Ideas & Capture
How ideas enter Foundry, capture types, the idea lifecycle, fields, and limits.
What is an Idea?
An idea is the fundamental intake object in Foundry. Everything enters the system as an idea, product concepts, feature requests, insights, frameworks, competitor notes, naming ideas, and more. Ideas are Layer 5 objects (Opportunities) in the work hierarchy.
Ideas are not tasks, not projects, and not commitments. They are raw material waiting to be evaluated. The purpose of capturing an idea is to get it out of your head and into a system where it can be properly evaluated later. The goal at capture time is speed, not quality, don't try to score or classify while capturing.
Capture Methods
There are three ways to capture ideas, each designed for a different context:
1. Capture Page. The full capture form
Navigate to the Capture page from the sidebar. This gives you the complete form: title, body, capture type selector, project dropdown, tag picker, and priority. Use this when you have time to properly categorize what you're capturing.
2. Quick Capture Modal. Instant capture from anywhere
Press Cmd+Shift+K (Mac) or Ctrl+Shift+K (Windows/Linux) from any page. A modal appears with just title, body, and optional project. The idea is saved as a QUICK_NOTE in RAW status. This is the fastest path, use it when you just need to get a thought down before it evaporates.
3. Today Page Sidebar. Inline capture
The Today page has a capture form in the right column. It works like the full Capture page but stays visible alongside your daily action items. Good for capturing thoughts that come up while reviewing your day.
⚡
Quick Capture
⌘⇧K
Capture Types
Every idea has a capture type that classifies what kind of thought it is. The type is selected at capture time and can be changed later. Here's what each type means and when to use it:
| Type | When to Use | Can Convert to Asset? |
|---|---|---|
| ------ | ------------ | ---------------------- |
| Quick Note | Default for Quick Capture. Any unclassified thought. | No |
| Product Idea | A concept for a new product or service. | No |
| Feature Idea | A feature for something you're already building. | No |
| Opportunity | A market gap, partnership, or business opportunity. | No |
| Insight | A learning, observation, or strategic realization. | Yes |
| Prompt Asset | A reusable AI prompt you've crafted. | Yes |
| Framework | A methodology, mental model, or analytical approach. | Yes |
| Decision | A decision you need to log (links to Decision Log). | Yes |
| Competitor Note | Intelligence about a competitor or market player. | No |
| Launch Angle | A marketing hook, positioning idea, or go-to-market angle. | Yes |
| Monetization Idea | A pricing model, revenue stream, or monetization strategy. | Yes |
| Naming Idea | A name, tagline, brand concept, or verbal hook. | No |
Types marked "Can Convert to Asset" are eligible for promotion to the Vault's asset library once they've been classified through triage.
Idea Lifecycle
Ideas move through these statuses in a deliberate pipeline:
RAW
→
IN_TRIAGE
→
CLASSIFIED
→
CONVERTED
PARKED
ARCHIVED
| Status | Meaning | How You Get Here |
|---|---|---|
| -------- | --------- | ----------------- |
| RAW | Just captured. Completely unprocessed. | Default on creation |
| IN_TRIAGE | Currently being scored in the triage matrix. | Click "Start Triage" on an idea |
| CLASSIFIED | Scored and assigned an outcome (BUILD_NOW, PARK, etc). | Complete triage scoring |
| CONVERTED | Graduated to a Vault asset. | Convert from classified idea |
| PARKED | Intentionally shelved, not dismissed, but not active. | Manual status change or triage outcome |
| ARCHIVED | Dismissed or no longer relevant. | Manual archive or triage outcome |
Important: Status transitions are mostly one-directional. You can un-archive an idea back to RAW, but you can't un-convert an asset back to an idea. The pipeline is designed to flow forward.
Idea Fields. Complete Reference
| Field | Type | Required | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ------- | ------ | ---------- | --------- | ------------- |
| Title | Text (max ~500 chars) | Yes | , | Brief description. Should be scannable, you'll see this in lists. |
| Body | Text (unlimited) | No | null | Extended notes, context, links, or any additional detail. Supports plain text. |
| Capture Type | Enum (12 values) | Yes | QUICK_NOTE | What kind of thought this is. See Capture Types above. |
| Status | Enum (6 values) | Yes | RAW | Current lifecycle status. See Lifecycle above. |
| Project | Reference | No | null | Which project this idea belongs to. Can be set at capture or later. |
| Tags | Many-to-many | No | none | Tags for categorization. You can add multiple tags. |
| Priority | Integer | No | 0 | Numeric priority. Higher = more important. Used for manual sorting. |
| Energy Note | Text | No | null | Notes about the energy cost/benefit of pursuing this idea. |
| Capture Source | Text | No | null | Where the idea came from (e.g. "customer call", "shower thought"). |
| Quick Classified | Boolean | No | false | Whether this was quick-classified (vs full triage). Set automatically. |
| Quick Classify Note | Text | No | null | Note from quick classification. |
| Attachment URL | Text | No | null | Reserved for file attachments (not yet active). |
Example Scenario
1. You press Cmd+Shift+K to open Quick Capture
2. Title: "Competitor X switched to usage-based pricing"
3. Save immediately (takes 2 seconds)
4. The idea is saved as RAW / QUICK_NOTE
Later that evening during your triage session:
5. You open the Vault, filter by RAW status
6. You see the idea and click "Start Triage"
7. You change the capture type to COMPETITOR_NOTE
8. You assign it to your "Pricing Strategy" project
9. You add a tag: "competitive-intel"
10. You score it through the triage matrix → it gets EXPLORE_LATER (score: 62)
11. Status changes to CLASSIFIED
Next week during your weekly review:
12. You see this classified idea and decide to create a decision: "Should we switch to usage-based pricing?"
13. You create a Decision Log entry linked to your project
Limits & Plan Gating
| Plan | Idea Limit | What Happens at Limit |
|---|---|---|
| ------ | ----------- | ---------------------- |
| Free | 200 ideas total | Banner appears on Capture page. New captures blocked. |
| Pro | Unlimited | No restrictions |
Important details:
- The 200-idea limit counts all ideas ever created in the workspace, regardless of status. Archiving ideas does not free up space.
- Existing ideas are never deleted when you hit the limit, you just can't create new ones.
- If you downgrade from Pro to Free while over 200 ideas, your existing ideas remain but you can't create new ones until you're under the limit.
FAQ
Yes. You can change the title, body, capture type, project, tags, and priority at any time. Click on an idea in the Vault to open its detail view.
Can I move an idea between projects?
Yes. Edit the idea and change the project assignment. Ideas can also be unassigned (no project).
What happens when I convert an idea to an asset?
The idea's status changes to CONVERTED and a new asset is created in the Vault with the idea's content. The asset retains a reference to the source idea. The original idea is preserved, it doesn't get deleted.
Can I bulk-triage multiple ideas at once?
The triage page processes ideas one at a time through the scoring matrix. There is a "Quick Park" option for ideas you want to shelve without full scoring, and you can bulk-archive stale RAW ideas from the Vault.
How does duplicate detection work?
When you type a title in the capture form, Foundry searches your existing ideas for similar titles. If matches are found, they appear as a warning. This is advisory, you can still save the idea.
Can I import ideas from another tool?
Not currently. There is no bulk import feature. Ideas must be captured individually through the UI.