# pol-probe

Designs disposable validation experiments to test risky hypotheses before writing production code. Helps teams avoid sinking weeks into prototypes that teach nothing.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 2400 installs · ★ 7673
- Author: deanpeters
- License: CC-BY-SA-4.0 · policy=link-only · description only; the file stays with the author
- Source: https://github.com/deanpeters/Product-Manager-Skills/tree/HEAD/skills/pol-probe/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-10-16
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/pol-probe

## What it does

The skill structures disposable reconnaissance experiments known as Proof of Life (PoL) probes. Instead of preparing a standard MVP, it outlines a cheap test designed to answer a single question within days. The artifact is built specifically to be deleted, preventing teams from sinking engineering time into flawed premises.

It maps your assumptions to one of five probe categories: technical feasibility checks, task-focused user flows, narrative prototypes, synthetic data simulations, or scrappy no-code builds. You provide the core hypothesis and the riskiest assumption, and the tool drafts the experiment structure alongside explicit failure thresholds.

The core constraint is disposability. When a prototype looks too polished to throw away, you enter prototype theater, wasting time defending an idea rather than measuring user reality.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add deanpeters/Product-Manager-Skills --skill pol-probe -a claude-code
```

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

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add deanpeters/Product-Manager-Skills --skill pol-probe -a codex
```

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

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add deanpeters/Product-Manager-Skills --skill pol-probe -a cursor
```

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

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install deanpeters/Product-Manager-Skills pol-probe
```

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

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add deanpeters/Product-Manager-Skills --skill pol-probe -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/deanpeters/Product-Manager-Skills --path skills/pol-probe
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

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

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add deanpeters/Product-Manager-Skills --skill pol-probe -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/deanpeters/Product-Manager-Skills/tree/HEAD/skills/pol-probe/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- define a disposable test for a high-risk product assumption
- uncover product flaws before committing engineering hours
- select the right experiment format for a specific question
- set explicit criteria for abandoning an unviable idea

## Example prompts
- Define a PoL probe: we believe managers will upload invoices daily if food costs calculate automatically.
- Help me design a quick validation test for our new subscription pricing hypothesis.
- Create a low-cost feasibility probe to check this API integration before we build it.

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From the same set: [deanpeters/product-manager-skills](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/by/deanpeters/product-manager-skills.md) — 73 cards

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