Skills Reference
SpecWeave provides 80+ specialized skills that activate automatically based on context or can be invoked directly. Skills are more powerful than commands - they provide domain expertise, best practices, and guided workflows.
Skills = Commands Now
In Claude Code, skills and slash commands execute identically. Use /sw:skill-name to invoke any skill. Skills auto-activate when their keywords are detected in your prompts.
How Skills Work
Invocation methods:
- Auto-activation: Just describe what you need - skills activate based on keywords
- Direct invocation:
/sw:skill-nameor/sw-plugin:skill-name - Chaining: Skills can invoke other skills for complex workflows
Core Skills (Planning & Management)
These skills form the foundation of spec-driven development.
| Skill | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
sw:increment-planner | Plan and create increments with PM/Architect collaboration | Starting any new feature |
sw:pm | Product Manager for specs, user stories, acceptance criteria | Writing requirements |
sw:architect | System architect for technical designs and ADRs | Architecture decisions |
sw:tech-lead | Technical lead for code quality and implementation guidance | Code reviews, refactoring |
sw:role-orchestrator | Multi-agent coordination (PM, Architect, DevOps, QA) | Complex full-stack features |
sw:roadmap-planner | Product roadmap and feature prioritization | Quarterly planning |
sw:spec-generator | Generate spec.md, plan.md, tasks.md from ideas | Converting ideas to specs |
sw:test-aware-planner | Tasks with embedded BDD test plans | Test-first planning |
increment-planner
Purpose: Plan and create SpecWeave increments with PM and Architect collaboration.
/sw:increment-planner "User authentication with JWT"
What it does:
- Detects tech stack automatically
- Runs PM-led spec creation
- Creates plan.md with architecture
- Generates tasks.md with proper AC-IDs
pm
Purpose: Product Manager for spec-driven development.
/sw:pm # Activate PM guidance
Covers:
- User story writing with proper format
- Acceptance criteria with testable AC-IDs
- MVP prioritization (MoSCoW, RICE)
- Requirements refinement
architect
Purpose: System architect for scalable, maintainable designs.
/sw:architect # Get architecture guidance
Covers:
- ADR (Architecture Decision Record) writing
- Microservices vs monolith decisions
- Database schema design
- Technology selection trade-offs
tech-lead
Purpose: Technical lead bridging architecture and implementation.
/sw:tech-lead # Code quality guidance
Covers:
- Code review best practices
- SOLID principles
- Design patterns
- Technical debt management
role-orchestrator
Purpose: Multi-agent orchestration for complex features.
/sw:role-orchestrator "Build SaaS dashboard with payments"
Coordinates:
- PM for requirements
- Architect for design
- DevOps for infrastructure
- QA for testing strategy
- Security for compliance
Execution & Workflow Skills
Control the development workflow from start to finish.
| Skill | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
sw:do | Execute tasks manually | Task-by-task control |
sw:auto | Autonomous execution | Hands-free development |
sw:auto-parallel | Multi-agent parallel execution | Large features with isolation |
sw:auto-status | Check autonomous progress | Monitoring from another session |
sw:cancel-auto | Emergency stop | Only when auto mode needs abort |
sw:progress | Show increment status | Checking completion |
sw:next | Smart workflow transition | Completing and moving on |
sw:done | Close increment | Finishing work |
sw:validate | Rule-based validation | Quick quality check |
sw:qa | AI quality gate | Pre-release assessment |
sw:grill | Implementation auditor | Comprehensive code audit |
auto
Purpose: Autonomous execution that runs for hours.
/sw:auto # Start autonomous execution
Features:
- Continuous loop: Read task → Implement → Test → Fix → Next
- Self-healing: Retries failures up to 3 times
- Living docs sync: Updates documentation automatically
- Proven for 2-3 hour sessions
grill
Purpose: Comprehensive implementation audit using parallel subagents.
/sw:grill # Full project audit
/sw:grill 0007 # Specific increment
/sw:grill src/auth # Specific module
/sw:grill --focus security # Focus on security
Audits:
- Structure and organization
- Code quality and patterns
- Consistency across codebase
- Documentation completeness
- Dependency health
- Test coverage
- Security vulnerabilities
Quality & Testing Skills
Ensure code quality and test coverage.
| Skill | Plugin | Description |
|---|---|---|
sw:qa-lead | core | Comprehensive test strategy and automation |
sw:tdd-orchestrator | core | Master TDD red-green-refactor discipline |
sw:tdd-red | core | Write failing tests first |
sw:tdd-green | core | Minimal implementation to pass |
sw:tdd-refactor | core | Improve code quality |
sw:tdd-cycle | core | Full TDD workflow |
sw:code-reviewer | core | Elite code review with AI techniques |
sw:increment-quality-judge-v2 | core | LLM-as-Judge quality assessment |
unit-testing | sw-testing | Unit test patterns and Vitest |
e2e-testing | sw-testing | Playwright E2E testing |
qa-engineer | sw-testing | Manual QA processes |
qa-lead
Purpose: QA expert for test strategy and automation frameworks.
