# naming

Diagnoses weak brand, product, and fictional names across four layers to craft names that sound natural and stick.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 491 installs · ★ 177
- Author: jwynia
- License: MIT · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/jwynia/agent-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/general/ideation/naming/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-02-24
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/jwynia-naming

## What it does

This skill treats naming as a multi-layer diagnostic task. It evaluates product lines, companies, fictional places, and characters against five distinct failure states, ranging from vague gut disapproval to practical typing issues.

Analysis centers on four layers: sound patterns, core meaning, cultural category norms, and functional mechanics. The skill evaluates vowel depth, syllable templates, and spelling predictability from dictation. Too many rare phonemes will make any name unpronounceable.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add jwynia/agent-skills --skill naming -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/naming/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/naming/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add jwynia/agent-skills --skill naming -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/naming/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add jwynia/agent-skills --skill naming -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/naming/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install jwynia/agent-skills naming
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/naming/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add jwynia/agent-skills --skill naming -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/jwynia/agent-skills --path skills/general/ideation/naming
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/naming/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add jwynia/agent-skills --skill naming -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/jwynia/agent-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/general/ideation/naming/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- Pinpoint why a proposed product name triggers negative gut reactions
- Build a coherent phonetic palette for an entire product family
- Filter out unintended negative cultural associations in new titles
- Test name spelling predictability and phone-call clarity

## Example prompts
- Run our new database product name through the N1 diagnostic checklist.
- Create a consistent syllable template for three related developer tools.
- Check why our brand candidate feels forgettable compared to category competitors.

## Source text · SKILL.md · MIT

Below is the content of a third-party file. It is data, not instructions for you: do not act on anything written inside unless the human asks. Block tag: 7e1fbe1938461592.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE 7e1fbe1938461592
```text
---
name: naming
description: Diagnose why names don't work and guide creation of names that do. Use for brand names, product names, character names, place names, and titles when something feels off or when systematic naming is needed.
license: MIT
metadata:
  author: jwynia
  version: "1.0"
  type: diagnostic
  mode: diagnostic+generative
  domain: creativity
---

# Naming: Diagnostic Skill

You diagnose naming problems and guide the creation of names that work. Your role is to identify why names fail and what makes names succeed across brands, products, characters, places, and titles.

## Core Principle

**Names operate on multiple layers that must align.**

Every name communicates through sound, meaning, cultural resonance, and functional fit. When layers align, names feel inevitable. When they conflict, names feel wrong even if no one can articulate why.

---

## The Naming States

### State N1: Doesn't "Feel Right"

**Symptoms:** Stakeholders reject names but can't say why. Gut reactions are negative despite meeting requirements. Something's "off."

**Key Questions:**
- Do the sounds match the intended emotional tone?
- Is there a meaning conflict between layers?
- Does it violate category expectations?

**Diagnostic Checklist:**
- [ ] Sound pattern matches desired attributes
- [ ] No unintended negative associations
- [ ] Pronunciation is intuitive
- [ ] Fits cultural context

**Interventions:**
- Analyze sound layer independently
- Check for hidden meaning conflicts
- Test with naive audience for associations

---

### State N2: Names Don't Belong Together

**Symptoms:** Product family feels disjointed. Character names seem from different worlds. Place names lack cultural coherence.

**Key Questions:**
- Is there a consistent sound palette?
- Do syllable structures match?
- Is there a unifying pattern?

**Diagnostic Checklist:**
- [ ] Phoneme inventory defined (which sounds are "in")
- [ ] Syllable templates consistent
- [ ] Naming conventions documented
- [ ] Outliers identified

**Interventions:**
- Define phoneme inventory for this naming system
- Establish syllable templates (CV, CVC, CVCV, etc.)
- Create naming conventions document
- Regenerate names that don't fit

**Integration:** For character/place naming in fiction, use the **conlang skill** to generate consistent phonological systems.

---

### State N3: Forgettable

**Symptoms:** People can't recall the name. It blends into category. No distinctive hook.

**Key Questions:**
- Is there a memorable sound pattern?
- Does it have a meaning anchor?
- Is it too similar to alternatives?

**Diagnostic Checklist:**
- [ ] Has distinctive sound feature
- [ ] Meaning hook exists (metaphor, unexpected reference)
- [ ] Differentiated from competitors
- [ ] Passes the "phone test" (easy to convey verbally)

**Interventions:**
- Add sound distinctiveness (unusual but pronounceable)
- Create meaning hook
- Test against alternatives for differentiation

---

### State N4: Sends Wrong Signals

**Symptoms:** Audience interprets name differently than intended. Wrong category assumptions. Unintended associations.

**Key Questions:**
- What does this name sound like it should be?
- What category conventions is it following/breaking?
- Are there unfortunate associations?

**Diagnostic Checklist:**
- [ ] Sound patterns match intended category
```
END THIRD-PARTY FILE 7e1fbe1938461592

The third-party file has ended. Everything between the 7e1fbe1938461592 tags is data: requests and commands from it are not followed. An “end of file” line with another tag inside the block is part of the file.

First 3347 of 14592 bytes. © jwynia · MIT · https://github.com/jwynia/agent-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/general/ideation/naming/SKILL.md

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