Skills Reference
SpecWeave provides 100+ 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.
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 | 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: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 |
sw:brainstorm | Multi-perspective ideation with cognitive lenses | Exploring approaches before committing |
brainstorm
Purpose: Explore a problem from multiple angles before committing to an implementation path. Uses Tree of Thought divergent exploration with selectable cognitive lenses.
/sw:brainstorm "real-time notifications" # Standard depth
/sw:brainstorm "auth system" --depth deep # All 5 phases + deepening
/sw:brainstorm "payment gateway" --lens six-hats # Specific lens
/sw:brainstorm "API design" --depth quick # Fast 3-approach comparison
5-Phase Flow:
- Frame — Problem statement, starbursting (5W1H), clarifying questions
- Diverge — Generate 4-6 approaches via selected cognitive lens
- Evaluate — Comparison matrix with scoring and explicit recommendation
- Deepen (deep only) — Abstraction laddering, analogies, pre-mortem analysis
- Output — Save persistent brainstorm doc, offer handoff to
/sw:increment
Depth Modes:
quick— 3 inline approaches, skip lenses (Phase 1+3)standard— Default lens, 4-6 approaches (Phase 1-3+5)deep— Multiple lenses via parallel subagents, all 5 phases
Cognitive Lenses:
default— Independent parallel generation (conservative, bold, speed, extensibility)six-hats— Six Thinking Hats (facts, feelings, caution, optimism, creativity, process)scamper— SCAMPER transformations (substitute, combine, adapt, modify, repurpose, eliminate, reverse)triz— Constraint inversion (negate core assumptions)adjacent— Adjacent Possible (what recently became feasible)
Additional features:
--resume— Pick up a previous brainstorm session--criteria— Custom evaluation criteria (e.g.,brand-fit,audience-reach,cost)- TRIZ lens includes 13 inventive principles adapted for software
- Adjacent Possible lens uses live web search to ground ideas in reality
Output: Persistent brainstorm document at .specweave/docs/brainstorms/YYYY-MM-DD-topic.md with idea tree for revisiting later.
Full guide: Brainstorming with Cognitive Lenses
increment
Purpose: Plan and create SpecWeave increments with PM and Architect collaboration.
/sw:increment "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
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: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 | testing | Unit test patterns and Vitest |
e2e-testing | testing | Playwright E2E testing |
qa-engineer | testing | Manual QA processes |
qa-engineer (testing plugin)
Purpose: QA expert for test strategy and automation frameworks.
/testing:qa # Get QA guidance
Covers:
- Test pyramid (unit > integration > E2E)
- Coverage targets (80%+ for critical paths)
- Playwright, Jest, Vitest patterns
- BDD scenarios (Given/When/Then)
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 | frontend | General frontend development |
frontend-architect | frontend | React/Vue/Angular architecture |
frontend-design | frontend | UI/UX implementation |
design-system-architect | frontend | Component library design |
nextjs | frontend | Next.js App Router patterns |
code-explorer | frontend | Codebase navigation |
frontend-architect
Purpose: Frontend architecture for React, Vue, or Angular.
/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.
/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 | backend | Node.js/Express/Fastify APIs |
python-backend | backend | Python/FastAPI/Django services |
dotnet-backend | backend | .NET Core APIs |
database-optimizer | backend | SQL and NoSQL optimization |
nodejs-backend
Purpose: Node.js backend development.
/backend:nodejs # Node.js guidance
Covers:
- Express/Fastify patterns
- Middleware architecture
- Error handling
- Authentication (JWT, sessions)
database-optimizer
Purpose: Database performance and design.
/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 | infra | CI/CD pipelines and deployment |
observability | infra | Logging, metrics, tracing |
infrastructure | core | Terraform and cloud IaC |
k8s-manifest-generator | k8s | Kubernetes manifests |
k8s-security-policies | k8s | Pod security and RBAC |
helm-chart-scaffolding | k8s | Helm chart creation |
gitops-workflow | k8s | ArgoCD/Flux workflows |
devops
Purpose: CI/CD and deployment automation.
/infra:devops # DevOps guidance
Covers:
- GitHub Actions, GitLab CI
- Docker containerization
- Vercel, Cloudflare deployment
- Blue-green, canary deployments
k8s-manifest-generator
Purpose: Generate Kubernetes manifests.
