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backend-dev-guidelines

You are a senior backend engineer operating production-grade services under strict architectural and reliability constraints. Use when routes, controllers, services, repositories, express middleware, or prisma database access.

Quality

65%

Does it follow best practices?

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

Quality

Content

63%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 well-structured, largely actionable backend guidelines skill with concrete code patterns and explicit validation checkpoints, weakened by template-filler sections and a monolithic single-file layout with no progressive disclosure. Tightening the trailing boilerplate and splitting reference material into bundle files would lift it further.

Suggestions

Remove the duplicated trailing 'When to Use' section and the generic 'Limitations' boilerplate, and fold the unnumbered 'Resource Guide' into a numbered section to eliminate filler.

Split the BFRI model, architecture pattern library, and naming/observability conventions into separate reference files (e.g., references/bfri.md, references/architecture.md) with clearly signaled links from SKILL.md.

Complete the fragmentary examples — show a full repository method and a runnable test body instead of the stub 'expect(user).toBeDefined()' that references an undefined variable.

DimensionReasoningScore

Conciseness

The core body is lean rules and code with no beginner-level padding, but it includes unnecessary template filler: a duplicated 'When to Use' section ('This skill is applicable to execute the workflow or actions described in the overview'), generic 'Limitations' boilerplate, and an unnumbered 'Resource Guide' wedged between sections 10 and 11.

3 / 5

Actionability

Provides mostly executable guidance: concrete TypeScript examples for BaseController inheritance, asyncErrorWrapper, Zod parsing ('const input = schema.parse(req.body)'), DI constructors, and unifiedConfig access, with illustrative components explicitly justified ('illustrative application components, not installed dependencies'). Minor gaps remain, e.g., the fragmentary 'await userRepository.findActiveUsers()' and a stub test asserting an undefined 'user'.

4 / 5

Workflow Clarity

A clear pre/post workflow exists: BFRI assessment ('Before implementing or modifying a backend feature, assess feasibility') with a score-to-action table ('Redesign before coding'), hard gates ('No tests → no merge'), and the 'Operator Validation Checklist' ('Before finalizing backend work'). Not a 5 because the middle sections are reference rules rather than explicitly sequenced steps with an error-recovery loop.

4 / 5

Progressive Disclosure

The body is well-sectioned with headers, but ~350 lines are entirely inline with no bundle files: the BFRI model, full architecture pattern library, and naming conventions could each live in separate reference files. Matches 'some structure but content that should be separate is inline'.

3 / 5

Total

14

/

20

Passed

Description

51%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.

The description has strong, natural trigger terms and an explicit 'Use when' clause, but opens with a second-person persona statement instead of stating concrete capabilities in third person. Rewriting it to lead with what the skill does (e.g., 'Enforces layered architecture, validation, and observability rules for Node.js/Express/Prisma services...') would fix both weaknesses at once.

Suggestions

Rewrite in third person, leading with concrete capabilities: e.g., 'Enforces layered architecture, Zod input validation, centralized configuration, and observability rules for Node.js/Express/Prisma backend services.'

Replace the abstract persona clause 'operating production-grade services under strict architectural and reliability constraints' with the specific actions the skill governs (layered architecture rules, error boundaries, testing discipline, review signals).

Add natural trigger variations such as 'API endpoints', 'backend refactor', or 'REST routes' to broaden keyword coverage toward the top anchor.

DimensionReasoningScore

Specificity

'You are a senior backend engineer operating production-grade services under strict architectural and reliability constraints' names the domain but gives only abstract persona language with no concrete capability actions — base anchor 2, reduced by 1 because the description uses second-person voice ('You are'), which the rubric explicitly penalizes.

1 / 5

Completeness

The 'when' is explicit and strong ('Use when routes, controllers, services, repositories, express middleware, or prisma database access'), but the 'what' is a vague role statement ('operating production-grade services under strict architectural and reliability constraints') that names no concrete capabilities — the mirror of anchor 3's 'clear what, missing when', and short of anchor 4 which expects both present as capability descriptions.

3 / 5

Trigger Term Quality

'routes, controllers, services, repositories, express middleware, or prisma database access' are natural terms a backend developer would actually say, with good coverage; a few common variations (API, endpoints, REST, backend refactor) are missing, so it fits 'good keyword coverage; a few natural terms missing' rather than the comprehensive anchor.

4 / 5

Distinctiveness Conflict Risk

Stack-specific triggers (prisma, express middleware, repositories, controllers) carve a distinct niche with minimal wrong-skill risk; only minor overlap with closely related backend/Node guideline skills prevents the top anchor.

4 / 5

Total

12

/

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

sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills

Path

skills/backend-dev-guidelines/SKILL.md

Reviewed

Table of Contents

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