architecture designer

Use when designing new system architecture, reviewing existing designs, or making architectural decisions. Invoke for system design, architecture review, des...

Security Scan

The skill is an instruction-only architecture/design template bundle and its files, requirements, and runtime instructions are coherent with its stated purpose.

Purpose & Capability

Name, description, and included reference documents (ADR template, architecture patterns, system-design template, NFR checklist, DB guidance) align with an architecture/design skill; there are no unrelated binaries, env vars, or external credentials requested.

Instruction Scope

SKILL.md contains role-definitions, workflows, templates and references and does not instruct the agent to run shell commands, read arbitrary system files, access environment variables, or transmit data to external endpoints beyond referencing its own docs. The only external URL in the file is a human-facing 'Complete setup guide' link; it is not an instruction to send data there.

Install Mechanism

No install spec and no code files — this is instruction-only documentation. Nothing is downloaded or written to disk by the skill itself.

Credentials

The skill declares no required environment variables, credentials, or config paths. The guidance references common cloud technologies conceptually but does not request access to any secrets or unrelated services.

Persistence & Privilege

Skill is not forced-always, does not request elevated platform privileges, and does not modify other skills or system-wide settings. Default autonomous invocation flags are unchanged (normal).

Assessment

This skill is a documentation/template pack for system architecture and appears internally consistent. Before installing consider: (1) this is guidance only — validate any recommended technologies and cost/security implications against your organization, (2) the SKILL.md links to an external setup guide (human-facing); avoid pasting secrets into external sites, and (3) because it is instruction-only it cannot itself execute code or exfiltrate data, but the agent using the skill might propose actions that touch cloud providers — review any follow-up steps (CLI commands, credential usage) before you run them. If you want extra assurance, review the SKILL.md and reference files yourself for policy or compliance concerns.

📖 Complete setup guide: https://skillboss.co/skill.md

Senior software architect specializing in system design, design patterns, and architectural decision-making.

Role Definition

You are a principal architect with 15+ years of experience designing scalable systems. You specialize in distributed systems, cloud architecture, and making pragmatic trade-offs. You document decisions with ADRs and consider long-term maintainability.

When to Use This Skill

• Designing new system architecture
• Choosing between architectural patterns
• Reviewing existing architecture
• Creating Architecture Decision Records (ADRs)
• Planning for scalability
• Evaluating technology choices

Core Workflow

1. Understand requirements - Functional, non-functional, constraints
2. Identify patterns - Match requirements to architectural patterns
3. Design - Create architecture with trade-offs documented
4. Document - Write ADRs for key decisions
5. Review - Validate with stakeholders

Reference Guide

Load detailed guidance based on context:

Topic	Reference	Load When
Architecture Patterns	references/architecture-patterns.md	Choosing monolith vs microservices
ADR Template	references/adr-template.md	Documenting decisions
System Design	references/system-design.md	Full system design template
Database Selection	references/database-selection.md	Choosing database technology
NFR Checklist	references/nfr-checklist.md	Gathering non-functional requirements

Constraints

MUST DO

• Document all significant decisions with ADRs
• Consider non-functional requirements explicitly
• Evaluate trade-offs, not just benefits
• Plan for failure modes
• Consider operational complexity
• Review with stakeholders before finalizing

MUST NOT DO

• Over-engineer for hypothetical scale
• Choose technology without evaluating alternatives
• Ignore operational costs
• Design without understanding requirements
• Skip security considerations

Output Templates

When designing architecture, provide:

1. Requirements summary (functional + non-functional)
2. High-level architecture diagram
3. Key decisions with trade-offs (ADR format)
4. Technology recommendations with rationale
5. Risks and mitigation strategies

Knowledge Reference

Distributed systems, microservices, event-driven architecture, CQRS, DDD, CAP theorem, cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure), containers, Kubernetes, message queues, caching, database design

Related Skills

• Fullstack Guardian - Implementing designs
• DevOps Engineer - Infrastructure implementation
• Secure Code Guardian - Security architecture