Getting Started
From purchase to your first 50+ business variations in under 5 minutes. Follow these steps to get IdeaTwister running on your machine.
Step 1: Choose Your Platform
IdeaTwister runs on 5 different AI platforms. Pick the tool you already use - installation takes 2–5 minutes on any of them.
Step 2: Install IdeaTwister
After purchase, you'll receive a zip file. Each platform has a dedicated installation guide with step-by-step instructions. Click on your platform above to see the full guide.
Quick Setup Options:
Automatic (Recommended):
- 1. Unzip the file you received
- 2. Run
./install.shin your terminal - 3. The script auto-detects your tools and installs everything
Manual Setup:
- 1. Unzip the file
- 2. Follow the manual installation steps in your platform's guide
- 3. Place files in the appropriate folders for your platform
Step 3: Run Your First Idea
Once installed, you'll have access to the /ideatwister command. Type your idea and let the engine generate 50+ variations.
Inside your AI tool, type:
/ideatwister "I want to build a niche job board for remote accountants"
Pick a Depth Mode
Right after you run the command, the engine asks how deep you want to go. Press Enter to accept the default (Recommended).
| Mode | Time | Variations |
|---|---|---|
| Quick | ~5 min | ~15 |
| Standard | ~15 min | ~30 |
| Recommendeddefault | ~25 min | ~50 |
| Deep | ~50 min | ~75 |
| Custom | varies | varies |
Quick and Standard run a smart-picked subset of strategic angles for your specific idea. Recommended and Deep cover all 15 strategic angles. Custom lets you pick which angles run and how many seeds per angle.
What happens next:
- Phase 1: Your idea is expanded into a structured brief (~2 min)
- Phase 2: The engine researches the market (~5 min)
- Phases 3-4: 15 strategic angles run in parallel, generating 50+ variations (~25 min)
- Phase 5: Each variation is scored across 5 commercial dimensions (~10 min)
- Phase 6: An interactive HTML dashboard is generated (~5 min)
Total time: 5 to 50 minutes depending on the Depth Mode you pick. Can be interrupted and resumed at any time.
Step 4: Open Your Dashboard
When the run finishes, the engine prints a path. It looks like this:
~/.ideatwister/runs/remote-accountant-job-board-2026-04-24/dashboard.html
Open it in any browser. The dashboard is fully self-contained, no internet needed to view it, no login, no account.
What you'll see
- ✓Up to 75 variations (depending on Depth Mode) with titles, one-liners, and descriptions
- ✓Confidence scores across 5 commercial dimensions (Buyer Urgency & Market Timing, Market Proof, Distribution Edge, Revenue Speed, Defensibility) on a 0–10 scale
- ✓A calibrated score spread that genuinely separates strong ideas from weak ones. Typical runs span roughly 4.0 to 9.0
- ✓Market research woven into each variation
- ✓Go-to-market sketches for the high-scoring ideas, plus an honest "why this might fail" list on every variation
- ✓Filter, search, share. Filter by score, search by keyword, send the HTML file to anyone with no login required
Step 5: Explore Your Variations
Once you've reviewed the variations, you can start validating the ones that look most promising. Check the 30-day action plan included in each variation to begin.
Need Help?
Can't find your platform?
We support 5 platforms. If you're using something else, check the full platform list to see if your tool is listed.
Installation stuck?
Each platform guide has a troubleshooting section. Go to your platform's page and scroll down to find common issues and solutions.
What's the scoring system?
Each variation is scored on 5 dimensions (Buyer Urgency, Market Proof, Solo Executable, Revenue Speed, and Defensibility) on a granular 0–10 scale. Read the scoring guide within the zip file you received.
How long does a full run take?
Anywhere from 5 minutes (Quick) to about 50 minutes (Deep), depending on the Depth Mode you pick at the start of the run. You can interrupt and resume at any point - just run the same command again.
Want to use a different LLM provider?
Gemini, Anthropic, and OpenAI keys are auto-detected. For OpenRouter, DeepSeek, Together, Groq, Mistral, and anything else LiteLLM supports, see the other-providers guide.
Ready to start?
Pick your platform above and follow the installation guide. You'll be running your first idea in under 5 minutes.
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