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.
56
64%
Does it follow best practices?
Impact
—
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 document that reads more like a tutorial than a skill file. While the code examples are high-quality and executable, the content massively over-explains patterns Claude already knows (CRUD operations, layered architecture, basic middleware). It lacks any workflow sequencing for actually building a backend service and the referenced bundle files don't exist.
Suggestions
Reduce content by 60-70%: remove full CRUD boilerplate and focus only on non-obvious patterns, project-specific conventions, or opinionated decisions that Claude wouldn't default to on its own.
Add a clear workflow section that sequences project setup steps (e.g., 1. Initialize project → 2. Configure middleware → 3. Set up error handling → 4. Add routes → 5. Validate with health check endpoint).
Create the referenced 'references/advanced-patterns.md' bundle file and move the remaining detailed code examples there, keeping SKILL.md as a concise overview with key patterns only.
Replace the 15-item best practices list with a short checklist of non-obvious, actionable items that Claude might miss, removing generic advice like 'Use TypeScript' and 'Write tests'.
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Conciseness | Extremely verbose at ~500+ lines. Includes full CRUD controller, service, and repository implementations that Claude already knows how to write. The layered architecture code examples are boilerplate that don't add novel knowledge. The 15-item best practices list is generic advice Claude already possesses. | 1 / 3 |
Actionability | The code examples are fully executable TypeScript with proper imports, type annotations, and realistic patterns. The middleware examples (auth, validation, rate limiting, logging) and error handling classes are copy-paste ready with concrete implementations. | 3 / 3 |
Workflow Clarity | There is no sequenced workflow for building a backend service. The skill presents isolated code snippets organized by category but never describes a step-by-step process for setting up a project, no validation checkpoints, and no guidance on order of operations. For a skill involving database operations and authentication setup, this lack of workflow is a significant gap. | 1 / 3 |
Progressive Disclosure | References to 'references/advanced-patterns.md' and 'javascript-testing-patterns' skill are well-signaled, but no bundle files are provided, so those references are broken. The main file itself is monolithic with hundreds of lines of inline code that could have been split into reference files, while the sections that were deferred (database, auth, caching) feel arbitrarily chosen. | 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
34632bc
- Reviewed
Table of Contents
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