designer

Generates a structured draft plan from an approved spec.

1|Updated May 3, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/gaabscps/ai-squad --skill designer-gaabscps
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: designer
Source: https://github.com/gaabscps/ai-squad/tree/main/squads/sdd/skills/designer
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/gaabscps/ai-squad --skill designer-gaabscps

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve?

Phase 2 planning in the SDD pipeline often stalls after a spec is approved. This skill automates turning an approved Spec into a structured, review-ready Plan that captures architecture, data model, API surface, UX surface, and risk analysis, while maintaining traceability to acceptance criteria.

Core Features & Use Cases

  • Convert an approved Spec into a coherent Plan (plan.md) with architecture decisions, data models, API contracts, and UX considerations.
  • Auto-populate five risk categories (Security, Performance, Migration / data, Backwards compatibility, Regulatory / compliance) and provide a complete AC coverage map.
  • Attach MADR-style notes for decisions and alternatives, with inline Traceability to AC IDs and a single atomic draft write to .agent-session/<spec_id>/plan.md.

Quick Start

Invoke /designer FEAT-NNN to generate a draft Plan from the current approved Spec, or use /designer FEAT-NNN --rewrite to start over.

Frequently Asked Questions about designer

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I turn an approved spec into an actionable plan?

To turn an approved spec into an actionable plan, you need to generate architecture, data models, and API surfaces. This skill automates that conversion, outputting a structured draft plan that includes UX considerations and risk analysis directly into your session workspace.

How does acceptance criteria traceability work during architecture planning?

Acceptance criteria traceability during architecture planning works by tagging AC coverage maps directly to Plan sections. This ensures every requirement from the approved spec is accounted for in the generated architecture, data model, and API surface decisions.

How do I generate architecture and data model decisions from a spec?

You generate architecture and data model decisions from a spec by invoking the designer command with your feature ID. It applies a template-based approach to produce MADR-style notes for decisions and alternatives, ensuring structured technical documentation.

What risk categories are analyzed when converting a spec to a plan?

When converting a spec to a plan, five risk categories are analyzed: Security, Performance, Migration and data, Backwards compatibility, and Regulatory or compliance. This ensures the generated draft plan is review-ready and addresses critical project vulnerabilities.

Can I rewrite a draft plan if the generated architecture needs changes?

Yes, you can rewrite a draft plan if the generated architecture needs changes by using the rewrite flag. This discards the previous output and starts over, regenerating the architecture, API surface, and risk analysis from the original approved spec.

Does the SDD workflow plan generation require any dependencies?

SDD workflow plan generation does not require external dependencies. It operates natively within the pipeline, applying frontmatter-driven configuration and interactive planning constraints to produce a single atomic draft write to the plan file.