/sw:qa-lead # Get QA guidance
Covers:
- Test pyramid (unit > integration > E2E)
- Coverage targets (80%+ for critical paths)
- Playwright, Jest, Vitest patterns
- BDD scenarios (Given/When/Then)
tdd-orchestrator
Purpose: Enforce strict TDD discipline.
/sw:tdd-orchestrator # Start TDD workflow
Workflow:
- RED: Write failing test first
- GREEN: Minimal code to pass
- REFACTOR: Improve without changing behavior
code-reviewer
Purpose: AI-assisted code review.
/sw:code-reviewer # Review recent changes
Checks:
- OWASP security vulnerabilities
- Performance anti-patterns
- Code quality metrics
- Technical debt assessment
Frontend Skills
Build modern web applications with best practices.
| Skill | Plugin | Description |
|---|---|---|
frontend | sw-frontend | General frontend development |
frontend-architect | sw-frontend | React/Vue/Angular architecture |
frontend-design | sw-frontend | UI/UX implementation |
design-system-architect | sw-frontend | Component library design |
nextjs | sw-frontend | Next.js App Router patterns |
code-explorer | sw-frontend | Codebase navigation |
frontend-architect
Purpose: Frontend architecture for React, Vue, or Angular.
/sw-frontend:frontend-architect # Frontend architecture guidance
Covers:
- Component composition patterns
- State management (Redux, Zustand, Pinia)
- Performance optimization
- Accessibility (a11y) requirements
nextjs
Purpose: Next.js 14+ App Router patterns.
/sw-frontend:nextjs # Next.js guidance
Covers:
- Server Components vs Client Components
- Route handlers and middleware
- Data fetching patterns
- Image and font optimization
Backend Skills
Build scalable APIs and services.
| Skill | Plugin | Description |
|---|---|---|
nodejs-backend | sw-backend | Node.js/Express/Fastify APIs |
python-backend | sw-backend | Python/FastAPI/Django services |
dotnet-backend | sw-backend | .NET Core APIs |
database-optimizer | sw-backend | SQL and NoSQL optimization |
nodejs-backend
Purpose: Node.js backend development.
/sw-backend:nodejs-backend # Node.js guidance
Covers:
- Express/Fastify patterns
- Middleware architecture
- Error handling
- Authentication (JWT, sessions)
database-optimizer
Purpose: Database performance and design.
/sw-backend:database-optimizer # DB optimization
Covers:
- Query optimization
- Index strategies
- Connection pooling
- PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB patterns
Infrastructure & DevOps Skills
Deploy and operate at scale.
| Skill | Plugin | Description |
|---|---|---|
devops | sw-infrastructure | CI/CD pipelines and deployment |
observability | sw-infrastructure | Logging, metrics, tracing |
infrastructure | core | Terraform and cloud IaC |
k8s-manifest-generator | sw-kubernetes | Kubernetes manifests |
k8s-security-policies | sw-kubernetes | Pod security and RBAC |
helm-chart-scaffolding | sw-kubernetes | Helm chart creation |
gitops-workflow | sw-kubernetes | ArgoCD/Flux workflows |
devops
Purpose: CI/CD and deployment automation.
/sw-infrastructure:devops # DevOps guidance
Covers:
- GitHub Actions, GitLab CI
- Docker containerization
- Vercel, Cloudflare deployment
- Blue-green, canary deployments
k8s-manifest-generator
Purpose: Generate Kubernetes manifests.
/sw-kubernetes:k8s-manifest-generator # K8s manifests
Generates:
- Deployments, Services, Ingress
- ConfigMaps, Secrets
- HPA, PDB for resilience
- Network policies
External Sync Skills
Integrate with GitHub, JIRA, and Azure DevOps.
| Skill | Plugin | Description |
|---|---|---|
github-sync | sw-github | Bidirectional GitHub sync |
github-multi-project | sw-github | Multi-repo GitHub coordination |
github-issue-tracker | sw-github | Issue management |
github-issue-standard | sw-github | Issue formatting standards |
jira-sync | sw-jira | Bidirectional JIRA sync |
jira-mapper | sw-jira | Field mapping configuration |
jira-resource-validator | sw-jira | Validate JIRA resources |
ado-sync | sw-ado | Azure DevOps sync |
ado-multi-project | sw-ado | Multi-project ADO coordination |
ado-mapper | sw-ado | ADO field mapping |
github-sync
Purpose: Two-way sync between SpecWeave and GitHub Issues.