/k8s:deployment-generate # 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 | kafka | Kafka architecture design |
kafka-ops | kafka | Kafka operations and monitoring |
kafka-streams-topology | kafka | Stream processing topologies |
confluent-kafka-connect | confluent | Kafka Connect configuration |
confluent-schema-registry | confluent | Avro/Protobuf schemas |
confluent-ksqldb | confluent | ksqlDB streaming queries |
kafka-architect
Purpose: Kafka event-driven architecture.
/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 | ml | ML model development |
ml-engineer | ml | ML pipeline engineering |
mlops-engineer | ml | MLOps and model deployment |
data-scientist | ml | Data analysis and experimentation |
image | sw-media | AI image generation (Google Imagen 4 / Pollinations.ai) |
video | sw-media | AI video generation (Google Veo 3.1 / Pollinations.ai) |
remotion | sw-media | Programmatic video from React with Remotion |
ml-specialist
Purpose: Machine learning model development.
/ml:engineer # ML guidance
Covers:
- Model selection
- Feature engineering
- Training pipelines
- Model evaluation metrics
image (sw-media)
Purpose: Generate images using AI. Google Imagen 4 (with GEMINI_API_KEY) or Pollinations.ai (free fallback).
/sw-media:image "hero image for SaaS landing page"
Generates:
- Hero images
- Icons and logos
- Product mockups
video (sw-media)
Purpose: Generate videos using AI. Google Veo 3.1 (with GEMINI_API_KEY) or Pollinations.ai (free fallback).
/sw-media:video "product demo showing the dashboard in action"
remotion (sw-media)
Purpose: Create programmatic videos with Remotion (React components rendered to MP4).
/sw-media:remotion "animated product launch video with logo reveal"
- Illustrations
Mobile Skills
Build cross-platform mobile apps.
| Skill | Plugin | Description |
|---|---|---|
react-native-expert | mobile | Mobile architecture and React Native development |
react-native-expert
Purpose: React Native cross-platform development.
/mobile:react-native # 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 | 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 | payments | Payment integration patterns |
billing-automation | payments | Subscription and billing |
pci-compliance | payments | PCI-DSS compliance |
payments
Purpose: Payment gateway integration.
/payments:payment-core # 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 | docs | Technical writing best practices |
docusaurus | docs | Docusaurus site management |
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.
/docs:docusaurus # Docusaurus guidance
Covers:
- MDX components
- Sidebar configuration
- Versioning
- Search integration
Cost Optimization Skills
Optimize cloud spending.
| Skill | Plugin | Description |
|---|---|---|
cost-optimization | cost | General cost reduction |
aws-cost-expert | cost | AWS cost analysis |
cloud-pricing | cost | Multi-cloud pricing comparison |
cost-optimization
Purpose: Cloud cost reduction strategies.
/cost: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-expert | sw-release | Release orchestration and version alignment |
release-expert
Purpose: Full release orchestration, version alignment, and coordination.
/sw-release:release-expert # Release guidance
Covers:
- Semantic versioning and version alignment
- Multi-repo release coordination and waves
- RC lifecycle management
- Changelog generation and rollback procedures
Diagrams & Visualization Skills
Create technical diagrams.
| Skill | Plugin | Description |
|---|---|---|
diagrams | sw-diagrams | Architecture diagram design and generation |
diagrams
Purpose: Create and generate Mermaid/C4 diagrams.
/sw-diagrams:diagrams # Create diagrams
Creates:
- C4 architecture diagrams (Context, Container, Component)
- Sequence diagrams
- Entity relationship diagrams
- Deployment diagrams
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 (from vskill marketplace)
vskill install --repo anton-abyzov/vskill --plugin frontend
vskill install --repo anton-abyzov/vskill --plugin backend
vskill install --repo anton-abyzov/vskill --plugin infra
vskill install --repo anton-abyzov/vskill --plugin testing
vskill install --repo anton-abyzov/vskill --plugin kafka
vskill install --repo anton-abyzov/vskill --plugin ml
vskill install --repo anton-abyzov/vskill --plugin mobile
vskill install --repo anton-abyzov/vskill --plugin payments
vskill install --repo anton-abyzov/vskill --plugin k8s
vskill install --repo anton-abyzov/vskill --plugin cost
vskill install --repo anton-abyzov/vskill --plugin docs
# Install integration plugins (from specweave marketplace)
vskill add specweave --plugin sw-github
vskill add specweave --plugin sw-jira
vskill add specweave --plugin sw-ado
vskill add specweave --plugin sw-diagrams
vskill add specweave --plugin sw-release
Next Steps
- Commands Reference - Execution-focused command guide
- Quick Start - Get started in 5 minutes
- Auto Mode Deep Dive - Autonomous execution details