Design a System
Compress the "thinking through how a system should work" loop. The user has an outcome in mind — a product feature, a refactor, an internal workflow, an automation — and needs the system's shape, parts, interfaces, and failure paths worked out before any code or process gets written.
This is the design step. Not implementation. Not component promotion (systemize). Not execution planning (architect-plan-for-dispatch).
Layered Knowledge
This skill uses a three-layer load model. Stay shallow by default; descend only when you need the depth.
| Layer |
What |
Where |
When loaded |
| 0 |
Skill name + description |
frontmatter above |
always in context |
| 1 |
This SKILL.md — phases, rules, chaining |
this file |
on invocation |
| 2 |
Phase playbook, system-class deep dives, anti-patterns, document templates |
references/, templates/ |
only when a phase needs them |
Layer 2 manifest:
references/phase-playbook.md — exact question wording, decomposition rules, contract-review checks per phase.references/system-classes.md — UI / Code / Process / Pipeline-specific vocabulary, flow patterns, and class-typical failure modes.references/anti-patterns.md — failure modes of the design dialog itself.templates/design-document.md — the Phase 5 hand-off artifact skeleton.
Read a Layer 2 file when you enter the phase that depends on it. Do not preload all four.
When to Activate
Manual triggers:
- "Design a system for {X}"
- "Design this system"
- "How should this system work?"
- "Sketch a system for {X}"
- "What should this system look like?"
- "Help me think through {system}"
Auto-detect triggers:
- User describes a non-trivial outcome (product feature, workflow, pipeline) but has not described the parts, interfaces, or data flow.
- User is about to invoke
architect-plan-for-dispatch on a concept that does not yet have a system design.
- User says "I want to build X" and X spans more than one surface (UI + API, frontend + backend, data + logic, multiple people + handoffs).
Do NOT activate when:
- User already has a working action and wants to elevate it (use
systemize).
- User already has a design and wants an execution plan (use
architect-plan-for-dispatch).
- Task is a single function, script, or one-off change.
- User explicitly says "just build it" and the scope is small.
System Classes
| Class |
Examples |
Primary artifacts |
| UI |
App screen, form flow, dashboard, component tree |
Component hierarchy, state model, data-binding map |
| Code architecture |
Service, module layout, library, API surface |
Module map, interface contracts, dependency graph |
| Business process |
Intake workflow, approval flow, review cycle |
Role/responsibility map, handoff sequence, decision tree |
| Automation pipeline |
Scraper + enrich + notify, cron chain, webhook flow |
Stage diagram, trigger/input/output per stage, error paths |
If the class is ambiguous, ask before Phase 0. Once the class is known, load references/system-classes.md for class-specific vocabulary.
Five-Phase Workflow
Each phase has a one-line job here. Detailed prompts and rubrics live in references/phase-playbook.md — load it when you enter the phase.
| Phase |
Job |
Output |
| 0 — Pre-Design Scan |
Read existing systems, skills, prior designs. |
Internal context inventory. |
| 1 — Scope |
Establish outcome, actors, boundary, constraints, success criteria. |
One-paragraph scope statement (confirmed). |
| 2 — Parts |
Decompose the system into the minimum set of named parts. |
Part inventory table. |
| 3 — Interfaces and Flow |
Define input/output/state per part; draw the data and control flow. |
Per-part contracts + ASCII flow diagram. |
| 4 — Failure and Evolution |
Name failure modes, responses, evolution path, redesign triggers. |
Failure-mode table + evolution notes. |
| 5 — Hand-Off |
Produce the design document and offer one next step. |
templates/design-document.md filled in. |
Periodic Table — Sibling and Neighbor Skills
Every skill knows its neighbors. Cite the right one rather than recreating its work.
Upstream (feeds in)
interrogate — ambiguous request gets scoped first.brain-dump capture — a mindspace card with an idea that needs a design before it can be built.- Direct user outcome description.
