tdg-personal/backend-patterns
Backend architecture patterns, API design, database optimization, and server-side best practices for Node.js, Express, and Next.js API routes.
43
43%
Does it follow best practices?
Impact
Pending
No eval scenarios have been run
Passed
No known issues
Quality
Discovery
32%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 identifies a clear domain (backend/server-side development) and names specific technologies, which is helpful for differentiation. However, it reads more like a topic list than an actionable skill description — it lacks concrete actions (verbs) and entirely omits 'when to use' guidance, significantly reducing its effectiveness for skill selection among many options.
Suggestions
Add an explicit 'Use when...' clause, e.g., 'Use when the user asks about building APIs, optimizing database queries, structuring backend services, or working with Node.js/Express/Next.js server-side code.'
Replace category nouns with concrete action phrases, e.g., 'Designs RESTful and GraphQL APIs, optimizes database queries and indexing, structures Express middleware pipelines, and implements Next.js API route handlers.'
Include additional natural trigger terms users might say, such as 'REST', 'endpoint', 'middleware', 'SQL query', 'server performance', 'backend bug', or 'API error'.
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Specificity | Names the domain (backend development) and lists several areas like 'API design', 'database optimization', 'server-side best practices', but these are still fairly high-level categories rather than concrete actions. It doesn't specify what actions are performed (e.g., 'designs RESTful endpoints', 'optimizes SQL queries'). | 2 / 3 |
Completeness | The description answers 'what' at a high level but completely lacks any 'when' guidance — there is no 'Use when...' clause or equivalent explicit trigger guidance. Per the rubric, a missing 'Use when...' clause should cap completeness at 2, and since the 'what' is also somewhat vague, this scores a 1. | 1 / 3 |
Trigger Term Quality | Includes some relevant keywords users might say like 'API design', 'Node.js', 'Express', 'Next.js API routes', 'database optimization', and 'backend'. However, it misses common variations like 'REST', 'GraphQL', 'middleware', 'routing', 'SQL', 'MongoDB', 'server performance', or 'backend endpoint'. | 2 / 3 |
Distinctiveness Conflict Risk | The mention of specific technologies (Node.js, Express, Next.js API routes) helps narrow the scope, but 'backend architecture patterns' and 'API design' are broad enough to overlap with general web development, architecture, or database-focused skills. | 2 / 3 |
Total | 7 / 12 Passed |
Implementation
29%Reviews the quality of instructions and guidance provided to agents. Good implementation is clear, handles edge cases, and produces reliable results.
The skill provides extensive, executable code examples across many backend patterns, demonstrating strong actionability. However, it is severely over-scoped and verbose—it's essentially a backend development textbook covering patterns Claude already knows well (repository, middleware, JWT, rate limiting, logging). The lack of any workflow sequencing, decision guidance, or progressive disclosure makes this a reference dump rather than an effective skill.
Suggestions
Drastically reduce scope to project-specific patterns and conventions Claude wouldn't already know—remove generic patterns like basic RBAC, structured logging, and retry logic that Claude can produce from general knowledge.
Add a decision workflow or flowchart: 'When building a new endpoint, follow these steps: 1. Define route → 2. Add validation → 3. Implement service layer → 4. Add error handling → 5. Verify with tests'—with validation checkpoints.
Split into overview SKILL.md with brief pattern summaries and links to separate files (e.g., CACHING.md, AUTH.md, DATABASE.md) for detailed implementations.
Focus on project-specific conventions: which patterns are required vs optional in this codebase, naming conventions, file structure expectations, and anti-patterns specific to the team's stack.
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Conciseness | This is extremely verbose at ~400+ lines, covering 10+ patterns with full implementations. Much of this is standard knowledge Claude already possesses (repository pattern, middleware, JWT validation, rate limiting, structured logging). The content reads like a textbook rather than a skill that adds novel, project-specific guidance. | 1 / 3 |
Actionability | The code examples are concrete, executable TypeScript with realistic implementations. Every pattern includes copy-paste ready code with clear usage examples, specific to the stated tech stack (Next.js API routes, Supabase, Redis). | 3 / 3 |
Workflow Clarity | There is no sequenced workflow or process. The skill is a catalog of isolated patterns with no guidance on when to apply which pattern, no decision tree, no validation checkpoints, and no ordering of steps for building a backend. The closing line 'Choose patterns that fit your complexity level' is vague. | 1 / 3 |
Progressive Disclosure | This is a monolithic wall of code examples with no references to external files. All 10+ patterns are inlined in a single document. Content like the full Redis caching implementation, rate limiter, job queue, and logger should be in separate reference files with the SKILL.md providing an overview and links. | 1 / 3 |
Total | 6 / 12 Passed |
Validation
81%Checks the skill against the spec for correct structure and formatting. All validation checks must pass before discovery and implementation can be scored.
Validation — 9 / 11 Passed
Validation for skill structure
| Criteria | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|
skill_md_line_count | SKILL.md is long (599 lines); consider splitting into references/ and linking | Warning |
frontmatter_unknown_keys | Unknown frontmatter key(s) found; consider removing or moving to metadata | Warning |
Total | 9 / 11 Passed | |
Reviewed
Table of Contents