jbvc/nodejs-backend-patterns
Build production-ready Node.js backend services with Express/Fastify, implementing middleware patterns, error handling, authentication, database integration, and API design best practices. Use when creating Node.js servers, REST APIs, GraphQL backends, or microservices architectures.
65
65%
Does it follow best practices?
Impact
Pending
No eval scenarios have been run
Passed
No known issues
Quality
Discovery
92%Based on the skill's description, can an agent find and select it at the right time? Clear, specific descriptions lead to better discovery.
This is a strong skill description that clearly articulates specific capabilities and includes an explicit 'Use when' clause with natural trigger terms. The main weakness is moderate overlap risk with other backend development skills due to broad terms like 'REST APIs' and 'authentication', though the Node.js/Express/Fastify anchoring helps differentiate it. Overall, it follows best practices for skill descriptions.
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Specificity | Lists multiple specific concrete actions: middleware patterns, error handling, authentication, database integration, and API design best practices, along with specific frameworks (Express/Fastify). | 3 / 3 |
Completeness | Clearly answers both 'what' (build Node.js backend services with Express/Fastify, implementing middleware, error handling, auth, DB integration, API design) and 'when' (explicit 'Use when creating Node.js servers, REST APIs, GraphQL backends, or microservices architectures'). | 3 / 3 |
Trigger Term Quality | Includes strong natural keywords users would say: 'Node.js', 'Express', 'Fastify', 'REST APIs', 'GraphQL', 'microservices', 'backend', 'servers', 'middleware', 'authentication'. These cover a wide range of terms a user would naturally use. | 3 / 3 |
Distinctiveness Conflict Risk | While it specifies Node.js and particular frameworks, terms like 'REST APIs', 'authentication', 'database integration', and 'microservices' could overlap with skills for other backend languages/frameworks (e.g., Python/Django, Go). The Node.js/Express/Fastify specificity helps but doesn't fully eliminate conflict risk. | 2 / 3 |
Total | 11 / 12 Passed |
Implementation
22%Reviews the quality of instructions and guidance provided to agents. Good implementation is clear, handles edge cases, and produces reliable results.
This skill is essentially a stub that defers all meaningful content to an external playbook file while providing only generic, non-actionable instructions in the main body. It lacks any concrete code examples, specific patterns, or clear workflows despite claiming to cover a very broad scope of Node.js backend development. The instructions read like generic meta-advice rather than skill-specific guidance.
Suggestions
Add at least one concrete, executable code example in the SKILL.md body (e.g., a minimal Express server setup with error handling middleware) so the skill provides immediate value without requiring the external file.
Replace the generic instructions ('Clarify goals', 'Apply relevant best practices') with specific, actionable guidance such as project structure conventions, required middleware stack, or a step-by-step workflow for setting up a new API endpoint.
Add a brief summary of what's in resources/implementation-playbook.md (e.g., list the specific patterns covered) so Claude can determine whether to open it without wasting a tool call.
Include validation/verification steps for common workflows like database migrations or deployment, since these are destructive or stateful operations.
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Conciseness | The content is relatively short but includes unnecessary sections like 'Do not use this skill when' with obvious statements, and the 'Use this skill when' list is overly broad. The instructions section is generic filler rather than skill-specific guidance. | 2 / 3 |
Actionability | There are no concrete code examples, commands, or specific patterns. The instructions are entirely vague ('Clarify goals', 'Apply relevant best practices', 'Provide actionable steps') and describe rather than instruct. All actual content is deferred to an external file. | 1 / 3 |
Workflow Clarity | The instructions list four generic bullet points with no clear sequencing, no validation checkpoints, and no specific workflow for any of the many tasks this skill claims to cover. For a skill covering database integration and backend services, the absence of any verification steps is a significant gap. | 1 / 3 |
Progressive Disclosure | There is a reference to an external resource file (resources/implementation-playbook.md), which is good structure. However, the SKILL.md itself contains almost no substantive overview content—it's essentially an empty shell pointing to one file, making it hard to know what's in the playbook without opening it. | 2 / 3 |
Total | 6 / 12 Passed |
Validation
100%Checks the skill against the spec for correct structure and formatting. All validation checks must pass before discovery and implementation can be scored.
Validation — 11 / 11 Passed
Validation for skill structure
No warnings or errors.
Reviewed
Table of Contents