brainstormed. Synthesize now. Start with Phase 1: Mine the conversation for all options.