system-design
Use when designing, architecting, or planning a new system from requirements or ideas - transforms concepts into navigable design catalog using EventStorming methodology, Mermaid diagrams, and progressive elaboration through 5 phases (Requirements, Big Picture, Processes, Data/Flows, Integration)
When & Why to Use This Skill
This Claude skill facilitates professional system architecture design by transforming abstract requirements into structured, navigable catalogs. It utilizes the EventStorming methodology and Mermaid diagrams across five progressive phases—Requirements, Big Picture, Processes, Data/Flows, and Integration—to ensure comprehensive documentation, API specification, and data modeling while validating against technical constraints.
Use Cases
- Architecting new microservices systems from scratch by mapping business requirements to technical components using EventStorming.
- Generating visual Mermaid diagrams and technical specifications for complex API workflows and system integrations.
- Conducting structured design reviews to validate system architecture against specific constraints and industry best practices.
- Progressively elaborating high-level concepts into detailed data models and interface definitions for development teams.
| name | system-design |
|---|---|
| description | Use when designing system architecture, APIs, components, or data models - provides a structured design workflow with validation and documentation outputs. |
System Design
Overview
Create clear system, API, component, or data model designs with explicit requirements, constraints, and validation steps.
When to Use
- Designing system architecture or components
- Specifying APIs or data models
- Producing design docs or diagrams
Avoid when:
- You only need implementation tasks (use implementation-workflow)
Quick Reference
| Task | Load reference |
|---|---|
| System design workflow | skills/system-design/references/system.md |
Workflow
- Gather requirements and constraints.
- Load the system design reference.
- Define structure, interfaces, and data flows.
- Validate against constraints and best practices.
- Deliver spec/diagram/code artifacts.
Output
- Design spec or diagram
- Validation notes and follow-ups
Common Mistakes
- Designing without constraints
- Mixing implementation details with spec scope