---
name: gift-finder
description: "Find a genuinely good gift for a specific person and occasion within a budget — thoughtful and non-obvious, not a generic 'top 10 gifts' list. Use when asked for gift ideas, what should I get [person], help me find a present, or I have no idea what to buy. Produces a short set of tailored ideas across price points, why each fits this person, where to get it and rough price, a safe backup, and an honest flag when you need one more detail to nail it."
---

# 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."