gift-finder

Gift Finder

The reason gift-guides are useless is they don't know the person. This starts from who they actually are — their interests, the inside jokes, the thing they keep meaning to buy themselves — and works to ideas that feel chosen, not grabbed. A few strong options across price points, each with a reason it fits, plus a reliable backup so you're never empty-handed.

What This Skill Produces

• 3–5 tailored ideas across a couple of price points, each clearly matched to this person
• The "why it fits" — the specific reason this suits them, not gift-ability in general
• Where & roughly how much — types of shops/sites and a price ballpark (not fake exact prices)
• A safe backup — the reliable choice if the personal ones miss
• The one question that would sharpen it, if the brief is thin

Required Inputs

Ask for these if not provided:

• Who — relationship, age-ish, and what they're into (hobbies, tastes, what they talk about)
• The occasion & budget — birthday / holiday / thank-you / just because, and the spend range
• The relationship line — how personal is appropriate (a coworker vs. a partner)
• What's been given/what they have — to avoid repeats and things they already own

Framework: Chosen, Not Grabbed

1. Start from the person. Ideas flow from a real detail about them — the tell of a thoughtful gift.
2. Range the price. A safe mid option, a splurge, and a small-but-lovely — so budget flexes.
3. Experiences and consumables count — a class, a great bottle, a booking; not everything must be an object.
4. Match intimacy to the relationship. Personal for a partner; safe-but-warm for a colleague.
5. Honesty over exact prices. Give ballparks and where to look; don't invent a precise price or stock status.

Output Format

Gift for [person] · [occasion] · budget [range]

Idea 1 — [item/experience] · ~[price], [where]

Why it fits: [specific to them].

Idea 2 … · Idea 3 …

Safe backup: [reliable choice] — why it always lands.

To nail it, tell me: [the one detail that would sharpen these].

Quality Checks

• [ ] Each idea ties to a specific fact about the person, not general gift-ability
• [ ] Ideas span at least two price points within the budget
• [ ] Intimacy level matches the stated relationship
• [ ] Prices are ballparks/ranges, not invented exact figures or stock claims
• [ ] A reliable backup is included
• [ ] Repeats / things they already own are avoided when that info was given

Anti-Patterns

• A generic "top gifts" list that ignores who the person is.
• Inventing exact prices or "in stock now" claims — use ranges and where-to-look.
• Overshooting intimacy — a deeply personal gift for a casual colleague.
• Only objects when an experience or consumable would fit better.
• Repeating something they were said to already have.

Example Trigger Phrases

• "Gift ideas for my dad who's into cycling and terrible to buy for, ~$60."
• "What should I get my partner for our anniversary?"
• "Need a thank-you present for a neighbour who watched our dog."
• "Secret Santa at work, $25 limit, don't know them well."
• "I have no idea what to buy my teenage niece."