# Scott Belsky Brain Pack

> **1086 knowledge atoms** · **1174 typed connections** · **10 unified skills (1 router + 8 reasoning modes + a board of advisors)**
> From [brainsforagents.com](https://brainsforagents.com)

## What This Is

A structured knowledge graph of Scott Belsky's thinking, extracted from 77 editions of the Implications newsletter, The Messy Middle book, Tim Ferriss Show, Lenny's Podcast, First Round Review, NFX, a16z, Design Better, TEDx talks, SXSW, Web Summit, and 35+ video interviews. Designed to be loaded as context into any LLM — Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, or any AI tool that accepts system prompts.

This isn't a chatbot or a persona. It's a **thinking partner** grounded in Scott's actual ideas, frameworks, and worldview.

## Quick Start

1. Install the brain pack into `${BRAINSFOR_HOME:-~/.brainsfor}/brains/scott-belsky/`
2. In your AI tool, activate the brain:
   ```
   /brain scott-belsky
   ```
3. Then run any thinking skill:
   ```
   /advise "Should I optimize my product for breadth of users or depth of engagement?"
   ```

You should get a response that cites specific atoms, synthesizes Scott's perspective, and recommends what to do next.

## What's Inside

```
pack/
  ├── SKILL.md              ← Setup guide + skill reference (start here)
  ├── brain-context.md      ← Full knowledge base (load this as context)
  ├── brain-atoms.json      ← Structured data (1086 atoms, 1174 connections)
  ├── README.md             ← You are here
  └── skills/               ← 10 unified skills (work with any installed brain)
      ├── brain/            ← /brain router (set/show/list/clear active brain)
      ├── advise/           ← /advise — strategic counsel
      ├── teach/            ← /teach — explain through the thinker's lens
      ├── debate/           ← /debate — steel-man both sides
      ├── connect/          ← /connect — find unexpected bridges
      ├── evolve/           ← /evolve — trace how thinking changed
      ├── surprise/         ← /surprise — serendipity engine
      ├── coach/            ← /coach — Socratic questioning
      ├── predict/          ← /predict — implication chains
      └── board/            ← /board — board of advisors (needs 2+ brains)
```

## Unified Skill Architecture

Every brain pack ships the **same 10 skill files**. They're brain-agnostic — the 8 thinking skills resolve which brain to use by (1) reading `${BRAINSFOR_HOME:-~/.brainsfor}/state/active-brain.txt`, or (2) taking an inline slug as the first argument.

This means:

- **Install this brain pack first** → `/brain scott-belsky` activates it, then `/advise` / `/teach` / `/surprise` all work.
- **Install more brain packs later** → they drop into `${BRAINSFOR_HOME:-~/.brainsfor}/brains/`, auto-registered in `brains/index.json`, and the same 10 skills work for them too. No reinstall, no collisions.
- **Override per call** — `/advise paul-graham should I start a company?` uses Paul Graham for that one call regardless of active brain.
- **Cross-brain mode** — `/debate scott-belsky paul-graham originality` contrasts two thinkers; `/board <question>` convenes every installed brain at once (needs 2+).

## The Knowledge Graph

**1086 atoms** — Each atom is a self-contained insight with topic tags, source date, confidence score, and source URL.

**1174 connections** — Typed relationships between atoms: supports, contradicts, extends, related, inspired_by. These let skills trace reasoning chains and surface productive tensions.

**16 topic clusters** — Superhumanity, originality, AI agents, organizational design, longevity, emergence, decision-making, scaling, product craft, the messy middle.

**Date range:** May 2014 — April 2026

## How to Use

**For Claude Code / Cowork:** The skills in `pack/skills/` load automatically once the pack is installed to `${BRAINSFOR_HOME:-~/.brainsfor}/brains/scott-belsky/`. Run `/brain scott-belsky` to activate.

**For Cursor:** Add `brain-context.md` to your `.cursor/rules` or project instructions, then use the skill prompts as templates.

**For ChatGPT / Claude.ai:** Paste `brain-context.md` as your first message or system prompt, then describe which skill behavior you want (e.g. "respond as /advise would").

**For any other tool:** Load `brain-context.md` as context at the start of your session.

## Skill Workflows

Chain skills for deeper results (all can be prefixed with a brain slug or rely on the active brain):

- **Decide:** `/advise` → `/debate` → `/coach`
- **Learn:** `/teach` → `/evolve` → `/coach`
- **Create:** `/surprise` → `/connect` → `/predict`
- **Forecast:** `/predict` → `/debate` → `/advise`
- **Daily ritual:** `/surprise` each morning

## Cross-Brain Features

Install multiple brain packs and the unified skills auto-discover all of them via `${BRAINSFOR_HOME:-~/.brainsfor}/brains/index.json`:

- `/connect <slug-a> <slug-b> <topic>` — semantic bridges across two thinkers
- `/debate <slug-a> <slug-b> <position>` — stress-test from two worldviews
- `/board <question>` — a board of advisors: every installed brain answers **independently**, then a synthesis names where they agree and clash. Needs 2+ brains installed and a host that can run parallel sub-agents (Claude Code's Agent tool or Cowork). No MCP server required — each board member reads its brain's local pack files.
- `/brain list` — see everything installed
- `/brain <slug>` — switch active brain without reinstalling anything

## About Scott Belsky

Scott Belsky is a legendary entrepreneur, product thinker, and strategic investor who has shaped product and organizational thinking across the tech industry. Founder of Behance, former Chief Product Officer and Chief Strategy Officer at Adobe, early angel investor in Uber, Pinterest, and Perplexity, and now a partner at A24. His 'Implications' newsletter and The Messy Middle are where he shares his latest thinking on originality, organizational design, AI, and the future of creative work.

## Sources & Ethics

This brain pack was built exclusively from **freely available, public sources** — interviews, podcasts, public talks, blog posts, free newsletters, YouTube videos, and publicly shared excerpts. No transcripts from commercial works (e.g., audiobooks, paid courses) or paywalled essays were used to derive this brain.

Where a thinker's book ideas appear in the knowledge graph, they are represented as they exist in the public discourse: book reviews, author interviews, press coverage, conference talks, and LLM-generated summaries of widely discussed concepts. Authors typically share their core ideas through extensive public appearances and media — those public representations are what this brain captures.

## Support

- Full setup guide: `SKILL.md`
- Website: [brainsforagents.com](https://brainsforagents.com)

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**Load a genius into your AI.**
