idea-generation

What the source does

• FilesystemNone observedNo reads or writes in the source
• NetworkNone observedNo outbound calls in the source
• ShellNone observedNo commands run in the source
• DependenciesPinnedNothing floats
• SecretsNone foundNo keys in source

Five audit layers

Gates applied: no behavioural pass.

Audit 0.4.1 · source sha 1a9a359bc586 · 31 Oct 2026Report an issue or request a re-scan

• Publisheranthropics GitHub organizationOwner of the repository this skill is read from
• Source folderanthropics/financial-services/plugins/agent-plugins/market-researcher/skills/idea-generationThe exact folder we audited
• LicenceApache-2.0As the repository states it
• Commit pinned for this verdict1a9a359bc586A new audit runs when the source changes
• Repository statusNot archivedLast push 3 days ago
• Sandboxed runNot runSkills are read, not executed; layer L4 is skipped

Its description: Systematic stock screening and investment idea sourcing. Combines quantitative screens, thematic research, and pattern recognition to surface new long and short ideas. Use when looking for new ideas, running screens, or…

---
name: idea-generation
description: Systematic stock screening and investment idea sourcing. Combines quantitative screens, thematic research, and pattern recognition to surface new long and short ideas. Use when looking for new ideas, running screens, or conducting thematic sweeps. Triggers on "idea generation", "stock screen", "find ideas", "what looks interesting", "screen for", "new ideas", or "pitch me something".
---

# Idea Generation

## Workflow

### Step 1: Define Search Criteria

Ask the user for parameters:
- **Direction**: Long ideas, short ideas, or both
- **Market cap**: Large, mid, small, micro
- **Sector**: Specific sector or cross-sector
- **Style**: Value, growth, quality, special situation, event-driven
- **Geography**: US, international, global
- **Theme**: Any specific thematic angle (AI, reshoring, aging demographics, etc.)

### Step 2: Quantitative Screens

Run screens based on the style:

**Value Screen**
- P/E below sector median
- EV/EBITDA below historical average
- Free cash flow yield >5%
- Price/book below 1.5x
- Insider buying in last 90 days
- Dividend yield above market average

**Growth Screen**
- Revenue growth >15% YoY
- Earnings growth >20% YoY
- Revenue acceleration (growth rate increasing)
- Expanding margins
- High return on invested capital (>15%)
- Strong net retention (>110% for SaaS)

**Quality Screen**
- Consistent revenue growth (5+ years)
- Stable or expanding margins
- ROE >15%
- Low debt/equity
- High free cash flow conversion
- Insider ownership >5%

**Short Screen**
- Declining revenue or decelerating growth
- Margin compression
- Rising receivables / inventory vs. sales
- Insider selling
- Valuation premium to peers without justification
- High short interest with deteriorating fundamentals
- Accounting red flags (auditor changes, restatements)

**Special Situation Screen**
- Recent IPOs / SPACs with lockup expirations
- Spin-offs in last 12 months
- Companies emerging from restructuring
- Activist involvement
- Management changes at underperforming companies

### Step 3: Thematic Sweep

For thematic ideas, research the theme and identify beneficiaries:

1. Define the thesis (e.g., "AI infrastructure spending accelerates through 2026")
2. Map the value chain — who benefits directly vs. indirectly?
3. Identify pure-play vs. diversified exposure
4. Assess which names are already "priced in" vs. under-appreciated
5. Look for second-order beneficiaries that the market hasn't connected to the theme

### Step 4: Idea Presentation

For each idea that passes the screen, present:

**[Company Name] — [Long/Short] — [One-Line Thesis]**

| Metric | Value | vs. Peers |
|--------|-------|-----------|
| Market cap | | |
| EV/EBITDA (NTM) | | |
| P/E (NTM) | | |
| Revenue growth | | |
| EBITDA margin | | |
| FCF yield | | |

**Thesis (3-5 bullets):**
- Why this is mispriced
- What the market is missing
- Catalyst to realize value

**Key Risks:**
- What would make this wrong

**Suggested Next Steps:**
- Build full model? Deep-dive diligence? Expert call?

### Step 5: Output

- Shortlist of 5-10 ideas with one-page summaries
- Screening criteria and methodology documented
- Comparison table across all ideas
- Prioritized list: which ideas to research first

## Important Notes

- Screens surface candidates, not conclusions — every screen output needs fundamental work
- The best ideas often come from intersections (e.g., quality company at value price due to temporary headwind)
- Avoid crowded trades — check ownership data, short interest, and how many analysts cover the name
- Contrarian ideas need a catalyst — being early without a catalyst is the same as being wrong
- Track idea hit rates over time — which screens and approaches produce the best ideas?
- Short ideas need higher conviction — timing is harder and risk is asymmetric

Excerpt, first 3,838 characters of SKILL.md, verbatim from the audited commit. It is text from someone else’s repository, quoted so you can judge it before your agent reads it.

git clone https://github.com/anthropics/financial-services
git -C financial-services checkout 1a9a359bc586

Works in

1. 2026-10-31
   ✓SAFE B 89 / 100

   first audit · source 1a9a359bc586

Questions about idea-generation

• github.com/anthropics/financial-services/tree/main/plugins/agent — the audited source at commit 1a9a359bc586 and every finding aboveObserved · 31 Oct 2026

Spotted something wrong? Report a correction · Methodology