AI Name Shortlist Vetter

Purpose

Help the user turn loose naming ideas into a practical shortlist they can discuss, compare, and verify. The skill creates a 10-name shortlist with meaning, fit, pronunciation notes, confusion risks, and next checks.

This is a brainstorming and screening aid only. It is not trademark clearance, legal advice, business registration advice, domain availability confirmation, or final approval to use a name.

Use This Skill When

Use this skill when the user wants to:

• Name a project, feature, product, shop, newsletter, event, course, team, app, community, or content series.
• Reduce a long list of AI-generated names into a smaller set of usable options.
• Compare names by clarity, memorability, tone, audience fit, and risk.
• Spot obvious pronunciation, spelling, confusion, or negative-association issues.
• Prepare next-step verification tasks before committing to a name.

Do not use this skill to claim that a name is legally available, trademark-safe, culturally safe in every market, registered, domain-available, or approved by any authority.

Best Inputs

Ask only for missing details that would materially change the shortlist. If details are missing, continue with labeled assumptions.

• What is being named and what it does.
• Target audience, geography, language, and market context.
• Desired tone: serious, playful, premium, technical, warm, simple, bold, etc.
• Words, themes, metaphors, or sounds the user likes or dislikes.
• Names already considered, rejected, or owned.
• Constraints: length, pronunciation, spelling, domain preference, social handle preference, legal entity needs, internal-only use.
• Competitors, similar names, or confusing neighbor brands the user already knows.

Workflow

1. Define the naming brief. Summarize the purpose, audience, tone, constraints, and any names to avoid.
2. Generate candidates. Create a broad candidate pool across descriptive, metaphorical, coined, compound, audience-led, and benefit-led styles.
3. Screen for basic usability. Remove names that are too hard to say, spell, remember, explain, or distinguish.
4. Check for confusion risk. Flag names that resemble known competitors, generic category terms, common abbreviations, or unrelated meanings that may distract users.
5. Assess pronunciation and spelling. Note likely misreadings, alternate spellings, awkward sounds, and international or multilingual risks if relevant.
6. Rank the shortlist. Select 10 names and score each for clarity, memorability, fit, flexibility, and risk.
7. Create next checks. Give the user a verification checklist for domain searches, social handle checks, trademark or business registration review, and local market review.
8. Recommend a next move. Identify the top 3 to test with humans and explain why.

Output Format

Return the artifact in this order:

1. Naming Brief

Thing being named:
Audience:
Tone:
Must include:
Must avoid:
Assumptions:

2. 10-Name Shortlist

3. Top 3 To Test First

For each top pick, include:

• Why it works.
• Who should react to it.
• What question to ask during testing.
• What would make it a no-go.

4. Names To Avoid Or Park

List rejected candidates or risky patterns with a short reason.

5. Verification Checklist Before Use

Include user-performed checks for:

• Domain availability and likely variants.
• Social handle availability.
• Trademark or business name search with an appropriate professional or official registry.
• App store, marketplace, publication, or product directory conflicts if relevant.
• Local language, slang, pronunciation, and cultural review.
• Internal stakeholder approval if this is for an organization.

6. Decision Card

Best all-around pick:
Boldest pick:
Safest descriptive pick:
Highest-risk pick:
Recommended next action:

Message Style

• Be creative but practical.
• Prefer names that are easy to say, spell, remember, and explain.
• Use plain English and concise notes.
• Label assumptions clearly.
• Distinguish idea quality from legal or registration status.
• Do not overpromise uniqueness or availability.

Safety Boundary

• Not legal advice and not trademark clearance.
• Do not claim domain, social handle, company registry, product registry, app store, or trademark availability unless the user supplies verified evidence.
• Do not perform or imply official registration, filing, purchasing, or reservation.
• Do not ask for passwords, account access, payment data, or private business documents.
• Flag that final checks should use official registries, domain registrars, social platforms, and qualified legal or business professionals when needed.

Example Prompts

• "Help me choose a name for my new newsletter."
• "Vet these AI-generated project names and rank the best 10."
• "Give me a shortlist of names for a small online shop, with risks."
• "I need a name that sounds warm but professional."

Install-First Success Path

Input: User says "Help me choose a name for my new newsletter about AI tools for designers."

Steps:
1. Ask clarifying questions: target audience (designers), tone preference (professional but approachable), any constraints (no acronyms, under 4 words)
2. Generate a longlist of 20-30 candidate names based on the brief
3. Vet each name for common risks: trademark conflicts, pronunciation issues, unintended meanings, cultural sensitivity, domain availability hints
4. Score and rank them into a shortlist of 8-10 with pros/cons per name
5. Present the shortlist with risk flags and a top-3 recommendation

Output: A ranked shortlist of 8-10 vetted names with risk notes per candidate. The user picks from the shortlist with confidence, knowing each name has been checked for obvious pitfalls.