Feature Design Assistant
Collaboratively turn a rough feature idea into a validated design and spec before you let the agent rewrite large parts of the codebase.
Overview
Feature Design Assistant is an agent skill most often used in Validate (also Build, Idea) that turns feature ideas into reviewed designs and specs through codebase discovery and structured Q&A.
Install
npx skills add https://github.com/davila7/claude-code-templates --skill feature-design-assistantWhat is this skill?
- Announces use of feature-design-assistant at session start for traceability
- Phase 1 codebase context discovery (structure, patterns, related modules)
- Phase 2 batched AskUserQuestion rounds (up to 4 questions per call)
- Round 1 covers goal type: new functionality, enhancement, bug fix, or refactoring
- Collaborative validation path from idea to fully formed design and spec
- Up to 4 questions per AskUserQuestion batch in Round 1
Adoption & trust: 523 installs on skills.sh; 27.8k GitHub stars; 3/3 security scanners passed (skills.sh audits).
What problem does it solve?
You want a substantial feature but only have a vague idea, so the agent risks building the wrong abstraction on top of unknown conventions.
Who is it for?
Solo founders scoping a new module, extending an existing product surface, or planning a refactor with explicit user and goal clarity.
Skip if: Trivial one-file edits, emergencies needing an immediate hotfix without discovery, or tasks where an approved spec already exists.
When should I use this skill?
Planning new features, designing architecture, or making significant changes to the codebase.
What do I get? / Deliverables
You get a codebase-informed, question-validated design and spec ready to approve before significant implementation work starts.
- Validated feature design document
- Structured requirements from batched Q&A
- Spec aligned to discovered project patterns
Recommended Skills
Journey fit
Spans multiple journey phases - primary shelf plus alternate fits below.
Validate is the canonical shelf because the skill exists to prove and bound a feature before heavy implementation. Scope subphase matches structured requirements gathering, user goals, and design validation rounds.
Where it fits
You explore whether a new capability fits existing modules before committing to Validate.
Round 1 questions nail goal type and primary users for a proposed enhancement.
You lock an architecture spec that respects current patterns discovered in Phase 1.
You compare the approved spec against what shipped to catch scope drift before release.
How it compares
Structured design interview on your repo—not a Figma plugin or automatic code generator.
Common Questions / FAQ
Who is feature-design-assistant for?
Indie builders and small teams using Claude Code-style agents who need a disciplined planning pass before large feature or architecture changes.
When should I use feature-design-assistant?
In Validate when scoping a feature; in Build PM when drafting architecture; in Idea when an opportunity needs concrete requirements before you commit to build.
Is feature-design-assistant safe to install?
It prompts for design data and reads your codebase context; review the Security Audits panel on this page and avoid pasting secrets into questionnaire answers.
SKILL.md
READMESKILL.md - Feature Design Assistant
# Feature Design Assistant Help turn ideas into fully formed designs and specs through structured information gathering and collaborative validation. **Announce at start:** "I'm using the feature-design-assistant skill to design this feature." ## Phase 1: Context Discovery First, explore the codebase to understand: - Project structure and tech stack - Existing patterns and conventions - Related features or modules - Recent changes in relevant areas ## Phase 2: Structured Information Gathering Use **AskUserQuestion** to batch collect information efficiently. Each call can ask up to 4 questions. ### Round 1: Core Requirements (4 questions) ```json { "questions": [ { "question": "What is the primary goal of this feature?", "header": "Goal", "multiSelect": false, "options": [ { "label": "New Functionality", "description": "Add entirely new capability to the system" }, { "label": "Enhancement", "description": "Improve or extend existing feature" }, { "label": "Bug Fix", "description": "Fix incorrect behavior or issue" }, { "label": "Refactoring", "description": "Improve code quality without changing behavior" } ] }, { "question": "Who are the primary users of this feature?", "header": "Users", "multiSelect": true, "options": [ { "label": "End Users", "description": "External customers using the product" }, { "label": "Admins", "description": "Internal administrators or operators" }, { "label": "Developers", "description": "Other developers using APIs or SDKs" }, { "label": "System", "description": "Automated processes or background jobs" } ] }, { "question": "What is the expected scope of this feature?", "header": "Scope", "multiSelect": false, "options": [ { "label": "Small (1-2 days)", "description": "Single component, limited changes" }, { "label": "Medium (3-5 days)", "description": "Multiple components, moderate complexity" }, { "label": "Large (1-2 weeks)", "description": "Cross-cutting concerns, significant changes" }, { "label": "Unsure", "description": "Need to explore further to estimate" } ] }, { "question": "Are there any hard deadlines or constraints?", "header": "Timeline", "multiSelect": false, "options": [ { "label": "Urgent", "description": "Need this ASAP, within days" }, { "label": "This Sprint", "description": "Should be done within current sprint" }, { "label": "Flexible", "description": "No hard deadline, quality over speed" }, { "label": "Planning Only", "description": "Just designing now, implementing later" } ] } ] } ``` ### Round 2: Technical Requirements (4 questions) ```json { "questions": [ { "question": "Which layers of the system will this feature touch?", "header": "Layers", "multiSelect": true, "options": [ { "label": "Data Model", "description": "Database schema, models, migrations" }, { "label": "Business Logic", "description": "Services, domain logic, rules" }, { "label": "API", "description": "REST/GraphQL endpoints, contracts" }, { "label": "UI", "description": "Frontend components, user interface" } ] }, { "question": "What are the key quality requirements?", "header": "Quality", "multiSelect": true, "options": [ { "label": "High Performance", "description": "Must handle high load or be very fast" }, { "label": "Strong Security", "description": "Sensitive data, auth, access control" }, { "label": "High Reliability", "description": "Cannot fail