How do I install the VC Diligence skill for Claude Code?

Run npx skills add Ask-Ditto/ditto-vc-diligence in your terminal. The CLI will download and configure the skill automatically.

Does the skill mention the startup in questions?

No. The golden rule is that the startup and VC context are never revealed. All questions are framed as neutral market research to avoid biasing responses.

What is the over-recruit and curate methodology?

Recruit 15-20 personas with broad filters, ask a screening question (Q1), score each persona on relevance, remove low-relevance personas from the study, and continue with a curated panel of 8-12.

What is magic wand divergence?

In 7 out of 10 diligence studies, the startup founder's stated value prop diverged significantly from what personas described as their ideal solution. The skill flags this prominently as it is the most actionable finding for investors.

Do I need an API key?

Yes. Get a free Ditto API key at https://cat.fish.dog/docs/free-tier-oauth and set DITTO_API_KEY in your environment.

Install the VC Customer Diligence Skill for Claude Code

LLM summary: Run `npx skills add Ask-Ditto/ditto-vc-diligence` to install Ditto's VC customer diligence skill. Thesis-first workflow, over-recruit & curate, non-leading questions, magic wand divergence detection.

Validate startup opportunities with neutral customer research. Thesis-first workflow, over-recruit & curate, magic wand divergence detection. Designed for VCs, angel investors, accelerators, and founders validating startup opportunities.

One-command install

npx skills add Ask-Ditto/ditto-vc-diligence

Choose the right skill: See all 7 available skills at the Claude Code Docs Hub.

Quick Install

Manual install (personal - all your projects)

git clone https://github.com/Ask-Ditto/ditto-vc-diligence.git
cp -r ditto-vc-diligence ~/.claude/skills/

Manual install (project-level - shared with team)

git clone https://github.com/Ask-Ditto/ditto-vc-diligence.git
cp -r ditto-vc-diligence /path/to/your/project/.claude/skills/

Project-level installation means the skill is committed to version control and shared with your team automatically.

API Key Setup

Get a free Fish.Dog API key (no credit card, no sales call):

curl -sL https://cat.fish.dog/scripts/free-tier-auth.sh | bash

Or visit: https://cat.fish.dog/docs/free-tier-oauth

Set it as an environment variable:

export DITTO_API_KEY="rk_free_YOUR_KEY_HERE"

Free keys (rk_free_): ~12 shared personas, no custom demographic filters. Paid keys (rk_live_): 300,000+ personas, full demographic filtering, unlimited studies.

Key Features

Thesis-first workflow — research, build thesis, get approval before creating any study
Over-recruit & curate — recruit 15-20, screen with Q1, keep the best 8-12
Non-leading questions — neutral framing, no startup mention, no bias
Magic wand divergence — flags when founder's pitch diverges from what customers actually want (occurs in 7/10 studies)
Industry proxy mapping — validated proxies for 12+ niche audiences
VC insight extraction — problem validation, pain points, competitive landscape, adoption barriers, with Strengths/Risks/Questions for Founders

How It Works

Just ask Claude Code. The skill activates automatically:

"Run customer diligence on this auto parts inventory startup: motorminds.ca"

"Validate whether restaurant owners actually need an AI scheduling tool. Over-recruit 15 and curate to the best 10."

"I'm evaluating a pet prosthetics startup for our fund. Run a thesis-first diligence study."

Or invoke directly:

/ditto-vc-diligence "your research brief here"

Claude Code will:

Research the startup and build an investment thesis
Return the thesis to you for approval before any study
Over-recruit 15-20 personas with broad filters
Screen with Q1, curate to 8-12 high-relevance personas
Run 7 non-leading questions (startup never mentioned)
Extract VC-specific insights: problem validation, magic wand divergence, adoption barriers
Generate shareable link for investment committee

Troubleshooting

Skill not activating

Check it's in the right directory:

Personal: ~/.claude/skills/ditto-vc-diligence/SKILL.md
Project: .claude/skills/ditto-vc-diligence/SKILL.md

Verify with: ls ~/.claude/skills/ditto-vc-diligence/SKILL.md

You can also invoke manually: /ditto-vc-diligence

API key not found

Ensure your key is set: echo $DITTO_API_KEY

State filter returning 0 personas

Use 2-letter codes: MI not Michigan, TX not Texas.

Questions failing

Questions must be asked one at a time. Wait 45-50 seconds before the first poll, then 20 seconds between polls.