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Architect — Design Before Code

A design-first workflow that sketches types, signatures and module boundaries before implementation, and keeps the sketch honest while code fills it in.

Dev & CodingAdvanced★ 1,816⑂ 195AI score 8/10Last updated: Oct 11, 2026

What it does

Triggers on /architect, "architect this", "design this", or any non-trivial work where jumping straight to code would lock in the wrong shape.

  • Phase A – Ground: run the how (and why) skills to build a traced mental model of every subsystem the new code touches. Skipped only for true greenfield work.
  • Phase B – Sketch: run the arena skill with a design-sketch task, requiring at least two structurally distinct candidates, screened against references/design-red-flags.md, then synthesized into one design package with a rationale.
  • Phase C – Agree (opt-in): by default it goes straight to implementation; it only pauses for sign-off when you explicitly ask for a checkpoint.
  • Phase D – Implement: replace not implemented bodies and pseudocode with real logic; deviations from the sketch must be surfaced and reconciled with the saved contracts, never silently absorbed.
  • Phase E – Scrap: when a pattern of friction appears (repeated workarounds, special-case branches, any/casts to compile, callers needing internal rules), throw the sketch away and redesign from first principles with a smaller shape.

Who it's for

  • Developers who want the model to stop producing code first on large changes and refactors.
  • Teams burned by agents copying the nearest example and eroding architecture.
  • Existing users of the pstack plugin suite (arena, how, why, interrogate).

Examples

  1. Redesign a payments layer: "/architect redesign the payment processing layer" → trace current call paths → two structurally different candidates → synthesized design plus rationale → type/signature scaffold commit.
  2. With a human checkpoint: "/architect with checkpoint — show me before implementing" → presents the synthesized design and waits for sign-off.
  3. Scrapping mid-build: a third special-case branch plus an as any cast appear during implementation → recognized as a Phase E signal → re-ground and redesign smaller.

· · · Install guide · · ·

Try it now, no install

Paste this into Claude to use the skill without installing anything.

Read the instructions in this file and follow them to help me:
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/michael-denyer/pstack-claude/HEAD/plugins/pstack/skills/architect/SKILL.md

What I want: (describe your task here)

If Claude can't open the link, open it yourself and paste the contents instead.

↓ If it works for you, download the ZIP below and install it. Then it runs on its own — no pasting each time.

Install in the Claude app (no terminal)
  1. Download the ZIP with the button below.
  2. In Claude, open Settings → Capabilities and turn on 'Code execution and file creation'. (one time)
  3. Go to Customize → Skills → + → 'Upload a skill' and upload the ZIP.
↓ Download ZIP
Install in Claude Code

Let Claude do it — paste this into Claude Code

Install the skill I found on Claude Skill Mart.
Copy the plugins/pstack/skills/architect folder from the GitHub repo michael-denyer/pstack-claude into my ~/.claude/skills/architect/.
When it's done, tell me in one line what this skill can do.

Install with a command instead

git clone https://github.com/michael-denyer/pstack-claude.git && mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && cp -r pstack-claude/plugins/pstack/skills/* ~/.claude/skills/

⚠ This is a third-party skill. Check the source repository before installing.

  1. Open a terminal.
  2. Clone the repo: git clone https://github.com/michael-denyer/pstack-claude.git
  3. Create the skills directory: mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills
  4. Copy all pstack skills (architect alone won't work — it depends on arena, how, why and reference files): cp -r pstack-claude/plugins/pstack/skills/* ~/.claude/skills/
  5. Optionally run /setup-pstack as described in the repo to generate the pstack-models.md override sheet; without it the defaults opus, fable, sonnet, haiku are used.
  6. Restart Claude Code and try /architect or "design this before coding" to confirm it loads.
View source on GitHub ↗License: MIT