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/architecture-designer

@efebc44
by jeffallanjeffallan/claude-skills12k stars
1,124

Use when designing new high-level system architecture, reviewing existing designs, or making architectural decisions. Invoke to create architecture diagrams, write Architecture Decision Records (ADRs), evaluate technology trade-offs, design component interactions, and plan for scalability. Use for system design, architecture review, microservices structuring, ADR authoring, scalability planning, and infrastructure pattern selection — distinct from code-level design patterns or database-only design tasks.

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Use this Skill: https://skilld.dev/gh/jeffallan/claude-skills/architecture-designer

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referencesadr-template.md

≈688 tokens on demand. Your agent reads this file only when SKILL.md points to it.

ADR Template

ADR Format

# ADR-{number}: {Title}

## Status
[Proposed | Accepted | Deprecated | Superseded by ADR-XXX]

## Context
[Describe the situation and forces at play. What is the problem?
What constraints exist? What are we trying to achieve?]

## Decision
[State the decision clearly. What are we going to do?]

## Consequences

### Positive
- [Benefit 1]
- [Benefit 2]

### Negative
- [Drawback 1]
- [Drawback 2]

### Neutral
- [Side effect that is neither good nor bad]

## Alternatives Considered
[What other options were evaluated and why were they rejected?]

## References
- [Link to relevant documentation]
- [Link to discussion/RFC]

Example: Database Selection

# ADR-001: Use PostgreSQL for primary database

## Status
Accepted

## Context
We need a relational database for our e-commerce platform that:
- Handles complex transactions with strong consistency
- Supports JSON for flexible product attributes
- Scales to millions of products and orders
- Works well with our existing Python/Node stack

Team has experience with PostgreSQL and MySQL.
Budget allows for managed database service.

## Decision
Use PostgreSQL as the primary database, hosted on AWS RDS.

## Consequences

### Positive
- ACID compliance for financial transactions
- Rich feature set (JSON, full-text search, CTEs)
- Strong community and tooling
- Excellent performance with proper indexing
- Free and open source

### Negative
- Vertical scaling has limits (addressed with read replicas)
- Requires DBA expertise for optimization
- AWS RDS costs for high availability

### Neutral
- Team will need to learn PostgreSQL-specific features
- Migration from current SQLite dev database needed

## Alternatives Considered

**MySQL**
- Rejected: Less feature-rich for JSON operations
- Considered: Similar cost, familiar to team

**MongoDB**
- Rejected: Relational data model needed for orders/inventory
- Considered: Great for product catalog flexibility

**CockroachDB**
- Rejected: Higher cost, team unfamiliar
- Considered: Better horizontal scaling

## References
- https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/
- Internal RFC: Database Selection for E-commerce Platform

ADR Naming Convention

docs/
└── adr/
    ├── 0001-use-postgresql-database.md
    ├── 0002-adopt-microservices.md
    ├── 0003-implement-event-sourcing.md
    └── README.md

Quick Reference

Section Purpose Key Question
Status Current state Is this active?
Context Background Why are we deciding?
Decision The choice What did we choose?
Consequences Impact What happens now?
Alternatives Options What else was considered?

Source: SKILL.md on GitHub

Third-party checks

1 alert16d5 checks · Risk CRITICAL
  • Gen Agent Trust Hub16d

    The skill provides a framework for system architecture design and documentation. It contains no executable code, persistence mechanisms, or data exfiltration logic. The documentation link flagged by external scanners is a plain-text reference to the author's official project page on a well-known hosting service.

  • Socket16d

    No alerts

  • Snyk16d

    Risk: LOW · No issues

  • Runlayer6mo

    6 files scanned · No issues

  • ZeroLeaks5mo

    Score: 93/100 · 2 sections analyzed

Provenance

Signed by skilld at efebc44. This ties the file your Agent reads to that commit on GitHub. It does not review the instructions.

Last checked against GitHub 2 months ago.

Steadyupdated 5 months ago

Capability

Other metadata
metadata
{
  "author": "https://github.com/Jeffallan",
  "version": "1.1.1",
  "domain": "api-architecture",
  "triggers": "architecture, system design, design pattern, microservices, scalability, ADR, technical design, infrastructure",
  "role": "expert",
  "scope": "design",
  "output-format": "document",
  "related-skills": "fullstack-guardian, devops-engineer, secure-code-guardian, microservices-architect, code-reviewer"
}

Topics

  • Infrastructure
  • architecture
  • system-design
  • adr
  • microservices
  • scalability
  • design-patterns
  • distributed-systems

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What it does

Guides system architecture design by creating diagrams, writing Architecture Decision Records, and evaluating trade-offs across patterns like microservices versus monoliths. Targets high-level design decisions, scalability planning, and technology selection—not code-level design patterns or isolated database choices.

Generated from the current SKILL.md.

Frequently asked

Does this skill help with code-level design patterns or just system architecture?
This skill focuses on high-level system architecture, microservices structuring, and infrastructure patterns. It is distinct from code-level design patterns or database-only design tasks.
What output formats does this skill produce?
The skill generates requirements summaries, architecture diagrams in Mermaid format, Architecture Decision Records (ADRs) documenting trade-offs, technology recommendations with rationale, and risk mitigation strategies.
Can this skill help evaluate technology choices?
Yes. The skill evaluates trade-offs across alternative technologies, considers operational costs and complexity, and provides rationale for technology recommendations rather than selecting options in isolation.
Does this skill address non-functional requirements?
Yes. The skill explicitly considers non-functional requirements as part of the design process, includes an NFR checklist reference, and factors scalability, failure modes, and operational complexity into architecture decisions.

Generated from the current SKILL.md. These answers refresh after source changes.