How do I install the Architecture Design skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add kumaran-is/architecture-design in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

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Is Architecture Design free to use?

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Who published Architecture Design?

kumaran-is (@kumaran-is) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Architecture Design by kumaran-is — Agent Skill

Name: Architecture Design
Author: kumaran-is

Architecture Design

Full-stack system architecture skill for designing C4 diagrams, API contracts, sequence diagrams, deployment topologies, and ADRs. Use when designing new systems, choosing tech stacks, defining service boundaries, or producing architecture documentation before implementation starts.

kumaran-is ee3a123 6 files · 32.0 KB Updated Sep 17, 2026

File contents

Iron Law: Never start implementation without an approved architecture plan; always produce API contracts and sequence diagrams before code.

Architecture Design Skill

Design system architecture, API contracts, deployment topologies, and technology decisions for full-stack applications.

Supported Design Artifacts:

System context diagrams (C4 model, Mermaid)
Sequence diagrams (service interactions)
API contracts (OpenAPI 3.x)
Deployment topologies (Docker Compose)
Architecture Decision Records (ADRs)

Process:

Analyze Request
- Identify which artifacts the user needs
- Determine scope: single service, multi-service, full system
Load Templates
- Read reference/architecture-templates.md for diagram and deployment templates
- For detailed ADR workflows: delegate to the architecture-decision-records skill
- For full OpenAPI spec generation: delegate to the openapi-spec-generation skill
Generate Artifacts
- Use loaded templates as starting points
- Adapt to the project's tech stack (Spring Boot, Node.js, Angular, Flutter, PostgreSQL, Firebase)
- Follow conventions from CLAUDE.md (package structure, naming, reactive patterns)
Present and Iterate
- Show generated artifacts with explanations
- Offer refinement options (add services, change patterns, adjust topology)

Documentation Sources

Before making architecture decisions, consult these sources:

Source	URL / Tool	Purpose
Docker	`https://docs.docker.com/llms.txt`	Container config, Compose, multi-stage builds
MCP Protocol	`https://modelcontextprotocol.io/llms-full.txt`	MCP integration architecture and patterns
All libraries	`Context7` MCP	Latest API references for any technology

Error Handling

Unclear artifact type: Ask user to specify (diagram, API contract, deployment, ADR).

Ambiguous tech stack: Default to project conventions in CLAUDE.md or ask for clarification if multiple options exist.

Reference Files

File	When to Load
reference/architecture-templates.md	Always — diagram and deployment templates
reference/context-discovery.md	Before recommending any architecture — gather scale, team, timeline context first
reference/pattern-selection.md	When choosing between architectural patterns — decision trees per concern
reference/implementation-patterns.md	When implementing Clean Architecture or Hexagonal Architecture — Python examples
reference/cloud-service-mapping.md	GCP-primary cross-cloud service equivalents

Load order for new system design:

context-discovery.md — classify the project (MVP / SaaS / Enterprise)
pattern-selection.md — choose the right pattern for the complexity
architecture-templates.md — generate diagrams and deployment topology
implementation-patterns.md — if Clean Arch or Hexagonal is chosen

---name: architecture-designdescription: Full-stack system architecture skill for designing C4 diagrams, API contracts, sequence diagrams, deployment topologies, and ADRs. Use when designing new systems, choosing tech stacks, defining service boundaries, or producing architecture documentation before implementation starts.---**Iron Law:** Never start implementation without an approved architecture plan; always produce API contracts and sequence diagrams before code.# Architecture Design SkillDesign system architecture, API contracts, deployment topologies, and technology decisions for full-stack applications.**Supported Design Artifacts:**- System context diagrams (C4 model, Mermaid)- Sequence diagrams (service interactions)- API contracts (OpenAPI 3.x)- Deployment topologies (Docker Compose)- Architecture Decision Records (ADRs)**Process:**1. **Analyze Request** - Identify which artifacts the user needs - Determine scope: single service, multi-service, full system2. **Load Templates** - Read [reference/architecture-templates.md](reference/architecture-templates.md) for diagram and deployment templates - For detailed ADR workflows: delegate to the `architecture-decision-records` skill - For full OpenAPI spec generation: delegate to the `openapi-spec-generation` skill3. **Generate Artifacts** - Use loaded templates as starting points - Adapt to the project's tech stack (Spring Boot, Node.js, Angular, Flutter, PostgreSQL, Firebase) - Follow conventions from CLAUDE.md (package structure, naming, reactive patterns)4. **Present and Iterate** - Show generated artifacts with explanations - Offer refinement options (add services, change patterns, adjust topology)## Documentation SourcesBefore making architecture decisions, consult these sources:| Source | URL / Tool | Purpose ||--------|-----------|---------|| Docker | `https://docs.docker.com/llms.txt` | Container config, Compose, multi-stage builds || MCP Protocol | `https://modelcontextprotocol.io/llms-full.txt` | MCP integration architecture and patterns || All libraries | `Context7` MCP | Latest API references for any technology |## Error Handling**Unclear artifact type**: Ask user to specify (diagram, API contract, deployment, ADR).**Ambiguous tech stack**: Default to project conventions in CLAUDE.md or ask for clarification if multiple options exist.## Reference Files| File | When to Load ||------|-------------|| [reference/architecture-templates.md](reference/architecture-templates.md) | Always — diagram and deployment templates || [reference/context-discovery.md](reference/context-discovery.md) | Before recommending any architecture — gather scale, team, timeline context first || [reference/pattern-selection.md](reference/pattern-selection.md) | When choosing between architectural patterns — decision trees per concern || [reference/implementation-patterns.md](reference/implementation-patterns.md) | When implementing Clean Architecture or Hexagonal Architecture — Python examples || [reference/cloud-service-mapping.md](reference/cloud-service-mapping.md) | GCP-primary cross-cloud service equivalents |**Load order for new system design:**1. `context-discovery.md` — classify the project (MVP / SaaS / Enterprise)2. `pattern-selection.md` — choose the right pattern for the complexity3. `architecture-templates.md` — generate diagrams and deployment topology4. `implementation-patterns.md` — if Clean Arch or Hexagonal is chosen

Frequently asked questions