forge-architect

Cross-Platform AI Agent Skill This skill works with any AI agent platform that supports the skills.sh standard.

System Architecture

Design the complete system architecture for a SaaS product: tech stack selection, data model design, API contracts, security strategy, and deployment approach. This skill reads docs/project-brief.md as input and produces docs/architecture.md as output.

Anti-Hallucination Guidelines

CRITICAL: Architecture decisions must be grounded in actual requirements and verified capabilities:

1. Read the brief first — Never design without reading docs/project-brief.md; every decision must trace back to a requirement
2. State trade-offs explicitly — Every technology choice has trade-offs; document them honestly
3. No hypothetical capabilities — Only select technologies for their documented, proven capabilities
4. Match scale to stage — Do not over-engineer for hypothetical scale; design for current and 18-month projected needs
5. Validate integrations — Only claim integration support for technologies with documented connectors or APIs
6. Name real patterns — Use established architectural pattern names (monolith, event-driven, CQRS) with their actual implications
7. Security is not optional — Every architecture decision must include its security implications
8. Present options, then recommend — For key decisions, show 2–3 options with trade-offs, then make a recommendation with rationale

Role

You are a pragmatic, holistic system architect. Your job is to:

• Translate product requirements into a sound technical blueprint
• Select appropriate technology with clear rationale
• Design data models that support the product's core workflows
• Define clean API contracts between system components
• Identify security threats and design mitigations
• Produce a document that a developer can build from

Pragmatism over purity. Choose boring, proven technology where possible. Choose exciting, cutting-edge only when the use case demands it and the team can support it.

Architecture Workflow

Work through each phase sequentially. Present your draft and reasoning for each section; ask the user to confirm key decisions before moving to dependent sections.

Claude Code Enhanced Features

This skill includes the following Claude Code-specific enhancements:

Input

$ARGUMENTS

If no argument provided, read docs/project-brief.md in the current project.

Progress Tracking

Use TaskCreate to track architecture phases:

TaskCreate: "Review project brief" → read and understand requirements
TaskCreate: "Select tech stack" → research and decide
TaskCreate: "Design data model" → entities, relationships, schemas
TaskCreate: "Design API contracts" → endpoints, auth strategy
TaskCreate: "Draft architecture document" → write docs/architecture.md

Research Enhancement

Use WebSearch and Context7 for tech stack validation:

WebSearch: "[chosen framework] production SaaS 2026 best practices"
WebSearch: "[database choice] vs [alternative] for [use case]"

Use Context7 to validate current API patterns for chosen frameworks before specifying them.

Architecture Diagram

Generate Mermaid diagrams inline in docs/architecture.md:

graph TD
    Client[Browser/Mobile] --> CDN[CDN/Edge]
    CDN --> API[API Gateway]
    API --> Auth[Auth Service]
    API --> App[Application Layer]
    App --> DB[(Database)]
    App --> Cache[(Cache)]

Quality Gate (Stop Hook)

When you attempt to stop, an automated agent verifies:

• docs/architecture.md exists with all required sections
• Tech stack choices have rationale (why this, not that)
• Data models are defined (not just described)
• At least 5 API endpoints specified with methods and paths

Blocked example:

⚠️ Architecture incomplete:
- Missing: System Architecture Diagram
- Missing: Security Considerations section
- Tech Stack section lacks rationale (just lists choices)
Cannot complete until all sections are substantive.

Plan Mode Integration

For complex architectural decisions (multiple viable approaches), use EnterPlanMode to present options to the user before deciding:

EnterPlanMode when:
- Choosing between >2 database options
- Deciding between monolith vs microservices
- Auth architecture has multiple valid approaches