starwave-design_skill

Overview

This skill generates a comprehensive feature design document from an approved requirements file. It verifies the feature folder and requirements.md, conducts targeted research, produces specs/{feature_name}/design.md, and enforces decision and review workflows to ensure traceability and testability. The design includes architecture, components, data models, error handling, and a testing strategy including property-based testing where appropriate.

How this skill works

The skill locates specs/{feature_name}/requirements.md and follows any decisions in decision_log.md. If the folder or requirements file is missing it prompts the user to provide the feature name or to run the requirements step first. It performs research (linked in conversation), synthesizes findings into the document, writes specs/{feature_name}/design.md, updates specs/{feature_name}/decision_log.md, and runs automated peer reviews and design-critic tools before asking the user for approval.

When to use it

• You have an approved requirements.md and need a full design doc
• Preparing for implementation or handoff to engineers
• Needing research-driven tradeoffs documented alongside designs
• When acceptance criteria must map to tests and architecture
• Before creating tickets or implementation plans

Best practices

• Ensure requirements.md is complete and stored at specs/{feature_name}/requirements.md before starting
• Keep decision_log.md up to date so design follows prior decisions
• Answer targeted technical questions when prompted to enable focused tradeoffs
• Review and approve design iterations explicitly after each change
• Use the provided testing guidance to align tests with acceptance criteria

Example use cases

• Design a new API endpoint with data model, error handling, and PBT candidates
• Define architecture and component interfaces for a background processing feature
• Translate user-facing feature requirements into developer-facing implementation plans
• Produce a test strategy that identifies when property-based testing improves coverage