cold-start-problem agent skill by wondelai
Guides starting and scaling networked products with Andrew Chen's Cold Start Problem framework for network effects, including marketplaces and getting first users.
At a glance
| Publisher | wondelai |
|---|---|
| Repository | wondelai/skills (65 listed skills) |
| Category | Product Management |
| License | MIT |
| Last commit | September 10, 2026 (repository) |
| SKILL.md | 179 lines, 2,726 words |
| Bundled files | 6 files, including references |
| Quality score | 81/100 · B Passes all seven graded checks |
| Security scan | Not scanned |
| README badge | Get the badges for this listing |
Before you install
Read from the skill's files at the directory's October 22, 2026 snapshot: what ships with it, what its code reads, and the terms it is published under.
- Bundled scripts: none.
- License: MIT, an open-source or open-content license.
Install cold-start-problem
The skills CLI works with Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and other agents; the other routes copy the folder by hand.
npx skills add https://github.com/wondelai/skills/tree/main/cold-start-problemtmp="$(mktemp -d)"
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/wondelai/skills.git "$tmp/repo"
mkdir -p .claude/skills
cp -R "$tmp/repo/"cold-start-problem .claude/skills/
rm -rf "$tmp"tmp="$(mktemp -d)"
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/wondelai/skills.git "$tmp/repo"
mkdir -p .agents/skills
cp -R "$tmp/repo/"cold-start-problem .agents/skills/
rm -rf "$tmp"For a user-level install, copy the folder to ~/.claude/skills/ (Claude Code) or ~/.agents/skills/ (Codex). Inside Codex, $skill-installer can also fetch a skill from GitHub. New to skills? Read How to install agent skills in Claude Code, Codex and Cursor.
wondelai/skills is third-party code. Read SKILL.md and any bundled scripts before you install it.
How the author describes it
Start and scale networked products using Andrew Chen's "The Cold Start Problem" framework for network effects. Use when the user mentions "network effects", "chicken and egg", "cold start", "two-sided marketplace", "atomic network", "hard side", "liquidity", "critical mass", "invite-only launch", "how do I get my first users", or "the marketplace has no buyers or sellers". Also trigger when launching a marketplace, social, or collaboration product that is worthless without other users, deciding launch sequencing and seeding tactics, or diagnosing stalled network growth at scale. Covers the five stages: cold start, tipping point, escape velocity, hitting the ceiling, and the moat. For word-of-mouth virality, see contagious. For habit-driven retention, see hooked-ux.
From the description field of SKILL.md. Agents read this line to decide when to load the skill.
Sections in SKILL.md
- Core Principle
- Scoring
- Framework
- 1. Network Effects Fundamentals
- 2. The Cold Start: Atomic Networks
- 3. Solve the Hard Side
- 4. Tipping Point and Escape Velocity
- 5. The Ceiling and the Moat
- Common Mistakes
- Quick Diagnostic
- Further Reading
- About the Author
Files in the skill folder
SKILL.mdreferences/atomic-networks.mdreferences/case-studies.mdreferences/hard-side.mdreferences/scale-ceiling-moat.mdreferences/tipping-playbooks.md
Suede Skill Check: 81/100 · B
Report snapshot · · graded-v2
The rubric totals 100 points; published scores are capped at 99. Security scan: not scanned.
Source revision: c172996495be. Report version 402ee3d9725e. Badge URLs follow the latest listing; save the report to keep this version.
Download report · Request a fresh review
What to review next
- Boundary clause: 0 of 4 points. 4 when the description says when not to use the skill (“Not for …”, “Do not use …”, “Use … instead”).
- Recent maintenance: 6 of 9 points. 9 for a repository commit within 30 days of the snapshot; 6 within 90; 3 within 180; 1 within 365.
- Description length: 3 of 5 points. 5 for 150–600 characters; 3 for 100–900; 1 for 50–1,024.
Add declarations and bundled files when they describe the skill’s actual needs. Update the source, then request a fresh review with the changed commit or PR.
cold-start-problem passes the required frontmatter check and all seven graded checks, which cover the SKILL.md format, a declared license and a commit in the last year. Those checks earn 56 of the score’s points; the rest come from description quality, instruction depth, bundled files, maintenance and curated-list citations. How the score works.
See the checks and points
| Check | Result |
|---|---|
| Frontmatter parses and declares a name and a description | Pass |
| Name uses lowercase letters, digits and hyphens, 64 characters or fewer | Pass |
| Name matches the skill's folder name | Pass |
| Description is between 50 and 1,024 characters | Pass |
| Description says when an agent should use the skill | Pass |
| SKILL.md body is 500 lines or fewer | Pass |
| A license is declared in the frontmatter or the repository | Pass |
| Repository has a commit in the last 12 months | Pass |
| Score component | Points |
|---|---|
| Structural checks | 56 of 56 |
| Description length | 3 of 5 |
| Boundary clause | 0 of 4 |
| Example request | 3 of 3 |
| Instruction depth | 7 of 7 |
| Reference files | 3 of 3 |
| Bundled scripts | 0 of 2 |
| Recent maintenance | 6 of 9 |
| Curated-list citations | 3 of 7 |
| Tool permissions declared | 0 of 2 |
| Compatibility declared | 0 of 2 |
Two badges for cold-start-problem
Choose the numeric badge, the letter badge, or both. Each links to this skill’s Suede AI listing; either valid linked badge can qualify for the feature offer.
[](https://suedeai.directory/wondelai/skills/cold-start-problem/)
[](https://suedeai.directory/wondelai/skills/cold-start-problem/)<a href="https://suedeai.directory/wondelai/skills/cold-start-problem/"><img src="https://suedeai.directory/wondelai/skills/cold-start-problem/score.svg" alt="Suede Skill Check: 81/100" width="160" height="175"></a>
<a href="https://suedeai.directory/wondelai/skills/cold-start-problem/"><img src="https://suedeai.directory/wondelai/skills/cold-start-problem/badge.svg" alt="Suede Skill Check: Grade B" width="160" height="175"></a>Suede Certified on the shield refers to this published structural quality check. Security scan: not scanned. Read the methodology.
Limited-time feature offer: Display either quality badge in your repository or skill README, linked to your listing, then request verification. Suede AI checks the rendered README at a recorded commit. Eligible skills scoring 80–99 with a verified badge can receive a featured placement while the offer is open. Request badge verification.
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Where this skill is cited
wondelai/skills appears in 2 curated lists: BehiSecc/awesome-claude-skills, karanb192/awesome-claude-skills.