
Founder Mode
FreeStreamline founder inquiries to the right advisor.
Free · Opens the source repo
What Founder Mode does
Founder Mode is a command designed to simplify the process of routing strategic questions from founders to the appropriate C-level advisors. Instead of requiring founders to remember multiple slash commands, this skill allows them to input a single command, /cs:founder-mode <question>, and the system intelligently determines the correct advisor or whether to escalate the question to a boardroom discussion. This reduces cognitive load and ensures that inquiries are directed to the right expertise without delay.
The routing mechanism uses keyword and intent matching to identify specific signals within the founder's question. For instance, terms related to finance will trigger the CFO advisor, while sales-related queries will connect to the CRO advisor. If a question touches on multiple roles, the system will compile a brief and initiate a boardroom meeting to facilitate a comprehensive discussion. In cases where the question is too vague, the skill prompts the founder to refine their inquiry through an office hours session.
This skill is particularly beneficial for startup founders and executives who often face a barrage of strategic questions but may not know which specific command to use for each situation. By centralizing the routing process, Founder Mode enhances efficiency and ensures that critical decisions are made with input from the right advisors. It also leverages persistent memory to avoid rehashing previously made decisions, further streamlining the decision-making process.
Overall, Founder Mode serves as a crucial tool for founders looking to navigate complex strategic discussions with ease, ensuring that they can focus on high-level decision-making rather than administrative details.
When to use it
Use this skill when a founder has a strategic question but is unsure which advisor to consult.
When not to use it
This skill may not be suitable for very specific technical queries that require detailed input from a single advisor without broader context.
What you can build with it
Routing Financial Questions
A founder asks about runway pressure, and the command routes the question to the CFO advisor for specialized input.
Multi-Role Discussion
When a founder inquires about pricing changes affecting multiple departments, the command triggers a boardroom discussion.
Clarifying Ambiguous Inquiries
If a founder asks whether to grow faster, the command directs them to office hours to clarify their question before proceeding.
How to install Founder Mode
View source1. Install with the skills CLI
npx skills add alirezarezvani/claude-skills/founder-mode --agent claude-code2. Or install it manually
Download the skill folder and drop it into ~/.claude/skills/ for all projects, or .claude/skills/ to scope it to one repo. Restart Claude Code so it picks up the new skill.
Anthropic's agentic coding CLI, and the reference implementation of Agent Skills. Drop a skill folder into ~/.claude/skills and Claude Code loads it automatically whenever a task matches the skill's description. Claude Code docs
Inside SKILL.md
Written by alirezarezvani/cs:founder-mode — The Auto-Router
Command: /cs:founder-mode <question>
The single command a founder needs to remember. Routes the question to the right C-role automatically, or triggers /cs:boardroom if multi-role.
This is the killer command — the answer to "I don't know which slash command to use." Type the question; the system figures out the room.
Routing Logic
The router (via cs-chief-of-staff) does keyword + intent matching:
| Signal in question | Route |
|---|---|
| burn, runway, fundraise, dilution, model, LTV, CAC | cs-cfo-advisor |
| pipeline, win rate, forecast, quota, ramp, sales motion | cs-cro-advisor |
| positioning, ICP, message, brand, channel, campaign | cs-cmo-advisor |
| roadmap, PMF, JTBD, North Star, RICE, kill | cs-cpo-advisor |
| cadence, OKR, scorecard, DRI, operating system, rhythm | cs-coo-advisor |
| hiring, comp, ladder, level, attrition, eNPS, equity | cs-chro-advisor |
| security, threat, breach, compliance, audit, SOC 2 | cs-ciso-advisor |
| architecture, scaling, tech debt, SLO, latency | cs-cto-advisor |
| contract, IP, term sheet, regulator, license | cs-general-counsel-advisor |
| retention, GRR, NRR, churn, customer success, CSM, time-to-value, renewals | cs-cco-advisor |
| training data, data rights, consent, data asset, warehouse, lakehouse, data mesh | cs-cdo-advisor |
| model selection, eval, hallucination, AI risk, EU AI Act, fine-tune, build vs buy AI | cs-caio-advisor |
| DORA, cycle time, deploy frequency, eng hiring funnel, team topology, delivery throughput | cs-vpe-advisor |
| strategy, vision, board, M&A, raise, exit | cs-ceo-advisor |
| 2+ signals from different roles | /cs:boardroom |
| ambiguous | /cs:office-hours first, then route |
Workflow
- Parse the question for role signals
- If exactly one role: invoke that cs-* agent directly
- If 2+ roles: build a brief via
/cs:briefand trigger/cs:boardroom - If ambiguous / no signal match: trigger
/cs:office-hoursto force the founder to sharpen - Log the routing decision (raw layer) via
decision-logger
Output
The router emits one of three responses:
Single-role route
**Routing:** cs-cfo-advisor
**Why:** Question hits burn rate and unit economics.
**Next:** Invoking cs-cfo-advisor with company-context loaded.
[Advisor's response follows]
Multi-role route
**Routing:** /cs:boardroom
**Why:** Question touches CFO + CMO + CPO (pricing change has finance, positioning, and product implications).
**Next:** Building brief via /cs:brief, then running boardroom.
Brief saved: ~/.claude/briefs/2026-05-12-pricing-v3.md
Run: /cs:boardroom ~/.claude/briefs/2026-05-12-pricing-v3.md
Ambiguous → office hours
**Routing:** /cs:office-hours
**Why:** Question is too broad ("should we grow faster?"). Need framing before any advisor can help.
**Next:** Six-question intake.
[Office hours questions follow]
Why This Is the Killer Command
gstack requires the founder to know all 23 slash commands and pick the right one. That's a cognitive tax. /cs:founder-mode collapses that to one — the system picks. This is also where persistent memory pays off: with company-context.md + decision-logger, the router knows what's already been decided and won't re-litigate.
Examples
/cs:founder-mode "should we raise a Series B now or wait 6 months?"
→ boardroom (CFO + CEO + CRO touched)
/cs:founder-mode "the win rate dropped 20% this month"
→ cs-cro-advisor
/cs:founder-mode "gross retention dropped 5 points this quarter"
→ cs-cco-advisor
/cs:founder-mode "let's hire a VP Marketing"
→ boardroom (CHRO + CMO + CFO touched)
/cs:founder-mode "should we be growing faster?"
→ /cs:office-hours (too ambiguous)
Related
- Agent:
cs-chief-of-staff— does the routing - Skill:
chief-of-staff— routing logic - Skill:
context-engine— loads context
Version: 1.0.0
Frequently asked questions about Founder Mode
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