Downstream (feeds out)
architect-plan-for-dispatch — design becomes a buildable execution plan.devils-advocate — stress-test the design before build.design-doc-review — principal-engineer hardening.systemize — promote one of the parts into a first-class, reusable system component.prompt-architect / prompt-to-skill — build an individual part as a Claude workflow.
Parallel
delegate — decide which parts are full-auto, AI-assisted, or human-owned.decompose — when Phase 2 needs help breaking a part into sub-parts.
Rules
- Scope before parts. Never list parts before the scope paragraph is confirmed. Unclear scope produces noise parts.
- One question at a time. The design dialog follows the
interrogate pattern. Never stack questions.
- Reference, don't rebuild. If a part already exists as a skill, component, service, or process — cite it by name.
- Every part has a contract. No exceptions. "It just works" is not a contract.
- Design for failure explicitly. Phase 4 is not optional. A design without failure modes is a wish.
- Name things precisely. A part's name should tell the reader what it does without needing the description column.
- Keep the part count low. If decomposition exceeds eight parts, challenge whether the scope is too big or whether parts should be merged.
- Defer technology choices. This skill designs the system's shape. Language, framework, database belong in the build plan.
- Produce a document, not a monologue. The hand-off artifact is the value.
- Don't recurse into implementation. If asked "how do I code this?" mid-dialog, park it in Open Questions and continue.
- Stay in Layer 1 unless a phase requires Layer 2. Don't preload references or templates.
Anti-Patterns
Common failure modes of the design dialog itself live in references/anti-patterns.md. Load it during Phase 5 review, or when the user asks "what's wrong with this design?"
1---2name: design-a-system3description: Designs a system from concept to implementation-ready blueprint across four system classes — user interface, code architecture, business process, and automation pipeline. Runs a structured five-phase workflow: scope, identify parts, define interfaces and flow, specify failure and evolution paths, then hand off to a build skill. Use when the user says "design a system for...", "design this system", "how should this system work", "sketch a system for X", "what should this system look like", or when the user is about to build something non-trivial and has described the outcome but not the parts. Sibling to `systemize` (promotes an existing action into a system component) and `architect-plan-for-dispatch` (produces an execution plan once a design exists). This is the thinking step before those.4---56# Design a System78Compress the "thinking through how a system should work" loop. The user has an outcome in mind — a product feature, a refactor, an internal workflow, an automation — and needs the system's shape, parts, interfaces, and failure paths worked out before any code or process gets written.910This is the design step. Not implementation. Not component promotion (`systemize`). Not execution planning (`architect-plan-for-dispatch`).1112## Layered Knowledge1314This skill uses a three-layer load model. Stay shallow by default; descend only when you need the depth.1516| Layer | What | Where | When loaded |17|---|---|---|---|18| 0 | Skill name + description | frontmatter above | always in context |19| 1 | This SKILL.md — phases, rules, chaining | this file | on invocation |20| 2 | Phase playbook, system-class deep dives, anti-patterns, document templates | `references/`, `templates/` | only when a phase needs them |2122**Layer 2 manifest:**2324- `references/phase-playbook.md` — exact question wording, decomposition rules, contract-review checks per phase.25- `references/system-classes.md` — UI / Code / Process / Pipeline-specific vocabulary, flow patterns, and class-typical failure modes.26- `references/anti-patterns.md` — failure modes of the design dialog itself.27- `templates/design-document.md` — the Phase 5 hand-off artifact skeleton.2829Read a Layer 2 file when you enter the phase that depends on it. Do not preload all four.3031## When to Activate3233**Manual triggers:**3435- "Design a system for {X}"36- "Design this system"37- "How should this system work?"38- "Sketch a system for {X}"39- "What should this system look like?"40- "Help me think through {system}"4142**Auto-detect triggers:**4344- User describes a non-trivial outcome (product feature, workflow, pipeline) but has not described the parts, interfaces, or data flow.45- User is about to invoke `architect-plan-for-dispatch` on a