This skill defines the operational loops that implementer agents follow when making code changes and writing tests. Each loop has explicit entry criteria, exit criteria, and escalation rules. If you are an agent, follow these loops exactly.

API Gateway patterns for routing, authentication, rate limiting, and service composition in microservices architectures. Use when implementing API gateways, building BFF layers, or managing service-to-service communication at scale.

Flip, remove, or exaggerate assumptions to unlock new solution angles.

Task tracking system for agents via Backlog.md CLI. Use when creating deferred issues during implementation, filing audit findings, working assigned tasks, or managing project work. Optimized for agent workflows: structured issue filing, priority/labeling system, and task completion tracking.

Build system optimization covering compilation, caching, incremental builds, and developer tooling. Use when improving build times, configuring CI pipelines, or designing developer tools.

Use codanna MCP tools for semantic code search, call graphs, and impact analysis before grep/find.

Use when assessing or improving code quality, maintainability, performance, or security hygiene - provides workflows for analysis, code review, and systematic improvements with validation steps.

Score concepts on impact/delight/effort and pick a 1-day spike.

Structured disagreement protocols to strengthen proposals through systematic challenge and alternative generation.

Drives the cortex skills recommend-feedback-rate loop. Use when a context change occurs (new file types, domain shift, task pivot) or when a task completes and skill effectiveness should be recorded.

CQRS and Event Sourcing patterns for scalable, auditable systems with separated read/write models. Use when building audit-required systems, implementing temporal queries, or designing high-scale applications with complex domain logic.

Database schema design patterns and optimization strategies for relational and NoSQL databases. Use when designing database schemas, optimizing query performance, or implementing data persistence layers at scale.

Build scalable design systems with design tokens, component APIs, and documentation. Use when creating or evolving component libraries.

Use when running builds, executing tests, or improving developer experience workflows - provides structured guidance for build/test execution and DX improvement.

Use when estimating time, effort, or complexity for features or projects - provides structured estimation workflows with breakdowns, risks, and confidence intervals.

Evaluate documentation information architecture: navigation paths, discoverability, progressive disclosure, cross-linking, and mental model alignment. This skill should be used when restructuring docs, adding new sections, or when users report difficulty finding information.

Validate that claims in documentation match codebase reality. Extracts verifiable assertions (file paths, commands, function references, behavioral claims, dependencies) from markdown docs and checks them against the actual project. Use after code changes, before releases, or when docs feel untrustworthy.

Orchestrate a full documentation health audit across five dimensions: structural health, semantic accuracy, topic completeness, prose quality, and information architecture. Runs each phase in dependency order with phase gating. This skill should be used for pre-release audits, periodic health checks, or comprehensive documentation assessments.

Systematic documentation audit and maintenance. This skill should be used when documentation may be stale, missing, or misorganized — after feature work, refactors, dependency upgrades, or as a periodic health check. It prescribes folder structure for docs/ and manual/, dispatches haiku subagents for codebase/doc scanning, and routes doc creation to specialized agents (reference-builder, technical-writer, learning-guide) with docs-architect as quality gate.

Iterative refinement workflow for polishing code, documentation, or designs through systematic evaluation and improvement cycles. Use when refining drafts into production-grade quality.