How do you decide to kill a startup idea before you build the MVP? (I will not promote)

I keep seeing founders ship MVPs for ideas that never had a stranger signal. I did this too. What I use now before a build weekend: Write the idea in one sentence with a specific buyer, not "everyone" Score five things from 1 to 5: pain, existing spend, reach, build speed, monetization. I add them up out of 25 If total is under 14 I kill unless I have new evidence Run a cheap validation pass: 5 conversations or one small capture page with a clear offer. No code beyond capture Only then spec the MVP as embar