What problem does it solve?
This Skill streamlines the process of evaluating and selecting external APIs, services, or libraries, saving significant time and effort in feature planning and preventing suboptimal technology choices. It ensures you integrate the right tools for your project.
Core Features & Use Cases
- Automated Option Research: Uses web search to find and compare 3-5 top options for external integrations (e.g., payment gateways, email services, authentication providers).
- User-Guided Selection: Presents a clear comparison of pros, cons, and costs, then gathers user confirmation before proceeding with a recommendation.
- Detailed Implementation Plan: Generates a comprehensive
.claude/plans/[feature-name].md with setup steps, core integration guide, error handling, and a production checklist.
- Use Case: When a user requests "Add payment processing with a free tier," this skill will research Stripe, PayPal, and Square, present a comparison, get user confirmation for Stripe, and then generate a detailed plan for integrating Stripe, including API keys, SDK installation, and webhook setup.
Quick Start
Use the Researching Features skill to find the best email service for transactional emails, prioritizing a free tier and easy integration with a Node.js project.