lobstr is a rapid startup validation tool that provides a comprehensive pitch score, competitive landscape, and investor signal in just 60 seconds.
Install & Download
1. ClawHub CLI
The fastest way to install a skill directly from the registry.
npx clawhub@latest install lobstr
2. Manual Installation
Copy the skill folder to one of these locations
~/.openclaw/skills/ <project>/skills/ Priority: Workspace > Local > Bundled
3. Prompt Installation
Copy this prompt to OpenClaw to install it automatically.
Help me install lobstr using Clawhub. If Clawhub is not installed, install it first (npm i -g clawhub).
Prefer to download?
Get the raw skill files in a ZIP archive.
What is lobstr?
lobstr is a powerful diagnostic tool designed for entrepreneurs and developers to stress-test startup concepts instantly. By analyzing an idea against six core dimensions—Landscape, Opportunity, Business model, Sharpness, Timing, and Reach—it provides a brutal but honest evaluation of whether a project is worth building. This skill is a part of the Openclaw Skills ecosystem, enabling AI agents to act as virtual venture capitalists.
The tool goes beyond simple text analysis by performing live web searches to identify real-world competitors and checking EU investor signals via GRID. Whether you are in the early brainstorming phase or preparing for a pitch, lobstr delivers a structured score card that highlights strengths and critical weaknesses in your business logic.
lobstr Use Cases
- Validating a new startup or product idea before committing development resources.
- Performing a rapid competitive landscape analysis to see who else is in the space.
- Scoring a pitch or business concept during a founder brainstorming session.
- Checking EU investor interest and market signal for specific industries.
- Getting an objective build or don't build verdict on a side project.
How lobstr Works
- The user triggers the skill by providing a startup idea via a command or natural language prompt.
- The script executes a competitor scan using live web search data to map the current market landscape.
- The idea is evaluated against the LOBSTR framework, scoring it from 0–100 across six distinct strategic dimensions.
- Investor data is pulled from GRID to determine the level of active venture capital interest in the sector.
- A formatted score card is generated, providing a visual breakdown, a VC-style verdict, and a definitive build recommendation.
lobstr Setup
The lobstr skill works out of the box with no API keys required for up to 5 scans per day via the hosted API. To install and run within your environment:
# Basic usage to scan an idea
python3 scripts/lobstr.py "Your startup idea here"
# For unlimited local scans (BYOK mode), set your environment variables:
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=<your-key>
export EXA_API_KEY=<your-key>
lobstr Data Schema & Taxonomy
The skill produces structured data that can be consumed as a visual card or raw JSON. When using the Openclaw Skills integration with the --json flag, the following schema is returned:
| Key | Description |
|---|---|
overall_score |
A weighted average score from 0 to 100. |
dimensions |
Individual scores for Landscape, Opportunity, Biz model, Sharpness, Timing, and Reach. |
competitors |
A list of real-world companies identified during the scan. |
grid |
Data regarding EU investor signals and VC activity. |
verdict |
A qualitative VC-style summary of the idea's potential. |
build_it |
A boolean or string indicator providing the final recommendation. |
lobstr Advanced Features
- BYOK (Bring Your Own Key) Mode: Enable unlimited local scans by providing your own Anthropic and Exa API keys.
- Public Publishing: Use the
--publicflag to generate a shareable URL on runlobstr.com. - Moltbook Integration: Automatically post scores to m/lobstrscore using the
--moltbookflag and a Moltbook API key. - Agent-to-Agent Piping: Use the
--jsonflag to allow other AI agents to programmatically process the validation data.
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