Guide · Agent skill
How to use the Competitive Platform Analysis agent skill
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
The competitive-platform-analysis skill is a set of instructions that teaches an AI agent how to decide who counts as a competitor before any benchmarking starts. It makes the agent collect the client's positioning brief first, filter candidates on generic axes such as size, specialization, pricing model and brand strength, and group them into Direct, Adjacent and Aspirational tiers. After this guide you will know how to install the skill, ask for it in plain language, and recognise what the output should contain.
Competitive Platform Analysisaffaan-m/ECC · MIT Download the skill Quick start
- 1Download the ZIP. Get the competitive-platform-analysis ZIP file from our page.
- 2Unzip into the skills folder. Unzip into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder.
- 3Or upload in the Claude apps. Go to Settings → Capabilities → Skills and upload the skill there.
- 4Describe your scoping task. Ask in plain language for help defining a competitor set before benchmarking.
- 5Provide the positioning brief. Answer the agent's questions about the client's identity, offer, target clients and differentiator.
- 6Review the tiers. Check the Direct, Adjacent and Aspirational groupings and the reasons for each.
- 7Verify across two sources. Confirm key competitor claims with at least two independent sources before using them.
What is an agent skill and what does this one do?
An agent skill is a folder containing a SKILL.md file that gives an AI agent specific instructions for a task. When a request matches the skill's description, the agent follows its steps.
This skill covers the scoping stage of a competitive analysis. It does not score or benchmark competitors. The source says it comes first in a three-skill pipeline and precedes the benchmark-methodology skill.
- Asks for or builds the client's positioning brief: identity, offer, target clients, differentiator, scoping consequence and strategic tension.
- Filters candidates on size and model, niche and specialization, geography, pricing and engagement model, portfolio style, technical depth, and brand strength.
- Sorts players along generic axes such as positioning stance, specialization and distinctiveness posture.
- Groups the final set into Direct, Adjacent and Aspirational tiers.
- Suggests where to look, such as portfolio sites, award showcases, company websites, LinkedIn and review directories.
How do you install the competitive-platform-analysis skill?
Download the ZIP file for the skill from our page. Then choose one of the following methods.
For a personal install, unzip the file into ~/.claude/skills/. For a single project, unzip it into the project's .claude/skills/ folder. In the Claude apps, you can instead upload the skill under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
- Personal: unzip into ~/.claude/skills/
- Project only: unzip into .claude/skills/ inside your project
- Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills, then upload
How do you trigger the skill with a natural request?
You do not need a special command. Describe the task in plain language and mention competitors, the competitive landscape, or tiers. The skill's description matches requests about scoping a competitor set before benchmarking.
Give the agent your client's positioning brief when you can. The skill says not to scope the set without it, so the agent may ask you questions first.
- "Help me scope the competitors for my client's branding studio before we benchmark anything."
- "Which companies should be Direct, Adjacent and Aspirational for this freelance motion designer?"
- "I need a defensible, pruned competitor list for a market landscape report."
What does the agent need from you?
The skill lists no required tools or packages. Its main input is information about your client. The agent should run a short brand-discovery interview if you do not already have a positioning brief, and it should not invent one.
Have ready a description of the client's offer, its target clients, its differentiator, and its size. A list of candidate competitors helps, but the skill can also help you build one.
What are the safety notes for this skill?
According to the file listing, this skill does not run scripts and does not use the network. It consists of instructions in SKILL.md and an agents/openai.yaml file.
The skill suggests sources to check, but it does not itself visit them. Verify facts yourself. The skill recommends checking each competitor attribute across at least two sources, because self-reported site copy is not verified outcome.
- Runs scripts: no
- Uses network: no
- Licence: MIT
What tips help you get a better competitor set?
Start with the client's scoping consequence. It decides which competitors count as strong rivals. If the client competes on distinctiveness, weight brand strength and portfolio style. If it competes on capability, weight offer overlap and craft.
Keep the set focused. The skill aims for a defensible, decision-relevant set, not an exhaustive census. Use the scoring matrix template only as a pre-filter before full benchmarking.
- Keep substitutes such as in-house teams or generalist freelancers as a threat note, not as a profiled competitor, unless they matter.
- Match data sources to the niche. Dribbble or Behance suit design, and writing samples suit copywriting.
- Treat award showcases as a signal of craft ambition, and cross-check them for commercial credibility.
What people use it for
- Scoping a competitor set for a branding studio before a benchmarking project.
- Building a pruned market landscape report for a client.
- Sorting candidates into Direct, Adjacent and Aspirational tiers for a freelancer's positioning.
- Learning how to frame a competitive analysis as a student.
- Choosing which portfolio, award, review and LinkedIn sources to check for each candidate.
Frequently asked questions
How do I install the competitive-platform-analysis skill?
Download the ZIP from our page. Unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder. In the Claude apps, upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
Does this skill require any tools or packages?
The source lists no required tools or packages. It runs no scripts and uses no network access, according to the file listing.
Is the competitive-platform-analysis skill free?
The skill is licensed under MIT, as stated in its SKILL.md file. The source does not mention pricing for it.
Does this skill score or benchmark competitors?
No. The skill covers scoping and selection. It precedes the benchmark-methodology skill, which the source says handles the benchmarking, and this skill does not cover scoring.
Can I use this skill for a non-design business?
Yes. The source says its axes apply to any creative-service market, such as design, motion, copywriting, branding, content and film. Substitute the data sources that fit your niche.
Why won't the agent build the competitor list without a brief?
The skill says a competitor list scoped without the client's positioning brief is noise. The agent should interview you for the brief rather than invent one.
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Our verdict
This skill suits agencies and freelancers starting a market landscape report, strategists who need a defensible competitor list before scoring, and students learning how to frame a competitive analysis. It is not the right tool for running scoring or benchmarking, which the source assigns to a different skill. Teams that already have a validated competitor set may find the scoping work unnecessary.
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