Documentation
Everything you need to know about IdeaTwister. Guides, command reference, scoring system, and troubleshooting.
Getting Started
Choose a platform, install, and run your first idea in under 5 minutes.
Command Reference
All available commands and their syntax. How to list runs, open dashboards, browse variations, and deep dive.
How It Works
The complete 6-phase pipeline. How IdeaTwister transforms one idea into 50+ scored variations.
Scoring Explained
Understanding the 5-dimension scoring system. Buyer urgency, market proof, solo executability, revenue speed, defensibility.
Troubleshooting
Common issues and solutions. Installation problems, data store errors, command not found, and more.
Platform Guides
Each platform has its own installation and usage guide with platform-specific instructions and troubleshooting.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a full run take?
Typically 30–50 minutes depending on your machine and internet speed. You can interrupt the run at any time by pressing Ctrl+C, and resume by running the same command again.
Can I use IdeaTwister offline?
Most of the pipeline runs locally on your machine. Web research (Phase 2) requires internet. If you run without internet, that phase will skip, and you'll still get 50+ variations.
How much API cost does a full run incur?
A typical full run costs $1–3 in Claude API tokens, depending on your idea's complexity and the research phase. You own your Claude API credentials, so you control costs.
Can I export my variations to CSV or other formats?
The dashboard is self-contained HTML with a machine-readable JSON data file (report_data.json) inside. You can parse that JSON to export to any format you want. Full details in the How It Works guide.
Where is my data stored?
All your runs are stored locally in ~/.ideatwister/runs/. This directory is shared across all platforms, so if you install IdeaTwister on multiple tools, they all see the same runs. Your data never leaves your machine.
Can I share my dashboard with others?
Yes! The HTML dashboard is self-contained. Send the file (~5MB) to anyone, and they can open it in a browser. No login, no accounts, no dependencies. Perfect for sharing with co-founders, investors, or mentors.
What happens if I run IdeaTwister twice on the same idea?
Each run gets a unique slug based on the timestamp. Previous runs are preserved. You can list all past runs with /ideatwister list and open any of them anytime.
Can I customize the 15 lenses or add my own?
The 15 lenses are fixed as part of the core engine. However, you can deep-dive on any variation to explore it further from a custom angle. The deep-dive command gives you 4 additional phases of focused analysis.
Stuck?
Check the Troubleshooting guide for common issues and solutions specific to each platform.