building-graphql-server
Build production-ready GraphQL servers with schema design, resolvers, and subscriptions. Use when building GraphQL APIs with schemas and resolvers. Trigger with phrases like "build GraphQL API", "create GraphQL server", or "setup GraphQL".
68
62%
Does it follow best practices?
Impact
Pending
No eval scenarios have been run
Passed
No known issues
Optimize this skill with Tessl
npx tessl skill review --optimize ./plugins/api-development/graphql-server-builder/skills/building-graphql-server/SKILL.mdQuality
Discovery
89%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 solid description that clearly identifies its niche (GraphQL server development), provides explicit trigger guidance, and is unlikely to conflict with other skills. Its main weakness is that the capability list could be more comprehensive — 'production-ready' is a vague qualifier, and additional concrete actions (e.g., authentication, error handling, data loaders) would strengthen specificity.
Suggestions
Expand the capability list with more concrete actions such as 'implement data loaders, handle authentication/authorization, configure error handling, set up pagination' to improve specificity.
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Specificity | Names the domain (GraphQL servers) and lists some actions (schema design, resolvers, subscriptions), but 'production-ready' is somewhat vague and the list of concrete actions is limited — it doesn't specify things like middleware, authentication, pagination, or error handling. | 2 / 3 |
Completeness | Clearly answers both 'what' (build GraphQL servers with schema design, resolvers, subscriptions) and 'when' (explicit 'Use when' clause and 'Trigger with phrases' providing concrete trigger guidance). | 3 / 3 |
Trigger Term Quality | Includes natural trigger phrases like 'build GraphQL API', 'create GraphQL server', 'setup GraphQL', plus keywords like 'schemas', 'resolvers', and 'subscriptions' that users would naturally use when requesting this kind of work. | 3 / 3 |
Distinctiveness Conflict Risk | GraphQL is a distinct technology niche with specific terminology (schemas, resolvers, subscriptions) that is unlikely to conflict with REST API skills or general backend development skills. | 3 / 3 |
Total | 11 / 12 Passed |
Implementation
35%Reviews the quality of instructions and guidance provided to agents. Good implementation is clear, handles edge cases, and produces reliable results.
This skill provides a comprehensive outline for building GraphQL servers but fails critically on actionability — it reads more like a project plan or table of contents than an executable skill. The complete absence of code examples is a major weakness for a programming-focused skill. The referenced implementation files that would presumably contain the actual executable guidance don't exist in the bundle, making the skill essentially a high-level description rather than actionable instructions.
Suggestions
Add concrete, executable code examples for at least the core operations: schema definition in SDL, a resolver with DataLoader, and a subscription setup — these should be copy-paste ready, not prose descriptions.
Add explicit validation checkpoints in the workflow, such as 'Verify schema compiles: npx graphql-inspector validate schema.graphql' and 'Run integration tests before proceeding to subscriptions'.
Either provide the referenced bundle files (implementation.md, errors.md, examples.md) or inline the most critical executable content directly in the SKILL.md.
Replace the prose-based examples section with actual code snippets showing a minimal working schema + resolver pair that Claude can adapt.
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Conciseness | The content is reasonably structured but includes some unnecessary verbosity, such as the overview paragraph restating the title and the examples section describing scenarios at a high level without executable code. The prerequisites section lists things Claude would generally know how to determine. | 2 / 3 |
Actionability | Despite covering a complex topic, the skill provides zero executable code examples, no concrete commands, and no copy-paste ready snippets. The instructions are entirely descriptive ('Design the GraphQL schema...', 'Implement resolvers...') and the examples section describes scenarios in prose rather than showing actual code. The real implementation is deferred to a referenced file that doesn't exist in the bundle. | 1 / 3 |
Workflow Clarity | The 9 steps provide a reasonable sequence for building a GraphQL server, but there are no validation checkpoints or feedback loops. Steps like 'Design the GraphQL schema' and 'Implement resolvers' lack verification gates, and there's no explicit 'validate schema compiles' or 'run tests before proceeding' checkpoint between steps. | 2 / 3 |
Progressive Disclosure | The skill references three external files (implementation.md, errors.md, examples.md) which is good structure, but none of these files exist in the bundle. The SKILL.md itself is somewhat long with inline content (error table, examples) that could be better organized, and the references are one level deep but unverifiable. | 2 / 3 |
Total | 7 / 12 Passed |
Validation
81%Checks the skill against the spec for correct structure and formatting. All validation checks must pass before discovery and implementation can be scored.
Validation — 9 / 11 Passed
Validation for skill structure
| Criteria | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|
allowed_tools_field | 'allowed-tools' contains unusual tool name(s) | Warning |
frontmatter_unknown_keys | Unknown frontmatter key(s) found; consider removing or moving to metadata | Warning |
Total | 9 / 11 Passed | |
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