Agent skill · software engineering · cursor
architect
Sketch types, signatures, and module structure before code, then stay in the loop while implementation fills in. Use for /architect, 'architect this', 'design this', or non-trivial work where jumping to code would lock in the wrong shape.
Why this skill is useful
Adds a structured design process with pseudocode and module sketches that fundamentally enhances the AI's ability to architect complex systems.
What it needs
About 3k tokens when loaded. Last updated 2026-08-06. 2,555 stars on the source repository.
What this skill does
Architect Design before implementing. Sketch types, function signatures, class shapes, and module boundaries with not implemented bodies and pseudocode. Synthesize across multiple model perspectives, then fill in code against the chosen sketch. If implementation proves the sketch wrong, throw it out and redesign. Start Open a todolist with one entry per phase before starting. 1. Ground 2. Sketch 3. Agree 4. Implement 5. Scrap Phase A: Ground the problem Build a real mental model of every system the new code touches. Run the how skill over the relevant subsystems. Naming a file isn't grounding. Produce the traced model how prescribes. If the design redefines ownership or layering, also run the why skill on the existing shape so the rationale becomes a constraint, not a guess. Skip Phase A only when the work is genuinely greenfield with no surrounding system to integrate. Phase B: Sketch Run the arena skill with the design-sketch task and the Phase A grounding artifacts. Pass references/runner-prompt.md as each runner's prompt. Each candidate produces a design package shaped per references/rationale-template.md. Take the runners from the architect runners line in the pstack-models.mdc rule, in place of the arena runners line. If the rule or that line is missing, use claude-opus-5-5-xhigh and grok-4.7-xhigh-fast. Alias and rejected entries follow the runner rules in the arena skill's Phase A. Design it twice. Require at least two structurally distinct candidates before synthesis, even when the first looks sufficient. This is the exhaust-the-design-space principle skill made concrete. Whole-shape alternatives, not point fixes inside one shape. Screen every candidate against references/design-red-flags.md before synthesis. Assume the next contributor is an agent that sees only the files it opened, copies the nearest example, and takes the shortest path that compiles. Prefer the design where a change that looks right from one file is right for the whole repo. …
How to use it
Reference it in AdaL, Claude Code, Cursor or any coding agent — nothing to install:
@skills cursor/architect