Decks

A deck is a named workflow sequence — a documentation and installation concept that guides which packs to install and in what order. Decks are not a directory or runtime primitive; they describe a canonical path through the skill system.

A workflow is the runtime execution of a deck's skill sequence in a specific project.

The Five Decks

Decks sit on two axes: domain (business / consumer, developer / OSS, or game / playable entertainment) and tempo (rapid vs. deliberate). Not every domain has both tempos yet.

	Business / Consumer	Developer / OSS	Game / Playable Entertainment
Rapid (days)	VARD	ORD	Not defined yet
Deliberate (weeks–months)	Business AFPS	Devtool AFPS	Game AFPS

Rapid decks are for weekly experiments. Deliberate decks are for products that justify full discovery, lifecycle planning, and growth strategy.

Install decks through the npm CLI:

npx skillpacks install-deck vard
npx skillpacks install-deck ord
npx skillpacks install-deck business-afps
npx skillpacks install-deck business-afps --full
npx skillpacks install-deck devtool-afps
npx skillpacks install-deck game-afps

In the current skillpacks@0.1.0 release, npm deck materialization still uses the packaged shell backend, so install-deck requires bash and jq. Direct npm pack installs such as npx skillpacks install devtool are Node-owned and do not require jq.

VARD — Viral App Rapid Distribution

Tempo: Rapid (idea to shipped app in days) Domain: Business / consumer apps

Install:

npx skillpacks install-deck vard

Canonical chain:

vard-scan -> vard-align -> vard-ship -> vard-traction

Skills:

vard-scan — scan for viral app opportunities
vard-align — go/no-go feasibility check
vard-ship — deploy, landing page, analytics, ship log
vard-traction — post-launch traction gate that recommends iterate, graduate, or archive

Graduation: When an experiment shows traction, graduate to Business AFPS:

npx skillpacks install business-research

Then start the deliberate pipeline with $idea-scope-brief for raw/new product framing or $customer-discovery when the shipped app already has a clear concept and traction evidence. Carry the VARD scan, align, ship log, and traction log forward as evidence.

ORD — OSS Rapid Distribution

Tempo: Rapid (pain point to published package in days) Domain: Developer tools / OSS

Install:

npx skillpacks install-deck ord

Canonical chain:

ord-scan -> ord-align -> ord-ship -> ord-traction

Skills:

ord-scan — scan for OSS tool opportunities
ord-align — validate feasibility, check npm namespace
ord-ship — publish to npm, README, repo setup, ship log
ord-traction — post-launch adoption gate that recommends iterate, graduate, or archive

Graduation: When a package gains traction (stars, downloads, issues), graduate to Devtool AFPS:

npx skillpacks install devtool

Then start the deliberate pipeline with $devtool-workflow by default. Use $devtool-user-map as the direct first concrete research step when the user wants to begin with stakeholder/user mapping. Carry the ORD scan, align, ship log, and traction log forward as evidence.

Business AFPS — Deliberate Business Pipeline

Tempo: Deliberate (weeks to months) Domain: Business / consumer / SaaS products

Install:

npx skillpacks install-deck business-afps

After install, the default first workflow is customer discovery. In Codex, start with $customer-discovery research/{slug} when the product path is known; in Claude, start with /customer-discovery research/{slug}.

Add packs progressively as the product matures:

npx skillpacks install customer-lifecycle   # after ICP + competitive analysis
npx skillpacks install business-growth      # after lifecycle evidence
npx skillpacks install business-ops         # for ongoing operations

Canonical chain:

business-research -> customer-lifecycle -> business-growth -> business-ops

See docs/pack-workflow-matrix.md for the full default route with optional detours.

Devtool AFPS — Deliberate Devtool Pipeline

Tempo: Deliberate (weeks to months) Domain: Developer tools, CLIs, libraries, SDKs

Install:

npx skillpacks install-deck devtool-afps

Canonical chain:

devtool-positioning -> devtool-adoption -> devtool-dx-journey -> devtool-docs-audit -> devtool-monetization

Skills: devtool-positioning, devtool-adoption, devtool-user-map, devtool-workflow, devtool-integration-map, devtool-dx-journey, devtool-docs-audit, devtool-monetization.

Game AFPS — Deliberate Game Development Pipeline

Tempo: Deliberate (weeks to months) Domain: Video games and playable entertainment

Install:

npx skillpacks install-deck game-afps

Canonical chain:

game-audience -> game-fantasy -> game-genre-map -> game-comparables
-> game-core-loop -> game-prototype-test -> game-playtest-metrics
-> game-store-page-test -> game-launch -> game-roadmap

Skills: game-audience, game-fantasy, game-genre-map, game-comparables, game-core-loop, game-prototype-test, game-playtest-metrics, game-store-page-test, game-launch, game-roadmap, game-workflow.

Game AFPS uses the AFPS tempo with game-specific proof gates: align on audience, fantasy, genre, and comparable expectations first; then validate the playable loop, playtest evidence, store-page promise, launch plan, and roadmap.

Graduation Path

Rapid decks feed into deliberate decks when experiments prove out:

VARD ──(traction)──> Business AFPS
ORD  ──(traction)──> Devtool AFPS

The graduation signal differs by deck:

VARD → Business AFPS: Users return, share organically, or revenue appears. The experiment justifies full customer discovery and lifecycle planning.
ORD → Devtool AFPS: npm downloads grow, GitHub stars accumulate, or issues from real users arrive. The package justifies full positioning, adoption strategy, and documentation depth.

Game AFPS currently has no rapid feeder deck. Small game prototypes should either start directly with game-audience / game-core-loop inside the game pack or use Game AFPS when the concept warrants deliberate playtest-driven validation.

npm Distribution

When distributed via npm, decks map to package-list and registry-tag metadata that the CLI can materialize from the current backend. The npm package semver selects the bundled deck and skill snapshot, while skill-level pins continue to use each skill's version: value. See docs/skillpacks-npm-distribution.md and alignment/idea-scope-brief-npm-distribution.html for the approved distribution route.