Skills Reference

Skills are knowledge files loaded on-demand when Claude detects they're relevant. They encode domain expertise: patterns, conventions, examples, anti-patterns.

How Skills Work

Skills are not commands — they don't require invocation. Claude loads them automatically when the task context matches. You can also reference them explicitly:

Use the clarc-way skill to understand the development methodology.
Load the postgres-patterns skill for this query optimization.

Skill Categories

Methodology

Skill	What it covers
`clarc-way`	The clarc Way — full development methodology, skip matrix, pipeline
`debugging-workflow`	Systematic debugging — reproduce, isolate, hypothesize, verify
`tdd-workflow`	Test-Driven Development — RED/GREEN/IMPROVE cycle
`search-first`	Research-before-coding — find existing solutions first
`subagent-context-retrieval`	Progressive context loading for large codebases

Language Patterns

Skill	Languages
`typescript-patterns`	TypeScript strict mode, utility types, module patterns
`typescript-patterns-advanced`	Mapped types, conditional types, template literals
`python-patterns`	PEP 8, idiomatic Python, async patterns
`python-patterns-advanced`	Metaclasses, descriptors, protocol-based design
`go-patterns`	Idiomatic Go, error handling, interface design
`go-patterns-advanced`	Generics, concurrency patterns, testing
`swift-patterns`	Value types, protocols, Combine
`swift-patterns-advanced`	Macros, result builders, advanced concurrency
`rust-patterns`	Ownership, error handling, traits
`java-patterns`	Spring Boot, DI, hexagonal architecture
`kotlin-patterns`	Coroutines, null safety, sealed classes
`ruby-patterns`	Rails idioms, ActiveRecord, RSpec
`elixir-patterns`	GenServer, Supervisors, OTP design
`cpp-patterns`	C++20, RAII, smart pointers
`php-patterns`	PHP 8.4+, PSR-12, readonly classes

Architecture

Skill	What it covers
`hexagonal-typescript`	Ports & adapters in TypeScript
`hexagonal-java`	Hexagonal architecture in Java/Spring
`ddd-typescript`	Domain-Driven Design in TypeScript
`ddd-java`	DDD in Java
`strategic-ddd`	Bounded contexts, context mapping
`cqrs-event-sourcing`	CQRS patterns, event stores
`api-design`	REST API design, versioning, RFC 7807 errors
`api-contract`	Contract-first API design with OpenAPI
`graphql-patterns`	Schema design, resolvers, subscriptions
`grpc-patterns`	Protocol Buffers, streaming, service mesh

Infrastructure & DevOps

Skill	What it covers
`kubernetes-patterns`	Pods, Services, operators, health checks
`docker-patterns`	Multi-stage builds, compose, networking
`terraform-patterns`	IaC patterns, modules, state management
`ci-cd-patterns`	GitHub Actions, deployment strategies
`serverless-patterns`	Lambda, cold starts, event-driven
`edge-patterns`	Edge functions, CDN, distributed state
`gitops-patterns` (via skill)	ArgoCD, Flux, progressive delivery

Data

Skill	What it covers
`postgres-patterns`	Query optimization, indexes, RLS, Supabase
`database-migrations`	Schema evolution, rollback, zero-downtime
`nosql-patterns`	MongoDB, DynamoDB, Redis data modeling
`duckdb-patterns`	Embedded analytics, OLAP queries
`data-engineering`	Pipelines, transformations, quality
`caching-patterns`	Cache invalidation, TTL strategies, Redis

Visual Design

Skill	What it covers
`visual-identity`	Brand color palette, logo brief, brand voice, mood board, guidelines
`typography-design`	Typeface selection, pairing rules, modular scale, line-height, rendering
`color-theory`	Harmony rules, color psychology, dark mode strategy, OKLCH, colorblind patterns
`icon-system`	Icon library selection, SVG tokens, SVGO, sprite sheets, accessibility
`illustration-style`	Style brief writing, SVG techniques, character sheets, AI-assisted illustration
`design-system`	Design tokens, component layers (Primitive→Composite→Pattern), theming, Storybook
`figma-to-code`	Figma Variables → Style Dictionary → CSS/Tailwind sync pipeline
`design-ops`	Figma organization, handoff workflow, design QA, token sync CI, governance
`css-architecture`	Tailwind conventions, CSS Modules, fluid typography, container queries
`wireframing`	Fidelity levels, ASCII wireframes, user flow diagrams, IA mapping, annotations
`ux-micro-patterns`	Empty states, loading states, error states, progressive disclosure
`dashboard-design`	KPI hierarchy, filter patterns, drill-down, real-time updates
`motion-animation`	CSS transitions, Framer Motion, prefers-reduced-motion
`data-visualization`	Chart type selection, D3.js, accessible charts, colorblind-safe palettes
`accessibility`	WCAG 2.2, semantic HTML, ARIA, keyboard navigation, screen reader testing
`accessibility-patterns`	Focus management, skip links, dialog patterns, automated testing
`marketing-design`	OG images, social card specs, HTML email templates, banner dimensions
`generative-ai-design`	AI image prompting (Midjourney/DALL-E/Flux), style consistency, post-processing
`visual-testing`	Visual regression: Chromatic/Percy/Playwright, baseline management
`presentation-design`	Presentation narrative, slide density, opening/closing, slide types
`liquid-glass-design`	iOS 26 Liquid Glass — SwiftUI/UIKit/WidgetKit

Testing

Skill	What it covers
`tdd-workflow`	TDD cycle, test isolation, mocking
`e2e-testing`	Playwright, test journeys, flaky test handling
`contract-testing`	Pact, consumer-driven contracts
`load-testing`	k6, Locust, performance thresholds
`visual-testing`	Visual regression, screenshot diffs

Security

Skill	What it covers
`auth-patterns`	OAuth, JWT, session management
`gdpr-privacy`	PII handling, consent, RTBF, DPA
`supply-chain-security`	SBOM, SLSA, provenance, pinned deps
`security-review`	OWASP checklist, threat modeling

AI/ML

Skill	What it covers
`llm-app-patterns`	Prompt engineering, structured output, RAG
`rag-patterns`	Retrieval-Augmented Generation
`eval-harness`	LLM evaluation frameworks
`cost-aware-llm-pipeline`	Token optimization, caching, model selection
`prompt-engineering`	System prompts, few-shot, chain-of-thought

Finding Skills

/find-skill <topic>

Examples:

/find-skill postgres
/find-skill react native
/find-skill authentication