senior-backend

Designs and implements backend systems including REST APIs, microservices, database architectures, authentication flows, and security hardening. Use when the user asks to "design REST APIs", "optimize database queries", "implement authentication", "build microservices", "review backend code", "set up GraphQL", "handle database migrations", or "load test APIs". Covers Node.js/Express/Fastify development, PostgreSQL optimization, API security, and backend architecture patterns.

1.29x

Quality

74%

Does it follow best practices?

Impact

84%

1.29x

Average score across 6 eval scenarios

Securityby

Risky

Do not use without reviewing

Optimize this skill with Tessl

npx tessl skill review --optimize ./engineering-team/senior-backend/SKILL.md

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, provides explicit trigger phrases in a 'Use when...' clause, and names concrete technologies. Its main weakness is the breadth of scope—covering REST APIs, microservices, databases, authentication, GraphQL, and load testing—which could create overlap with more specialized skills in a large skill library. The description uses proper third-person voice throughout.

Dimension	Reasoning	Score
Specificity	Lists multiple specific concrete actions: 'REST APIs, microservices, database architectures, authentication flows, security hardening' plus specific technologies like 'Node.js/Express/Fastify, PostgreSQL optimization, API security, backend architecture patterns'.	3 / 3
Completeness	Clearly answers both 'what' (designs and implements backend systems including specific capabilities) and 'when' (explicit 'Use when...' clause with multiple concrete trigger phrases). Both sections are well-developed.	3 / 3
Trigger Term Quality	Excellent coverage of natural terms users would say: 'design REST APIs', 'optimize database queries', 'implement authentication', 'build microservices', 'review backend code', 'set up GraphQL', 'handle database migrations', 'load test APIs'. These are realistic phrases users would naturally use.	3 / 3
Distinctiveness Conflict Risk	While it specifies backend development clearly, terms like 'review backend code' and 'database queries' could overlap with general code review skills or database-specific skills. The scope is broad enough (REST APIs, microservices, databases, auth, GraphQL) that it could conflict with more specialized skills in any of those individual areas.	2 / 3
	Total	11 / 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 moderately well-structured skill that covers a broad backend engineering scope with clear organization and progressive disclosure. Its main weaknesses are reliance on seemingly fictional CLI tools that undermine true actionability, inclusion of basic knowledge Claude already possesses (HTTP status codes, standard response formats), and missing validation checkpoints in some workflows. There's also a syntax error in the Zod example that would break if copy-pasted.

Suggestions

Remove or significantly condense the HTTP status codes table and standard REST response format examples—Claude already knows these patterns well.

Add validation/verification steps to the API Design workflow (e.g., compile check, run tests) and Security Hardening workflow (e.g., verify headers with curl).

Fix the Zod schema syntax error: `name: "zstringmin1max100"` should be `name: z.string().min(1).max(100)`.

Clarify whether the referenced Python scripts (api_scaffolder.py, database_migration_tool.py, api_load_tester.py) are actual project tools or need to be created, and provide installation/setup instructions if they exist.

Dimension	Reasoning	Score
Conciseness	The skill is reasonably well-structured but includes some unnecessary verbosity. The HTTP status codes table, basic REST response formats, and some of the tool output comments describe things Claude already knows well. The document could be significantly tightened—the tools section repeats usage patterns shown in Quick Start, and the common patterns section covers basic knowledge.	2 / 3
Actionability	The skill references specific CLI tools (api_scaffolder.py, database_migration_tool.py, api_load_tester.py) with concrete commands, and provides executable TypeScript/SQL snippets. However, these tools appear to be fictional/custom scripts with no indication they actually exist in the project, making the commands not truly executable. The code examples in the workflows are a mix of real executable code and generated placeholders.	2 / 3
Workflow Clarity	The three workflows (API Design, Database Optimization, Security Hardening) have clear step sequences. The Database Optimization workflow includes a dry-run validation step before applying migrations, which is good. However, the API Design workflow lacks validation checkpoints (no testing step, no verification that generated code compiles), and the Security Hardening workflow has no verification/feedback loop after applying security measures. The Zod schema example also contains a syntax error ('zstringmin1max100' instead of proper Zod chain).	2 / 3
Progressive Disclosure	The skill has a clear structure with Quick Start, Tools Overview, Workflows, Reference Documentation table pointing to separate files, and a Quick Reference section. References are one level deep and clearly signaled with a table describing what each file contains and when to use it.	3 / 3
	Total	9 / 12 Passed

Validation

100%

Warnings & errors only

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.

Repository: alirezarezvani/claude-skills
Commit: 967fe01

Reviewed: 4 days ago

Table of Contents

Discovery Implementation Validation

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