App Builder

--- name: app-builder description: ALWAYS use this when the user mentions any app, website, dashboard, portal, admin panel, internal tool, SaaS product, mobile app, extension, or multi-surface feature, even if they describe it casually as a quick MVP, simple CRUD, or just one page.

App Builder

Selective Reading Rule

Start with:

• references/usage-routing.md
• references/quality-checklist.md

Then load only the inherited docs, scripts, assets, or examples that match the user's actual task.

Selective Reading Rule

Start with:

• references/senior-master-standard.md

Start with the path that matches the job:

• references/delivery-playbook.md to choose the right execution mode
• references/stack-decision-matrix.md when stack selection is part of the problem
• project-detection.md to classify the app request
• tech-stack.md to choose the stack
• scaffolding.md for greenfield structure
• feature-building.md for adding a feature to an existing app
• agent-coordination.md when the task spans multiple domains
• templates/SKILL.md when the fastest safe path is a template-backed scaffold

Purpose

Translate a product request into a buildable application path.

This skill is the bridge between "I want an app that does X" and the concrete design, stack, and execution sequence needed to make that real.

Use This Skill When

• the user is asking to build an app, product surface, or meaningful feature area
• the request spans frontend, backend, data, auth, or deployment concerns
• the team needs help choosing a practical stack for the problem
• a greenfield request needs structure before implementation starts

Core Workflow

1. Classify the request.
   • greenfield app, major feature, extension, or rescue/refactor
2. Clarify the product surface.
   • core users, core actions, must-have features, delivery constraints
3. Choose the minimum effective stack.
   • do not overbuild
4. Route to the right supporting skills.
   • architecture, frontend-design, api-patterns, database-design, deployment-procedures, webapp-testing
5. Decide the execution mode.
   • plan first, scaffold from a template, or extend the existing repo in place
6. Produce the next actionable move.
   • plan, scaffold, or implementation sequence

Greenfield Heuristics

• Use a template only when it clearly reduces setup risk.
• Prefer mainstream, maintainable stacks over novelty.
• Match stack complexity to the first release, not the imagined tenth release.
• Keep auth, payments, search, and background jobs honest about real needs.

Existing-App Heuristics

• Preserve established patterns before introducing new ones.
• Add one coherent slice at a time.
• Let the bottleneck decide the next skill:
  • unclear structure -> architecture
  • UI-heavy -> frontend-design
  • backend-heavy -> api-patterns
  • data-heavy -> database-design

Deliverable Standard

A good app-builder outcome should leave the user with:

• a clear app shape
• a justified stack
• a realistic next-step sequence
• the correct support-skill stack for execution

Related Skills

• workspace-operating-system for overall routing and quality control
• architecture for system design
• plan-writing when the build needs a formal execution plan
• closed-loop-delivery when the goal is to drive a feature to proven completion