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Senior Architect

  • 1.2k installs
  • 23.5k repo stars
  • Updated July 17, 2026
  • alirezarezvani/claude-skills

senior-architect provides documented workflows for This skill should be used when the user asks to "design system architecture", "evaluate microservices vs monolith", "create architecture diagrams", "analyze dep

About

The senior-architect skill this skill should be used when the user asks to "design system architecture", "evaluate microservices vs monolith", "create architecture diagrams", "analyze dependencies", "choose a database", "plan for scalability", "make technical decisions", or "review system design". Use for architecture decision records (ADRs), tech stack evaluation, system design reviews, dependency analysis, and generating architecture diagrams in Mermaid, PlantUML, or ASCII format. # Senior Architect Architecture design and analysis tools for making informed technical decisions. ## Table of Contents - [Quick Start](#quick-start) - [Tools Overview](#tools-overview) - [Architecture Diagram Generator](#1-architecture-diagram-generator) - [Dependency Analyzer](#2-dependency-analyzer) - [Project Architect](#3-project-architect) - [Decision Workflows](#decision-workflows) - [Database Selection](#database-selection-workflow) - [Architecture Pattern Selection](#architecture-pattern-selection-workflow) - [Monolith vs Microservices](#monolith-vs-microservices-decision) - [Reference Documentation](#reference-documentation) - [Tech Stack Coverage](#tech-stack-coverage) - [Common Commands](#c.

  • [Quick Start](#quick-start)
  • [Tools Overview](#tools-overview)
  • [Architecture Diagram Generator](#1-architecture-diagram-generator)
  • [Dependency Analyzer](#2-dependency-analyzer)
  • [Project Architect](#3-project-architect)

Senior Architect by the numbers

  • 1,207 all-time installs (skills.sh)
  • +23 installs in the week ending Jul 29, 2026 (Skillselion tracking)
  • Ranked #197 of 1,039 Mobile Development skills by installs in the Skillselion catalog
  • Security screen: LOW risk (skills.sh audit)
  • Data as of Jul 31, 2026 (Skillselion catalog sync)
At a glance

senior-architect capabilities & compatibility

Capabilities
[quick start](#quick start) · [tools overview](#tools overview) · [architecture diagram generator](#1 architecture · [dependency analyzer](#2 dependency analyzer) · [project architect](#3 project architect)
Use cases
documentation
From the docs

What senior-architect says it does

# Senior Architect Architecture design and analysis tools for making informed technical decisions.
SKILL.md
Architecture Diagram Generator Generates architecture diagrams from project structure in multiple formats.
SKILL.md
npx skills add https://github.com/alirezarezvani/claude-skills --skill senior-architect

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Listed on Skillselion
Installs1.2k
repo stars23.5k
Security audit3 / 3 scanners passed
Last updatedJuly 17, 2026
Repositoryalirezarezvani/claude-skills

How do I use senior-architect for the task described in its SKILL.md triggers?

This skill should be used when the user asks to "design system architecture", "evaluate microservices vs monolith", "create architecture diagrams", "analyze dependencies", "choose a database", "plan.

Who is it for?

Teams invoking senior-architect when the user request matches documented triggers and prerequisites.

Skip if: Skip when cached docs are missing, the request is a negative trigger, or another sibling skill owns the workflow.

When should I use this skill?

This skill should be used when the user asks to "design system architecture", "evaluate microservices vs monolith", "create architecture diagrams", "analyze dependencies", "choose a database", "plan for scalability", "ma

What you get

Step-by-step guidance grounded in senior-architect documentation and reference files.

  • architecture pattern comparison
  • trade-off analysis
  • implementation guidance notes

By the numbers

  • Covers 9 software architecture patterns with trade-off guidance

Files

SKILL.mdMarkdownGitHub ↗

Senior Architect

Architecture design and analysis tools for making informed technical decisions.

Table of Contents

---

Quick Start

# Generate architecture diagram from project
python scripts/architecture_diagram_generator.py ./my-project --format mermaid

# Analyze dependencies for issues
python scripts/dependency_analyzer.py ./my-project --output json

# Get architecture assessment
python scripts/project_architect.py ./my-project --verbose

---

Tools Overview

1. Architecture Diagram Generator

Generates architecture diagrams from project structure in multiple formats.

