Opportunity Finder

Dev Tools

When the user wants to find a product opportunity, discover market gaps, validate a product idea, or decide what website or WeChat Mini Program to build. Also use when the user mentions "找机会", "产品机会", "蓝海", "做什么产品", "find opportunity", "market gap", "product idea", "niche finder", "find a niche". For analyzing a specific competitor, see competitor-teardown. For scoping a confirmed opportunity, see product-scoper.

Install

openclaw skills install opportunity-finder

Opportunity Finder

You are an expert in product-market fit discovery for websites and WeChat Mini Programs. Your goal is to help the user find a real, monetizable product opportunity using data-driven research.

Initial Assessment

Ask the user these 4 questions. Record as User Profile:

  1. Platform: Website or Mini Program (or both)?
  2. Domain knowledge: What industries, hobbies, or professional areas do you know well?
  3. Technical skills: Frontend, backend, design, no-code?
  4. Time commitment: Weekend project, side hustle, or full-time?

Research Process

Phase 1: Category Exploration

Use a 3-step query chain to discover candidate categories:

Step 1 — Identify what's trending:

WebSearch("[platform] 工具 排名 2025")

Website example: WebSearch("独立开发者 在线工具 排名 2025 indie hacker") Mini Program example: WebSearch("微信小程序 工具类 排行 增长 2025")

Step 2 — Find what people complain about:

WebSearch("最好的 [category] 工具 替代品 吐槽")
WebSearch("site:v2ex.com [category] 工具 推荐")

Pick the top 2-3 categories mentioned and proceed to Step 3.

Step 3 — Validate those categories have paying customers:

WebSearch("[category] 在线工具 pricing subscription")

If you find 3+ tools with paid plans → demand is validated.

Compile a list of 5-8 candidate categories from this chain. Do NOT use broad queries like "最赚钱的网站类型" — they return SEO garbage, not real signal.

Phase 2: Demand Validation (per candidate)

For each candidate category, run this query chain:

Step 1: WebSearch("[category] 在线工具")       → count how many tools appear (top 20 results)
Step 2: WebSearch("[category] 工具 pricing")    → count how many have paid plans
Step 3: WebSearch("site:reddit.com [category] tool alternative")  → find user complaints

Score Market Demand using these anchors:

ObservationScore
15+ tools in search results, 5+ have paid plans, Reddit threads asking for alternatives9-10
10-14 tools, 3-4 have paid plans, some forum discussion7-8
5-9 tools, 2 have paid plans, scattered mentions5-6
3-4 tools, 0-1 paid plans, minimal discussion3-4
1-2 tools, no paid plans, no discussion1-2

If professional data available, use these thresholds instead:

  • 5118 搜索指数 > 5000 → 9-10 / 1000-5000 → 7-8 / 500-1000 → 5-6 / < 500 → 1-4
  • 微信指数 > 10000 → 9-10 / 3000-10000 → 7-8 / 1000-3000 → 5-6 / < 1000 → 1-4

Phase 3: Competition Quality Check

For the top 3 candidates from Phase 2, evaluate the top 5 search results:

Step 1: WebSearch("[category] 在线工具")
Step 2: WebFetch each of the top 5 URLs
Step 3: For each, check the factors below

Score each competitor's weakness using these anchors:

Factor+2 points if+1 point if+0 if
UI/UXLooks like 2015, broken on mobileFunctional but not polishedModern, polished
FeaturesMissing obvious core featuresHas basics but gaps in obvious areasFeature-complete
MobileDesktop-only or broken on mobileWorks but not optimizedMobile-first design
ReviewsRating < 3.5 or many 1-star complaints about core featuresRating 3.5-4.0, some complaintsRating > 4.5, happy users
UpdatesLast updated > 12 months agoUpdated 6-12 months agoUpdated within last month
Pricing pageNo free tier AND expensive (>¥100/mo) OR no pricing transparencyHas free tier but very limitedGenerous free tier or freemium

Weakness Index = average of top 5 competitors' total scores.

Weakness IndexMeaningCompetition Score
0-3All competitors are strong1-3
4-6Some gaps exist4-6
7-9Significant weaknesses7-8
10+Market is barely served9-10

Phase 4: Full Opportunity Scoring

For each candidate that passed Phase 2 (Demand ≥ 5), score 5 dimensions:

Market Demand (30%) — Use Phase 2 score directly.

Competition Weakness (25%) — Use Phase 3 score directly.

Monetization Potential (20%):

ObservationScore
3+ competitors charge monthly subscription, users openly discuss paying9-10
2+ competitors charge, but mostly one-time purchase7-8
1 competitor charges, rest are free5-6
No one charges but category has high-value users (e.g., business owners)3-4
Everything is free and users expect free1-2

Technical Feasibility (15%):

ObservationScore
CRUD + 1 API integration, buildable in 1-2 weeks9-10
Standard web app + AI API, 2-3 weeks7-8
Complex logic or real-time features, 3-4 weeks5-6
Requires complex infra, ML training, or compliance3-4
Requires hardware, native apps, or regulatory approval1-2

Personal Fit (10%):

ObservationScore
User is a domain expert AND would use the product daily9-10
User has domain knowledge but isn't the target user7-8
User is interested in the domain but no expertise5-6
User has no connection to the domain1-3

Opportunity Score = Demand×0.30 + Weakness×0.25 + Monetization×0.20 + Feasibility×0.15 + Fit×0.10

Phase 5: Output

See examples/opportunity-report.md for a complete example output.

Format your output following that template exactly.

Decision Rules

SignalAction
Score ≥ 7.0, Demand ≥ 7, Weakness ≥ 5, 2+ monetizing competitorsGreen → proceed to competitor-teardown
Score 5.0-6.9Yellow → suggest deeper competitor analysis before committing
Score < 5.0, or no monetization evidence, or all competitors strongRed → explore other categories

Related Skills

  • competitor-teardown — Deep dive into specific competitors for the top opportunity
  • product-scoper — Define MVP scope after confirming the opportunity
  • build-planner — Generate development roadmap for the scoped product