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backend-development

Backend API design, database architecture, microservices patterns, and test-driven development. Use for designing APIs, database schemas, or backend system architecture.

62

Quality

73%

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SecuritybySnyk

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tessl review fix ./skills/backend-development/SKILL.md
SKILL.md
Quality
Evals
Security

Quality

Content

76%Weight 40%Scale 1-5

Reviews the quality of instructions and guidance provided to agents. Good implementation is clear, handles edge cases, and produces reliable results.

A lean, well-organized pattern reference with concrete, mostly executable examples and excellent token efficiency. Its main gaps are the absence of any sequenced workflow or validation/rollback checkpoints for risky operations like schema changes, and no progressive disclosure of denser material into reference files.

Suggestions

Add a short ordered workflow for the riskiest flow, e.g. schema changes: 1. design DDL, 2. wrap in a migration, 3. validate on a copy/staging, 4. only then apply — this lifts workflow clarity past the database-operations cap.

Include validation checkpoints in the auth and caching sections (e.g. re-verify the token audience/scope, confirm cache invalidation on write) as feedback loops.

Move the fuller TypeScript examples (auth middleware, JWT payload details) into a references/ file with clearly signaled one-level-deep links to slim the main body.

DimensionReasoningScore

Conciseness

The body is almost entirely code with terse inline comments ('-- Use UUIDs for public IDs', '// Cache-aside pattern') and one-line bullets for observability; there is no explanation of concepts Claude already knows and no padding. Every section earns its tokens, matching the lean anchor 5.

5 / 5

Actionability

Most guidance is concrete and near-executable: runnable SQL DDL and cursor-pagination queries, a copy-paste-ready authenticate middleware, and a working cache-aside example. It falls short of anchor 5 because several TypeScript snippets have undefined context (User, Next, SECRET, rateLimit import) and the response formats contain '{ ... }' placeholders — minor gaps rather than fully self-contained, copy-paste-ready code.

4 / 5

Workflow Clarity

This is a pattern catalog, not a sequenced workflow: no section orders steps or tells Claude how to proceed on a task (e.g., schema design → migration → verify). The database section involves schema-altering operations with no validation, migration, or rollback guidance, and per the rubric's feedback-loop note for database operations this caps the score at 3; it stays above anchor 2 because each topic's sequence of operations is internally coherent.

3 / 5

Progressive Disclosure

No bundle files exist and the body is cleanly sectioned (API Design, Database Patterns, Authentication, Caching, Rate Limiting, Observability) with appropriately sized inline examples. It does not reach 5 because at ~148 lines it exceeds the simple-skill threshold and denser material (e.g., the full auth middleware or JWT details) could live in one-level-deep reference files.

4 / 5

Total

16

/

20

Passed

Description

71%Weight 40%Scale 1-5

Based on the skill's description, can an agent find and select it at the right time? Clear, specific descriptions lead to better discovery.

A solid, third-person description with an explicit 'Use for' trigger clause and concrete domain keywords. Its main weaknesses are moderate breadth (high overlap risk with adjacent software-engineering skills) and a trigger clause that does not cover all advertised capabilities.

Suggestions

Narrow the distinctiveness by adding discriminating triggers, e.g. 'Use when designing REST endpoints, relational schemas, or service boundaries — not for frontend or DevOps work.'

Extend the 'Use for' clause to cover all four advertised capabilities, e.g. add 'or writing tests / planning microservices' so test-driven development has a trigger.

Include a few more natural synonyms such as 'REST', 'endpoints', or 'SQL schemas' to improve trigger-term coverage.

DimensionReasoningScore

Specificity

Quotes like 'Backend API design, database architecture, microservices patterns' and 'designing APIs, database schemas' list several concrete capability areas and design actions rather than generic filler. It stops short of anchor 5 because the 'what' is a list of domains, not a comprehensive set of specific concrete actions (e.g., no mention of implementing endpoints, writing migrations, or running tests).

4 / 5

Completeness

Both parts are explicit: 'what' ('Backend API design, database architecture, microservices patterns, and test-driven development') and 'when' ('Use for designing APIs, database schemas, or backend system architecture'). It is not a 5 because the 'when' clause covers only three of the four advertised areas — no trigger guidance for test-driven development or microservices work.

4 / 5

Trigger Term Quality

Natural phrases users would say are present: 'APIs', 'database schemas', 'backend system architecture', 'microservices'. It falls below anchor 5 because common variations like 'REST', 'endpoints', 'SQL', 'backend service', or specific stack terms are missing, leaving a few natural triggers uncovered.

4 / 5

Distinctiveness Conflict Risk

The description carves out a backend niche, but 'backend development' is broad and would overlap with general coding, database, DevOps, or API-review skills. It is somewhat specific yet could still trigger alongside closely related skills, matching anchor 3 rather than 4, whose overlap risk is only 'minor'.

3 / 5

Total

15

/

20

Passed

Validation

93%

Checks the skill against the spec for correct structure and formatting. All validation checks must pass before discovery and implementation can be scored.

Validation — 15 / 16 Passed

Validation for skill structure

CriteriaDescriptionResult

frontmatter_unknown_keys

Unknown frontmatter key(s) found; consider removing or moving to metadata

Warning

Total

15

/

16

Passed

Repository
MoizIbnYousaf/ai-agent-skills
Reviewed

Table of Contents

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