About design-doc
A skill for creating concise technical design documents from a brief and relevant references. It records design choices and tradeoffs, then stops for human confirmation before specification or implementation.
Key features
- 01Review briefs and linked references
- 02Ask about design-changing unknowns
- 03Write a one-to-three-page design document
- 04Capture alternatives, tradeoffs, and risks
- 05Stop for human confirmation
Use cases
- 01Document a proposed technical design
- 02Compare design options and tradeoffs
- 03Prepare a design for review before implementation
Install
Copy the command and run it in a terminal.
$
npx skills add https:/ / github.com/ owainlewis/ blueprint --skill design-docAfter installing, type/design-docin Claude Code to confirm it loaded.
Details
From the project READMEDesign Doc
- Read the brief and any linked docs, code, or plans. Ask one question at a time, with a recommended answer, only when a missing fact would change the design.
- Write
docs/<design-slug>/design.md, 1-3 pages, using the template below. Omit sections that do not apply. - Stop after writing. Do not continue into spec, plan, or implementation until the human confirms.
Rules
- Make the design choice and its tradeoffs easy to review.
- Focus on decisions code will not explain later.
- Do not copy full schemas, APIs, or code unless the exact shape is central.
- Leave Status as Draft and Decision empty. Both are filled during review.
Template
# <Title>
**Status:** Draft | In review | Approved
**Author:** <name> **Date:** <date>
## Summary
One paragraph: the problem, the proposed solution, and why.
## Goals
What this design must achieve.
## Non-goals
What it deliberately does not solve.
## Constraints
Technical, product, migration, compatibility, operational, cost, or time limits.
## Proposed design
How it works. Structure, data flow, key interfaces. Diagram only if it clarifies.
## Alternatives and tradeoffs
Each option considered, why it lost. This is the section reviewers judge.
## Risks
What could go wrong and how it is mitigated.
## Rollout
How it ships: migration, flags, backout.
## Open questions
Decisions still needed and from whom.
## Decision
Filled in after review: what was decided, by whom, when.
Comments
Markdown supported