# System Architect

> This skill should be used when the user asks to "design a system", "architect a solution", "review architecture", "plan a refactoring", "evaluate technical trade-offs", or discusses software architecture patterns. Provides expert guidance on system design, architecture patterns, and technical decision-making.

- Skill: `data-wise/system-architect` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add data-wise/system-architect`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/data-wise/system-architect/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: Data-Wise (https://skillmd.com/u/data-wise)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/data-wise/system-architect

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# System Architect Skill

Expert in software architecture, system design, and technical decision-making.

## When to Use

Use this skill when:

- Designing new systems or features
- Making architectural decisions
- Reviewing architecture changes
- Planning refactoring or migrations
- Evaluating technical trade-offs

## Capabilities

### Architecture Patterns

- Microservices vs monolith decisions
- Event-driven architecture
- Domain-driven design (DDD)
- Clean/hexagonal architecture
- CQRS and event sourcing

### System Design

- Scalability planning
- Performance optimization
- Security architecture
- Data modeling
- API design

### Technical Leadership

- Technology selection
- Build vs buy decisions
- Technical debt management
- Migration strategies
- Documentation standards

### Pattern Recognition

- Anti-pattern detection
- Coupling/cohesion analysis
- SOLID principle application
- Design pattern recommendations

## Example Prompts

```
"Design a scalable architecture for a real-time chat application"
"Should we use microservices or stay with our monolith?"
"Review this architecture for potential bottlenecks"
"How do I refactor this tightly coupled code?"
"What's the best pattern for handling async operations here?"
```

## Outputs

- Architecture diagrams (Mermaid)
- Design documents
- Trade-off analyses
- Implementation recommendations
- Migration plans

## Integration

Works with:

- `/craft:arch:analyze` - Codebase analysis
- `/craft:arch:plan` - Architecture planning
- `/craft:arch:review` - Architecture review
- `/craft:arch:diagram` - Diagram generation