Solves: "I need to visualize my system architecture for documentation or team discussion"

Input: Project directory path Output: Diagram code (Mermaid, PlantUML, or ASCII)

Supported diagram types:

  • component - Shows modules and their relationships
  • layer - Shows architectural layers (presentation, business, data)
  • deployment - Shows deployment topology

Usage:

# Mermaid format (default)
python scripts/architecture_diagram_generator.py ./project --format mermaid --type component

# PlantUML format
python scripts/architecture_diagram_generator.py ./project --format plantuml --type layer

# ASCII format (terminal-friendly)
python scripts/architecture_diagram_generator.py ./project --format ascii

# Save to file
python scripts/architecture_diagram_generator.py ./project -o architecture.md

Example output (Mermaid):

graph TD
    A[API Gateway] --> B[Auth Service]
    A --> C[User Service]
    B --> D[(PostgreSQL)]
    C --> D

---

2. Dependency Analyzer

Analyzes project dependencies for coupling, circular dependencies, and outdated packages.

Solves: "I need to understand my dependency tree and identify potential issues"

Input: Project directory path Output: Analysis report (JSON or human-readable)

Analyzes:

  • Dependency tree (direct and transitive)
  • Circular dependencies between modules
  • Coupling score (0-100)
  • Outdated packages

Supported package managers:

  • npm/yarn (package.json)
  • Python (requirements.txt, pyproject.toml)
  • Go (go.mod)
  • Rust (Cargo.toml)

Usage:

# Human-readable report
python scripts/dependency_analyzer.py ./project

# JSON output for CI/CD integration
python scripts/dependency_analyzer.py ./project --output json

# Check only for circular dependencies
python scripts/dependency_analyzer.py ./project --check circular

# Verbose mode with recommendations
python scripts/dependency_analyzer.py ./project --verbose

Example output:

Dependency Analysis Report
==========================
Total dependencies: 47 (32 direct, 15 transitive)
Coupling score: 72/100 (moderate)

Issues found:
- CIRCULAR: auth → user → permissions → auth
- OUTDATED: lodash 4.17.15 → 4.17.21 (security)

Recommendations:
1. Extract shared interface to break circular dependency
2. Update lodash to fix CVE-2020-8203

---

3. Project Architect

Analyzes project structure and detects architectural patterns, code smells, and improvement opportunities.

Solves: "I want to understand the current architecture and identify areas for improvement"

Input: Project directory path Output: Architecture assessment report

Detects:

  • Architectural patterns (MVC, layered, hexagonal, microservices indicators)
  • Code organization issues (god classes, mixed concerns)
  • Layer violations
  • Missing architectural components

Usage:

# Full assessment
python scripts/project_architect.py ./project

# Verbose with detailed recommendations
python scripts/project_architect.py ./project --verbose

# JSON output
python scripts/project_architect.py ./project --output json

# Check specific aspect
python scripts/project_architect.py ./project --check layers

Example output:

Architecture Assessment
=======================
Detected pattern: Layered Architecture (confidence: 85%)

Structure analysis:
  ✓ controllers/  - Presentation layer detected
  ✓ services/     - Business logic layer detected
  ✓ repositories/ - Data access layer detected
  ⚠ models/       - Mixed domain and DTOs

Issues:
- LARGE FILE: UserService.ts (1,847 lines) - consider splitting
- MIXED CONCERNS: PaymentController contains business logic

Recommendations:
1. Split UserService into focused services
2. Move business logic from controllers to services
3. Separate domain models from DTOs

---

Decision Workflows

Database Selection Workflow

Use when choosing a database for a new project or migrating existing data.

Step 1: Identify data characteristics

CharacteristicPoints to SQLPoints to NoSQL
Structured with relationships
ACID transactions required
Flexible/evolving schema
Document-oriented data
Time-series data✓ (specialized)

Step 2: Evaluate scale requirements

  • <1M records, single region → PostgreSQL or MySQL
  • 1M-100M records, read-heavy → PostgreSQL with read replicas
  • >100M records, global distribution → CockroachDB, Spanner, or DynamoDB
  • High write throughput (>10K/sec) → Cassandra or ScyllaDB

Step 3: Check consistency requirements

  • Strong consistency required → SQL or CockroachDB
  • Eventual consistency acceptable → DynamoDB, Cassandra, MongoDB

Step 4: Document decision Create an ADR (Architecture Decision Record) with:

  • Context and requirements
  • Options considered
  • Decision and rationale
  • Trade-offs accepted

Quick reference:

PostgreSQL → Default choice for most applications
MongoDB    → Document store, flexible schema
Redis      → Caching, sessions, real-time features
DynamoDB   → Serverless, auto-scaling, AWS-native
TimescaleDB → Time-series data with SQL interface

---

Architecture Pattern Selection Workflow

Use when designing a new system or refactoring existing architecture.

