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backend-architect

Expert backend architect specializing in scalable API design, microservices architecture, and distributed systems.

22

Quality

11%

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

Quality

Content

0%Scale 1-3

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

This skill is an encyclopedic catalog of backend architecture concepts rather than an actionable instruction set. It massively over-explains topics Claude already knows (OAuth, REST, caching patterns, etc.) while providing zero concrete examples, templates, or executable guidance. The content would benefit from being reduced by 80%+ and replaced with specific, actionable templates and decision frameworks.

Suggestions

Remove the massive 'Capabilities' taxonomy entirely — Claude already knows what OAuth, Redis, Kafka, etc. are. Replace with a concise decision framework (e.g., 'When to use REST vs gRPC vs GraphQL' with specific criteria).

Add concrete, executable examples: a sample OpenAPI contract, a Mermaid architecture diagram template, a specific circuit breaker implementation pattern, or a sample API design review checklist.

Replace the vague 4-step Instructions with a detailed workflow including validation checkpoints, e.g., 'After defining service boundaries, verify: each service owns its data, no circular dependencies exist, communication patterns are documented.'

Extract the reference material (tool lists, pattern catalogs, framework comparisons) into separate bundle files and keep SKILL.md as a concise overview with clear pointers to those references.

DimensionReasoningScore

Conciseness

Extremely verbose and encyclopedic. The vast majority of content is listing concepts, tools, and patterns that Claude already knows well (e.g., what OAuth 2.0 is, what Redis is, what REST means). The massive bullet-point taxonomy of capabilities adds hundreds of lines of zero-value content. This reads like a knowledge base dump, not a skill instruction.

1 / 3

Actionability

Contains no concrete code examples, no executable commands, no specific API contract templates, no sample schemas, and no copy-paste-ready artifacts. The 'Instructions' section is four vague bullet points. The 'Response Approach' is a generic 10-step checklist with no concrete guidance on how to actually perform any step. Everything describes rather than instructs.

1 / 3

Workflow Clarity

The 4-step 'Instructions' workflow is extremely vague ('Capture domain context', 'Define service boundaries') with no validation checkpoints, no decision criteria, no feedback loops, and no concrete outputs at each step. The 10-step 'Response Approach' is similarly abstract. For an architecture skill involving multi-step design processes, there are no verification steps or error recovery guidance.

1 / 3

Progressive Disclosure

The content is a monolithic wall of text with 400+ lines of inline bullet lists that could be split into reference files. There are no external file references, no bundle files, and no layered structure. Everything from basic capability lists to behavioral traits to output examples is crammed into a single file with no navigation aids.

1 / 3

Total

4

/

12

Passed

Description

22%Scale 1-3

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 description reads as a persona statement rather than a functional skill description. It lacks concrete actions (what it does), has no explicit trigger guidance (when to use it), and uses first/third-person role framing ('Expert backend architect') instead of describing capabilities. The domain keywords provide some value but are insufficient to make this an effective skill selector.

Suggestions

Replace the persona framing with concrete action verbs describing what the skill does, e.g., 'Designs REST/GraphQL APIs, architects microservices, plans service decomposition, and reviews distributed system patterns.'

Add an explicit 'Use when...' clause with trigger scenarios, e.g., 'Use when the user asks about API design, service-to-service communication, scaling backend systems, or microservices decomposition.'

Include common natural language variations users might say, such as 'REST API', 'GraphQL', 'service mesh', 'event-driven architecture', 'load balancing', 'database sharding', '.proto files'.

DimensionReasoningScore

Specificity

The description uses vague, abstract language like 'specializing in' and 'scalable API design' without listing any concrete actions. It describes a persona rather than specific capabilities (no verbs like 'designs', 'builds', 'reviews').

1 / 3

Completeness

The 'what' is vague (no concrete actions listed) and there is no 'when' clause at all. There is no 'Use when...' or equivalent guidance for when Claude should select this skill.

1 / 3

Trigger Term Quality

Contains some relevant domain keywords like 'API design', 'microservices architecture', and 'distributed systems' that users might mention, but lacks common variations and practical trigger terms like 'REST', 'endpoints', 'service mesh', 'load balancing', etc.

2 / 3

Distinctiveness Conflict Risk

The terms 'API design', 'microservices', and 'distributed systems' provide some domain specificity, but 'backend architect' is broad enough to overlap with many development-related skills, and without concrete actions it's hard to distinguish from general backend development skills.

2 / 3

Total

6

/

12

Passed

Validation

90%

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

Validation — 10 / 11 Passed

Validation for skill structure

CriteriaDescriptionResult

frontmatter_unknown_keys

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

Warning

Total

10

/

11

Passed

Repository
popey/claude-code-skills
Reviewed

Table of Contents

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