/sw-github:sync 0007 # Sync increment 0007 to GitHub
Maps:
- Feature → GitHub Milestone
- User Story → GitHub Issue
- Task → Issue checkbox
jira-sync
Purpose: Bidirectional JIRA integration.
/sw-jira:sync 0007 # Sync to JIRA
Maps:
- Feature → JIRA Epic
- User Story → JIRA Story
- Task → JIRA Sub-task
Data & Streaming Skills
Build event-driven architectures.
| Skill | Plugin | Description |
|---|---|---|
kafka-architect | sw-kafka | Kafka architecture design |
kafka-ops | sw-kafka | Kafka operations and monitoring |
kafka-streams-topology | sw-kafka-streams | Stream processing topologies |
confluent-kafka-connect | sw-confluent | Kafka Connect configuration |
confluent-schema-registry | sw-confluent | Avro/Protobuf schemas |
confluent-ksqldb | sw-confluent | ksqlDB streaming queries |
kafka-architect
Purpose: Kafka event-driven architecture.
/sw-kafka:kafka-architect # Kafka architecture guidance
Covers:
- Topic design and partitioning
- Producer/consumer patterns
- Exactly-once semantics
- Schema evolution
ML & AI Skills
Build machine learning systems.
| Skill | Plugin | Description |
|---|---|---|
ml-specialist | sw-ml | ML model development |
ml-engineer | sw-ml | ML pipeline engineering |
mlops-engineer | sw-ml | MLOps and model deployment |
data-scientist | sw-ml | Data analysis and experimentation |
image-generation | core | AI image generation (Pollinations.ai) |
ml-specialist
Purpose: Machine learning model development.
/sw-ml:ml-specialist # ML guidance
Covers:
- Model selection
- Feature engineering
- Training pipelines
- Model evaluation metrics
image-generation
Purpose: Generate images using AI (free, no API key).
/sw:image-generation "hero image for SaaS landing page"
Generates:
- Hero images
- Icons and logos
- Product mockups
- Illustrations
Mobile Skills
Build cross-platform mobile apps.
| Skill | Plugin | Description |
|---|---|---|
mobile-architect | sw-mobile | Mobile architecture patterns |
react-native-expert | sw-mobile | React Native development |
react-native-expert
Purpose: React Native cross-platform development.
/sw-mobile:react-native-expert # React Native guidance
Covers:
- Expo vs bare workflow
- Navigation patterns
- Native module integration
- Performance optimization
Security & Compliance Skills
Build secure, compliant systems.
| Skill | Plugin | Description |
|---|---|---|
security | core | Security assessment and hardening |
security-patterns | core | Real-time security pattern detection |
compliance-architecture | core | SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR compliance |
pci-compliance | sw-payments | PCI-DSS for payments |
security
Purpose: Security vulnerability assessment.
/sw:security # Security guidance
Covers:
- OWASP Top 10
- Authentication/authorization flaws
- Injection vulnerabilities
- Security headers
compliance-architecture
Purpose: Enterprise compliance for regulated industries.
/sw:compliance-architecture # Compliance guidance
Covers:
- SOC 2 Type II controls
- HIPAA for healthcare
- GDPR for EU data
- PCI-DSS for payments
Payments Skills
Build payment systems.
| Skill | Plugin | Description |
|---|---|---|
payments | sw-payments | Payment integration patterns |
billing-automation | sw-payments | Subscription and billing |
pci-compliance | sw-payments | PCI-DSS compliance |
payments
Purpose: Payment gateway integration.
/sw-payments:payments # Payment guidance
Covers:
- Stripe integration
- Webhook handling
- Idempotency patterns
- Refund workflows
Documentation Skills
Create and maintain documentation.
| Skill | Plugin | Description |
|---|---|---|
docs-writer | core | Technical documentation |
docs-updater | core | Living docs synchronization |
living-docs | core | Living documentation management |
living-docs-navigator | core | Navigate project docs |
technical-writing | sw-docs | Technical writing best practices |
stakeholder-docs | sw-docs | Non-technical documentation |
docusaurus | sw-docs | Docusaurus site management |
preview | sw-docs | Documentation preview |
spec-driven-brainstorming | sw-docs | Structured ideation |
docs-writer
Purpose: Technical documentation generation.