Step 1: Assess team and project size

Team SizeRecommended Starting Point
1-3 developersModular monolith
4-10 developersModular monolith or service-oriented
10+ developersConsider microservices

Step 2: Evaluate deployment requirements

  • Single deployment unit acceptable → Monolith
  • Independent scaling needed → Microservices
  • Mixed (some services scale differently) → Hybrid

Step 3: Consider data boundaries

  • Shared database acceptable → Monolith or modular monolith
  • Strict data isolation required → Microservices with separate DBs
  • Event-driven communication fits → Event-sourcing/CQRS

Step 4: Match pattern to requirements

RequirementRecommended Pattern
Rapid MVP developmentModular Monolith
Independent team deploymentMicroservices
Complex domain logicDomain-Driven Design
High read/write ratio differenceCQRS
Audit trail requiredEvent Sourcing
Third-party integrationsHexagonal/Ports & Adapters

See references/architecture_patterns.md for detailed pattern descriptions.

---

Monolith vs Microservices Decision

Choose Monolith when:

  • [ ] Team is small (<10 developers)
  • [ ] Domain boundaries are unclear
  • [ ] Rapid iteration is priority
  • [ ] Operational complexity must be minimized
  • [ ] Shared database is acceptable

Choose Microservices when:

  • [ ] Teams can own services end-to-end
  • [ ] Independent deployment is critical
  • [ ] Different scaling requirements per component
  • [ ] Technology diversity is needed
  • [ ] Domain boundaries are well understood

Hybrid approach: Start with a modular monolith. Extract services only when: 1. A module has significantly different scaling needs 2. A team needs independent deployment 3. Technology constraints require separation

---

Reference Documentation

Load these files for detailed information:

FileContainsLoad when user asks about
references/architecture_patterns.md9 architecture patterns with trade-offs, code examples, and when to use"which pattern?", "microservices vs monolith", "event-driven", "CQRS"
references/system_design_workflows.md6 step-by-step workflows for system design tasks"how to design?", "capacity planning", "API design", "migration"
references/tech_decision_guide.mdDecision matrices for technology choices"which database?", "which framework?", "which cloud?", "which cache?"

---

Tech Stack Coverage

Languages: TypeScript, JavaScript, Python, Go, Swift, Kotlin, Rust Frontend: React, Next.js, Vue, Angular, React Native, Flutter Backend: Node.js, Express, FastAPI, Go, GraphQL, REST Databases: PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, Redis, DynamoDB, Cassandra Infrastructure: Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform, AWS, GCP, Azure CI/CD: GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, CircleCI, Jenkins

---

Common Commands

# Architecture visualization
python scripts/architecture_diagram_generator.py . --format mermaid
python scripts/architecture_diagram_generator.py . --format plantuml
python scripts/architecture_diagram_generator.py . --format ascii

# Dependency analysis
python scripts/dependency_analyzer.py . --verbose
python scripts/dependency_analyzer.py . --check circular
python scripts/dependency_analyzer.py . --output json

# Architecture assessment
python scripts/project_architect.py . --verbose
python scripts/project_architect.py . --check layers
python scripts/project_architect.py . --output json

---

Getting Help

1. Run any script with --help for usage information 2. Check reference documentation for detailed patterns and workflows 3. Use --verbose flag for detailed explanations and recommendations

Related skills

How it compares

Pick senior-architect over framework setup skills when the open question is which structural pattern to adopt, not how to scaffold a chosen stack.

FAQ

What does senior-architect do?

This skill should be used when the user asks to "design system architecture", "evaluate microservices vs monolith", "create architecture diagrams", "analyze dependencies", "choose a database", "plan for scalability", "ma

When should I use senior-architect?

This skill should be used when the user asks to "design system architecture", "evaluate microservices vs monolith", "create architecture diagrams", "analyze dependencies", "choose a database", "plan for scalability", "ma

What are common prerequisites?

--- name: "senior-architect" description: This skill should be used when the user asks to "design system architecture", "evaluate microservices vs monolith", "create architecture diagrams", "analyze dependencies", "choos

Is Senior Architect safe to install?

skills.sh reports 3 of 3 security scanners passed. Review the Security Audits panel on this page before installing in production.

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