Agent skill · product strategy · yonatangross
scope-appropriate-architecture
Classifies a project into 6 tiers to right-size its architecture and prevent over-engineering. Use when choosing patterns for a project's scope.
Why this skill is useful
Provides a structured framework for selecting appropriate architectural patterns based on project scope, which the AI wouldn't reliably generate on its own.
What it needs
About 4k tokens when loaded. Last updated 2026-08-06. 215 stars on the source repository.
What this skill does
Scope-Appropriate Architecture Right-size every architectural decision to the project's actual needs. Not every project needs hexagonal architecture, CQRS, or microservices. Core principle: Detect the project tier first, then constrain all downstream pattern choices to that tier's complexity ceiling. --- The 6 Project Tiers Tier LOC Ratio Architecture DB Auth Tests ------ ----------- ------------- ----- ------ ------- 1. Interview/Take-home 1.0-1.3x Flat files, no layers SQLite / JSON None or basic 8-15 focused 2. Hackathon/Prototype 0.8-1.0x Single file if possible SQLite / in-memory None Zero 3. Startup/MVP 1.0-1.5x MVC monolith Managed Postgres Clerk/Supabase Auth Happy path + critical 4. Growth-stage 1.5-2.0x Modular monolith Postgres + Redis Auth service Unit + integration 5. Enterprise 2.0-3.0x Hexagonal/DDD Postgres + queues OAuth2/SAML Full pyramid 6. Open Source 1.2-1.8x Minimal API surface Configurable Optional Exhaustive public API LOC Ratio = total lines / core business logic lines. Higher ratio = more infrastructure code relative to business value. --- Auto-Detection Signals Signal Tier Indicator -------- --------------- README contains "take-home", "assignment", "interview" Tier 1 Time limit mentioned (e.g., "4 hours", "weekend") Tier 1-2 < 10 files, no CI, no Docker Tier 1-2 .github/workflows/ present Tier 3+ package.json with 20+ dependencies Tier 3+ Kubernetes/Terraform files present Tier 4-5 CONTRIBUTING.md, CODEOFCONDUCT.md Tier 6 Monorepo with packages/ or apps/ Tier 4-5 When confidence is low: Ask the user with AskUserQuestion. …
How to use it
Reference it in AdaL, Claude Code, Cursor or any coding agent — nothing to install:
@skills yonatangross/scope-appropriate-architecture