This skill should be used when the user asks to "design system architecture", "evaluate microservices vs monolith", "create architecture diagrams", "analyze dependencies", "choose a database", "plan for scalability", "make technical decisions", or "review system design". Use for architecture decision records (ADRs), tech stack evaluation, system design reviews, dependency analysis, and generating architecture diagrams in Mermaid, PlantUML, or ASCII format.
89
78%
Does it follow best practices?
Impact
96%
1.81xAverage score across 6 eval scenarios
Passed
No known issues
Optimize this skill with Tessl
npx tessl skill review --optimize ./engineering-team/senior-architect/SKILL.mdQuality
Discovery
100%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 thoroughly covers both what the skill does and when it should be triggered. It provides extensive natural trigger terms that users would actually say, and the domain is specific enough to avoid conflicts with other skills. The only minor note is that the description is structured as mostly trigger terms with the 'what' portion coming second, but both are clearly present and well-articulated.
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Specificity | Lists multiple specific concrete actions: design system architecture, evaluate microservices vs monolith, create architecture diagrams, analyze dependencies, choose a database, plan for scalability, make technical decisions, review system design, ADRs, tech stack evaluation, and generating diagrams in specific formats (Mermaid, PlantUML, ASCII). | 3 / 3 |
Completeness | Clearly answers both 'what' (architecture decision records, tech stack evaluation, system design reviews, dependency analysis, generating architecture diagrams) and 'when' (explicit trigger phrases like 'design system architecture', 'evaluate microservices vs monolith', etc., introduced with 'This skill should be used when'). | 3 / 3 |
Trigger Term Quality | Excellent coverage of natural terms users would say: 'design system architecture', 'microservices vs monolith', 'architecture diagrams', 'choose a database', 'scalability', 'system design', 'ADRs', 'tech stack', 'Mermaid', 'PlantUML'. These are phrases users would naturally use when requesting architecture help. | 3 / 3 |
Distinctiveness Conflict Risk | Occupies a clear niche around system architecture and design decisions. The specific triggers like ADRs, microservices vs monolith, architecture diagrams, and specific diagram formats (Mermaid, PlantUML) make it highly distinguishable from general coding or documentation skills. | 3 / 3 |
Total | 12 / 12 Passed |
Implementation
57%Reviews the quality of instructions and guidance provided to agents. Good implementation is clear, handles edge cases, and produces reliable results.
This is a well-structured skill with good progressive disclosure and clear organization. Its main weaknesses are moderate verbosity (redundant sections, explanations Claude doesn't need), and the assumption that referenced Python scripts exist without any setup or verification steps. The decision workflows are useful but lack validation checkpoints and concrete feedback loops.
Suggestions
Remove redundant sections: consolidate 'Common Commands' into the Tools Overview sections, and drop 'Tech Stack Coverage' and 'Getting Help' which add little actionable value.
Add validation/verification steps to workflows—e.g., after generating a diagram, verify it renders correctly; after dependency analysis, re-run after fixes to confirm resolution.
Clarify prerequisites: explain where the referenced scripts come from (are they part of this skill's repo? need installation?) or provide inline alternatives if scripts don't exist.
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Conciseness | The skill is reasonably well-organized but includes some unnecessary verbosity. The 'Solves' descriptions, the 'Tech Stack Coverage' section (just a list of technologies Claude already knows), and the 'Getting Help' section add little value. The repeated command listings (Tools Overview + Common Commands) are redundant. | 2 / 3 |
Actionability | The commands are concrete and copy-paste ready, but they reference scripts (e.g., `python scripts/architecture_diagram_generator.py`) that presumably need to exist in the project. There's no guidance on how to create or install these scripts. The decision workflows provide useful tables but are more advisory than executable. The example outputs are helpful but the tools themselves are assumed to exist without verification. | 2 / 3 |
Workflow Clarity | The decision workflows (database selection, architecture pattern selection) have clear numbered steps, which is good. However, there are no validation checkpoints or feedback loops—e.g., after generating a diagram, there's no step to verify correctness; after running dependency analysis, there's no 'fix and re-run' loop. The ADR creation step in the database workflow is mentioned but not shown concretely. | 2 / 3 |
Progressive Disclosure | The skill has a clear table of contents, well-organized sections, and a reference documentation table that clearly signals when to load additional files (`references/architecture_patterns.md`, etc.). The references are one level deep and clearly described with trigger phrases. | 3 / 3 |
Total | 9 / 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.
967fe01
Table of Contents
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