Use this skill when designing or reviewing a PostgreSQL-specific schema. Covers best-practices, data types, indexing, constraints, performance patterns, and advanced features
56
62%
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/database-design/skills/postgresql/SKILL.mdQuality
Discovery
67%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 a clear 'Use when' clause and identifies the domain well (PostgreSQL schema design/review), which is a strength. However, it lists topic areas rather than concrete actions, and could benefit from more specific trigger terms and natural keyword variations. The description also uses second person ('Use this skill') rather than third person, though this is a minor issue compared to the lack of concrete action verbs.
Suggestions
Replace category listings with concrete actions, e.g., 'Designs table structures, selects appropriate data types, creates indexes, defines constraints, and optimizes query performance for PostgreSQL schemas.'
Add common keyword variations to improve trigger matching, such as 'Postgres', 'database design', 'table structure', 'DDL', 'CREATE TABLE', 'migrations', or '.sql files'.
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Specificity | The description names the domain (PostgreSQL schema) and lists several areas it covers (data types, indexing, constraints, performance patterns, advanced features), but these are categories rather than concrete actions. It doesn't specify what actions are performed, like 'creates indexes', 'normalizes tables', or 'writes migration scripts'. | 2 / 3 |
Completeness | The description explicitly answers both 'what' (covers best-practices, data types, indexing, constraints, performance patterns, advanced features) and 'when' ('Use this skill when designing or reviewing a PostgreSQL-specific schema'). The 'Use when' clause is present and clear. | 3 / 3 |
Trigger Term Quality | Includes relevant keywords like 'PostgreSQL', 'schema', 'indexing', 'constraints', 'data types', and 'performance'. However, it misses common user variations such as 'Postgres', 'database design', 'table structure', 'DDL', 'CREATE TABLE', 'migrations', or '.sql'. | 2 / 3 |
Distinctiveness Conflict Risk | The PostgreSQL-specific focus helps distinguish it from generic database skills, but terms like 'performance patterns', 'best-practices', and 'advanced features' are broad enough to potentially overlap with general database optimization or SQL query tuning skills. | 2 / 3 |
Total | 9 / 12 Passed |
Implementation
57%Reviews the quality of instructions and guidance provided to agents. Good implementation is clear, handles edge cases, and produces reliable results.
This is a comprehensive PostgreSQL schema design reference with excellent actionability—concrete SQL examples, specific type recommendations, and clear do/don't lists. However, it suffers from being too long and monolithic for a single SKILL.md file, trying to be both a quick reference and an exhaustive guide simultaneously. The content would be significantly more effective split across multiple files with the main skill serving as a concise overview.
Suggestions
Split the content into a concise SKILL.md overview (core rules, gotchas, type selection summary) with references to detailed files like DATA_TYPES.md, INDEXING.md, JSONB.md, and PARTITIONING.md
Add explicit workflow sequences with validation steps for common schema design tasks (e.g., 'Adding a new table' or 'Safe schema migration' workflows with checkpoints)
Trim explanatory content Claude already knows (e.g., basic definitions of B-tree, what UNIQUE constraints do) and focus on PostgreSQL-specific behaviors and gotchas
Consider a 'Decision Tree' or quick-reference table format for data type selection instead of the current prose list, which would be more token-efficient
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Conciseness | The skill is dense and information-rich, but it's quite long (~300+ lines) and includes some explanations Claude likely already knows (e.g., what TOAST is, basic constraint definitions, what B-tree indexes do). Some sections like Data Types are exhaustive to the point of being a reference manual rather than a concise skill. However, most content is genuinely useful PostgreSQL-specific knowledge (gotchas, anti-patterns, specific syntax). | 2 / 3 |
Actionability | The skill provides concrete, executable SQL examples throughout—CREATE TABLE statements, CREATE INDEX syntax, specific operator usage, exact data type recommendations with clear do/don't guidance. The examples section at the end provides copy-paste ready schemas. Specific commands like `ALTER TABLE tbl ALTER COLUMN col SET STORAGE strategy` and constraint syntax are directly usable. | 3 / 3 |
Workflow Clarity | The skill covers many topics but lacks explicit multi-step workflows with validation checkpoints. The 'Safe Schema Evolution' section lists considerations but doesn't provide a sequenced workflow. The 'Insert-Heavy Workloads' section lists steps but without validation gates. For a schema design skill involving potentially destructive DDL operations, the absence of explicit validate-then-proceed patterns is a gap. | 2 / 3 |
Progressive Disclosure | The content is a monolithic wall of text with no references to external files or bundle resources. At ~300+ lines covering data types, indexing, partitioning, JSONB, extensions, and examples, this would benefit significantly from splitting into separate reference files (e.g., DATA_TYPES.md, INDEXING.md, JSONB.md) with the SKILL.md serving as a concise overview with pointers. | 1 / 3 |
Total | 8 / 12 Passed |
Validation
100%Checks the skill against the spec for correct structure and formatting. All validation checks must pass before discovery and implementation can be scored.
Validation — 11 / 11 Passed
Validation for skill structure
No warnings or errors.
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Table of Contents
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