concept that does not yet have a system design.46- User says "I want to build X" and X spans more than one surface (UI + API, frontend + backend, data + logic, multiple people + handoffs).4748**Do NOT activate when:**4950- User already has a working action and wants to elevate it (use `systemize`).51- User already has a design and wants an execution plan (use `architect-plan-for-dispatch`).52- Task is a single function, script, or one-off change.53- User explicitly says "just build it" and the scope is small.5455## System Classes5657| Class | Examples | Primary artifacts |58|---|---|---|59| **UI** | App screen, form flow, dashboard, component tree | Component hierarchy, state model, data-binding map |60| **Code architecture** | Service, module layout, library, API surface | Module map, interface contracts, dependency graph |61| **Business process** | Intake workflow, approval flow, review cycle | Role/responsibility map, handoff sequence, decision tree |62| **Automation pipeline** | Scraper + enrich + notify, cron chain, webhook flow | Stage diagram, trigger/input/output per stage, error paths |6364If the class is ambiguous, ask before Phase 0. Once the class is known, load `references/system-classes.md` for class-specific vocabulary.6566## Five-Phase Workflow6768Each phase has a one-line job here. Detailed prompts and rubrics live in `references/phase-playbook.md` — load it when you enter the phase.6970| Phase | Job | Output |71|---|---|---|72| 0 — Pre-Design Scan | Read existing systems, skills, prior designs. | Internal context inventory. |73| 1 — Scope | Establish outcome, actors, boundary, constraints, success criteria. | One-paragraph scope statement (confirmed). |74| 2 — Parts | Decompose the system into the minimum set of named parts. | Part inventory table. |75| 3 — Interfaces and Flow | Define input/output/state per part; draw the data and control flow. | Per-part contracts + ASCII flow diagram. |76| 4 — Failure and Evolution | Name failure modes, responses, evolution path, redesign triggers. | Failure-mode table + evolution notes. |77| 5 — Hand-Off | Produce the design document and offer one next step. | `templates/design-document.md` filled in. |7879## Periodic Table — Sibling and Neighbor Skills8081Every skill knows its neighbors. Cite the right one rather than recreating its work.8283### Upstream (feeds in)8485- `interrogate` — ambiguous request gets scoped first.86- `brain-dump` capture — a mindspace card with an idea that needs a design before it can be built.87- Direct user outcome description.8889### Downstream (feeds out)9091- `architect-plan-for-dispatch` — design becomes a buildable execution plan.92- `devils-advocate` — stress-test the design before build.93- `design-doc-review` — principal-engineer hardening.94- `systemize` — promote one of the parts into a first-class, reusable system component.95- `prompt-architect` / `prompt-to-skill` — build an individual part as a Claude workflow.9697### Parallel9899- `delegate` — decide which parts are full-auto, AI-assisted, or human-owned.100- `decompose` — when Phase 2 needs help breaking a part into sub-parts.101102## Rules1031041. **Scope before parts.** Never list parts before the scope paragraph is confirmed. Unclear scope produces noise parts.1052. **One question at a time.** The design dialog follows the `interrogate` pattern. Never stack questions.1063. **Reference, don't rebuild.** If a part already exists as a skill, component, service, or process — cite it by name.1074. **Every part has a contract.** No exceptions. "It just works" is not a contract.1085. **Design for failure explicitly.** Phase 4 is not optional. A design without failure modes is a wish.1096. **Name things precisely.** A part's name should tell the reader what it does without needing the description column.1107. **Keep the part count low.** If decomposition exceeds eight parts, challenge whether the scope is too big or whether parts should be merged.1118. **Defer technology choices.** This skill designs the system's shape. Language, framework, database belong in the build plan.1129. **Produce a document, not a monologue.** The hand-off artifact is the value.11310. **Don't recurse into implementation.** If asked "how do I code this?" mid-dialog, park it in Open Questions and continue.11411. **Stay in Layer 1 unless a phase requires Layer 2.** Don't preload references or templates.115116## Anti-Patterns117118Common failure modes of the design dialog itself live in `references/anti-patterns.md`. Load it during Phase 5 review, or when the user asks "what's wrong with this design?"
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