/sw:docs-writer # Generate documentation
Creates:
- API documentation
- README files
- User guides
- Developer onboarding
docusaurus
Purpose: Docusaurus documentation site.
/sw-docs:docusaurus # Docusaurus guidance
Covers:
- MDX components
- Sidebar configuration
- Versioning
- Search integration
Cost Optimization Skills
Optimize cloud spending.
| Skill | Plugin | Description |
|---|---|---|
cost-optimization | sw-cost-optimizer | General cost reduction |
aws-cost-expert | sw-cost-optimizer | AWS cost analysis |
cloud-pricing | sw-cost-optimizer | Multi-cloud pricing comparison |
cost-optimization
Purpose: Cloud cost reduction strategies.
/sw-cost-optimizer:cost-optimization # Cost analysis
Covers:
- Right-sizing instances
- Reserved capacity planning
- Spot instance strategies
- Storage tier optimization
Utility Skills
General-purpose development utilities.
| Skill | Plugin | Description |
|---|---|---|
code-simplifier | core | Code clarity improvement |
reflect | core | Learning from corrections |
translator | core | Content translation |
context-loader | core | Context efficiency |
detector | core | SpecWeave workflow detection |
lsp | core | Code navigation (find refs, go to def) |
brownfield-analyzer | core | Existing project analysis |
brownfield-onboarder | core | Project migration |
framework | core | SpecWeave framework guide |
service-connect | core | External service connection |
code-simplifier
Purpose: Improve code clarity without changing behavior.
/sw:code-simplifier # Simplify recent changes
Does:
- Removes unnecessary complexity
- Improves variable naming
- Extracts functions appropriately
- Never changes functionality
lsp
Purpose: Code navigation (LSP workaround for Claude Code v2.1.0+).
/sw:lsp refs MyFunction # Find references
/sw:lsp def MyClass # Go to definition
/sw:lsp hover file.ts 42 10 # Type info at position
Release & Versioning Skills
Manage releases and versions.
| Skill | Plugin | Description |
|---|---|---|
release-coordinator | sw-release | Release process orchestration |
version-aligner | sw-release | Monorepo version alignment |
release-coordinator
Purpose: Coordinate release processes.
/sw-release:release-coordinator # Release guidance
Covers:
- Semantic versioning
- Changelog generation
- Release notes
- Rollback procedures
Diagrams & Visualization Skills
Create technical diagrams.
| Skill | Plugin | Description |
|---|---|---|
diagrams-architect | sw-diagrams | Architecture diagram design |
diagrams-generator | sw-diagrams | Diagram code generation |
diagrams-generator
Purpose: Generate Mermaid/PlantUML diagrams.
/sw-diagrams:diagrams-generator # Create diagrams
Creates:
- Architecture diagrams
- Sequence diagrams
- Entity relationship diagrams
- Flow charts
Workflow Automation Skills
Automate with n8n.
| Skill | Plugin | Description |
|---|---|---|
n8n-kafka-workflows | sw-n8n | Kafka + n8n automation |
n8n-kafka-workflows
Purpose: Event-driven workflow automation.
/sw-n8n:n8n-kafka-workflows # n8n + Kafka workflows
Creates:
- Kafka trigger nodes
- Event processing workflows
- Webhook integrations
Installing Domain Plugins
Skills are loaded from plugins. The core sw plugin is always installed. Domain plugins install automatically based on your tech stack, or manually:
# Install domain plugins
claude plugin install sw-frontend@specweave
claude plugin install sw-backend@specweave
claude plugin install sw-infrastructure@specweave
claude plugin install sw-testing@specweave
claude plugin install sw-github@specweave
claude plugin install sw-jira@specweave
claude plugin install sw-ado@specweave
claude plugin install sw-kafka@specweave
claude plugin install sw-ml@specweave
claude plugin install sw-mobile@specweave
claude plugin install sw-payments@specweave
claude plugin install sw-kubernetes@specweave
claude plugin install sw-cost-optimizer@specweave
claude plugin install sw-docs@specweave
claude plugin install sw-diagrams@specweave
claude plugin install sw-release@specweave
Next Steps
- Commands Reference - Execution-focused command guide
- Quick Start - Get started in 5 minutes
- Auto Mode Deep Dive - Autonomous execution details