How to use the Business Model Canvas agent skill

What is an agent skill?

An agent skill is a folder that holds a SKILL.md file. The file contains instructions and context that an AI agent reads when a task matches the skill's description. You do not need to write prompts from scratch each time: the skill gives the agent a standard method to follow.

The business-model skill is published under the MIT licence in the phuryn/pm-skills repository, under pm-product-strategy/skills/business-model. Its package consists of one file, SKILL.md.

What the skill makes the agent do

Once installed, the agent works through the standard Business Model Canvas. It covers customer segments, value propositions, channels, customer relationships, revenue streams, cost structure, key activities, key resources and key partners. It asks for or uses the details you give it, then produces a structured canvas.

The skill also asks the agent to check that the nine blocks support each other and to run a rough economic test: customer lifetime value should exceed three times customer acquisition cost. Finally, it notes where the Business Model Canvas falls short for new products and points to Lean Canvas or Startup Canvas as alternatives.

• Inputs it looks for: product or service description, target customers and market, current operations or assumptions, competitive context.
• Outputs: a nine-block canvas, a consistency check across blocks, an LTV-to-CAC check, and a list of key assumptions and risks.

How to install the business-model skill

Download the ZIP file for the skill from this page. Then choose one of the two install routes below.

For Claude Code, unzip the file into your personal skills folder ~/.claude/skills/, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder if you want the skill limited to one project. The skill folder should contain SKILL.md.

In the Claude apps, you can instead upload the ZIP under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.

• Personal install: ~/.claude/skills/ (available across your projects).
• Project install: .claude/skills/ inside the project folder (available only there).
• Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills, then upload the ZIP.

How to trigger the skill with natural requests

The skill's description tells the agent when to use it: creating a business model, documenting how a business creates value, or analysing an existing business model. Its listed trigger phrases include business model canvas, BMC, business model and how we make money. You can use any of these in ordinary language.

Give the agent context in the same message. The more it knows about your customers, costs and pricing, the more specific the canvas will be.

• "Build a Business Model Canvas for a meal-kit subscription aimed at busy parents."
• "Make a BMC for our B2B invoicing software. We sell per seat and our main channel is partners."
• "How do we make money? Map our current business model and tell me where the cost structure looks weak."
• "Draft a business model summary for our investor deck, then check whether LTV is above three times CAC."

What you get back and how to use it

The output is a draft strategy document built from your inputs. Read it as a starting point for discussion. Check each block against your own data, and replace any assumption the agent made with a real figure where you have one.

The canvas is most useful when you ask the agent to explain how the blocks connect, for example how a value proposition links to a revenue stream. If a block seems disconnected, ask the agent to revise it and to show what changed.

• Check every number, market claim and cost estimate yourself. The skill does not verify market facts or figures.
• Ask for the assumptions and risks list (the skill's final output step) to see what must be tested.

Safety notes: scripts and network access

According to the package details, this skill runs no scripts and does not use the network. It is a set of written instructions only. The package lists no requirements.

Because the skill only shapes the agent's reasoning, your business data stays in the conversation you have with your agent. Still, avoid pasting confidential financials or customer personal data into any tool unless your organisation allows it.

Tips for better canvases

The skill was written with the Business Model Canvas in mind, so its strengths are clarity and coverage across the nine blocks. Its known gaps matter most for new products. The skill itself notes that the canvas has no vision, no defensibility test, no trade-offs and no key metrics section, and that Key Partnerships and Key Resources are rarely useful for early-stage products.

• Use the canvas for established businesses, corporate strategy or investor material where operational links matter.
• For a new product still testing its idea, ask the agent whether Lean Canvas or Startup Canvas would fit better. The skill names both as alternatives.
• Provide real numbers for CAC, LTV and pricing so the economic check means something.