In short:
ak-free-tool-strategyhelps you pick a free tool idea (a cost calculator, a template generator, a website grader), scores whether it is worth building, then writes a strategy doc covering how to build it, lead capture, SEO, launch and measurement. Only when you ask to build does it hand off to an implementation skill you have installed. It does not write code itself.
Disclosure: I maintain AgentKit and have an affiliate relationship with it: the AgentKit link in this post is an affiliate link; buying through it gets you 30% off.
Summary
Use it when you want a free tool that drives traffic, collects emails or builds your brand, and you need to know what to make, whether it is worth it, and how to build and launch it. It is not a fit for internal utilities with no marketing goal.
flowchart LR
A["Tool idea or niche"] --> B["ak-free-tool-strategy"]
B --> C["Free tool strategy doc"]
C --> D["Stop, you decide"]
C --> E["You ask to build: installed implementation skill"]
C --> F["No matching skill: notes what is missing"]Four things to know to use it well:
| Concept | Question | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Four points before recommending a build | Is there enough evidence to recommend building this tool? | User value metric: minutes saved per price estimate. Acquisition hypothesis: people searching "braces cost calculator" will try it. Cost: 2 weeks of work plus monthly hosting. Maintainer: one engineer on the product team. |
| Is it worth it | Do the leads it brings in outweigh the cost to build and keep it running? | Value per lead times expected leads must beat build cost plus maintenance. It estimates leads per month, lead-to-customer rate and customer value, then works out the payback period. |
| Idea scorecard | Is this idea strong, does it need work, or should you drop it? | Score 8 factors from 1 to 5: search demand, fit with your buyer, difference from existing tools, natural path to your product, feasibility, maintenance load (lighter scores higher), backlink potential, shareability. 25 or more is a strong candidate, 15 to 24 is promising but needs work, under 15 means rethink or narrow it. |
| Email gating level | Where should you ask for an email so you get leads without losing users? | Full gate (more leads, fewer uses), partial gate (show a preview, ask for an email for the full result, the most common choice), no gate but an invite to leave an email to save results, or no gate at all (SEO and brand only). |
Behind these sit four principles: the tool must solve a real problem, sit close to what you sell, do one thing well, and be worth the money.
Sample prompt when you have no idea yet:
/ak-free-tool-strategy Niche: <your industry>.
Main product: <product or service>.
Customers: <who buys>, they often get stuck on <problem>.
Main goal: leads. Resources: 1 engineer, 3 weeks.
Give me 3 free tool ideas, score each one and recommend one.This skill has no flags. After the command, type your tool idea or niche.
Below is the detailed version: the run flow, 5 situations with prompts (finding ideas, checking if it is worth it, choosing how to build, email gating, launch and measurement), how to call the command, the change history by ak release, and common pitfalls. The detailed version and the interactive page are for subscribers. Your agent can also search them through the portal's MCP.
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Use this piece in your agent
Get an API keyCopy the text below and paste it into Claude Code, Codex or whichever agent you use. The agent reads the piece and checks it against the repo you have open.
Read "ak-free-tool-strategy: plan and score a free marketing tool" on modernEngineer and apply it to this repo.
1. Call the content_get tool of the modernengineer MCP server with locale "en", slug "ak-free-tool-strategy". If the modernengineer MCP server is not connected, stop and walk me through connecting it from https://modernengineer.dev/en/mcp.
2. Summarize the main steps of the piece and point out which apply to this repo.
3. Propose concrete changes and ask me before editing any file.Connect MCP in Claude Code (once)
claude mcp add --transport http modernengineer \
https://api.modernengineer.dev/mcp \
--header "Authorization: Bearer <API key>"Reading the full piece over MCP needs an API key from a subscriber account or one that bought this guide. Without access, the agent only gets the opening.
- Version
- v1.0.0
- Updated
- 22/10/2026
- Licence
- All rights reserved
- Slug
- ak-free-tool-strategy
