nodejs-backend-patterns
Build production-ready Node.js backend services with Express/Fastify, implementing middleware patterns, error handling, authentication, database integration, and API design best practices. Use when creating Node.js servers, REST APIs, GraphQL backends, or microservices architectures.
71
64%
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/javascript-typescript/skills/nodejs-backend-patterns/SKILL.mdQuality
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 communicates both capabilities and trigger conditions. It names specific frameworks, patterns, and use cases, making it easy for Claude to match against user requests. The only weakness is its broad scope, which could create overlap with more specialized skills covering authentication, databases, or API design independently.
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Specificity | Lists multiple specific concrete actions: middleware patterns, error handling, authentication, database integration, and API design best practices, along with specific frameworks (Express/Fastify). | 3 / 3 |
Completeness | Clearly answers both 'what' (build production-ready Node.js backend services with specific patterns and practices) and 'when' (explicit 'Use when creating Node.js servers, REST APIs, GraphQL backends, or microservices architectures'). | 3 / 3 |
Trigger Term Quality | Includes strong natural keywords users would say: 'Node.js', 'Express', 'Fastify', 'REST APIs', 'GraphQL', 'microservices', 'backend', 'servers', 'middleware', 'authentication'. These cover a wide range of terms a user would naturally use. | 3 / 3 |
Distinctiveness Conflict Risk | While it specifies Node.js and particular frameworks, the scope is quite broad (REST APIs, GraphQL, microservices, authentication, database integration) which could overlap with database-specific skills, authentication skills, or general API design skills. The Node.js/Express/Fastify anchoring helps but doesn't fully prevent conflicts. | 2 / 3 |
Total | 11 / 12 Passed |
Implementation
37%Reviews the quality of instructions and guidance provided to agents. Good implementation is clear, handles edge cases, and produces reliable results.
This skill is a comprehensive but excessively verbose reference catalog of Node.js backend patterns. While the code examples are high-quality and executable, the content fails to respect Claude's existing knowledge—full CRUD implementations, obvious best practices, and boilerplate patterns inflate the token cost without proportional value. The lack of any workflow sequencing or validation steps makes it a pattern library rather than an actionable skill guide.
Suggestions
Reduce the content by 60-70%: remove full CRUD boilerplate (controller/service/repository) and replace with a single concise example showing the layered pattern, trusting Claude to extrapolate for other entities.
Remove the 15-item best practices list entirely—these are universally known patterns that waste tokens.
Add a clear workflow section that sequences how to build a new backend service step-by-step (e.g., 1. scaffold project, 2. configure middleware, 3. define routes, 4. add error handling, 5. validate with health check endpoint).
Move the detailed middleware implementations (rate limiting, logging, validation) to a separate reference file and keep only brief signatures/descriptions in the main skill.
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Conciseness | Extremely verbose at ~500+ lines. The full CRUD controller, service, and repository layers are boilerplate that Claude can generate from a brief description. The 15-item best practices list states obvious advice ('Use HTTPS', 'Write tests'). Much of this content explains patterns Claude already knows well. | 1 / 3 |
Actionability | The code examples are fully executable TypeScript with proper imports, type annotations, and realistic implementations. The middleware patterns, error classes, and layered architecture examples are copy-paste ready and include concrete library usage (helmet, cors, zod, pino, ioredis). | 3 / 3 |
Workflow Clarity | There is no sequenced workflow for building a backend service. The content is a reference catalog of patterns with no clear ordering, no validation checkpoints, and no guidance on when to apply which pattern. For a skill involving database operations and authentication setup, the lack of any step-by-step process or verification steps is a significant gap. | 1 / 3 |
Progressive Disclosure | References to 'references/advanced-patterns.md' and the testing skill are good progressive disclosure signals. However, the main file is monolithic with hundreds of lines of inline code that could be split into separate reference files, and the 'When to Use' section and best practices list add bulk without adding value at the top level. | 2 / 3 |
Total | 7 / 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
| Criteria | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|
skill_md_line_count | SKILL.md is long (640 lines); consider splitting into references/ and linking | Warning |
Total | 10 / 11 Passed | |
- Repository
- wshobson/agents
- Commit
27a7ed9
- Reviewed
Table of Contents
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