Agent skill

API Design

by axone-protocol in axone-protocol/contracts

Best practices for designing CosmWasm smart contract APIs. An agent skill from axone-protocol/contracts.

BSD-3-ClauseAuto-check passedBackend & APIs

Install API Design

skills CLI

$ npx skills add axone-protocol/contracts --skill api-design -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install axone-protocol/contracts api-design --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/axone-protocol/contracts.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/.agents/skills/api-design .claude/skills/api-design && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Paste into Claude Code

Install the "api-design" agent skill from https://github.com/axone-protocol/contracts/tree/main/.agents/skills/api-design into .claude/skills/api-design/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "api-design", then confirm the skill loads.

Claude Code copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

$skill-installer

$skill-installer install https://github.com/axone-protocol/contracts/tree/main/.agents/skills/api-design

Type this inside Codex. $skill-installer <name> installs a curated skill from openai/skills. The installer writes to $CODEX_HOME/skills (default ~/.codex/skills). Restart Codex if the skill does not show up.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add axone-protocol/contracts --skill api-design -a codex

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install axone-protocol/contracts api-design --agent codex

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/axone-protocol/contracts.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/.agents/skills/api-design .agents/skills/api-design && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.

Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/

Paste into Codex

Install the "api-design" agent skill from https://github.com/axone-protocol/contracts/tree/main/.agents/skills/api-design into .agents/skills/api-design/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "api-design", then confirm the skill loads.

Codex copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add axone-protocol/contracts --skill api-design -a cursor

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install axone-protocol/contracts api-design --agent cursor

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/axone-protocol/contracts.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/.agents/skills/api-design .cursor/skills/api-design && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.

Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/

Paste into Cursor

Install the "api-design" agent skill from https://github.com/axone-protocol/contracts/tree/main/.agents/skills/api-design into .cursor/skills/api-design/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "api-design", then confirm the skill loads.

Cursor copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

gemini skills install

$ gemini skills install https://github.com/axone-protocol/contracts.git --path .agents/skills/api-design

--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add axone-protocol/contracts --skill api-design -a gemini-cli

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install axone-protocol/contracts api-design --agent gemini-cli

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/axone-protocol/contracts.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/.agents/skills/api-design .gemini/skills/api-design && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.gemini/skills/ instead of .gemini/skills for a personal install, then run /skills reload.

Gemini CLI skills documentation · loads skills from .gemini/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into Gemini CLI

Install the "api-design" agent skill from https://github.com/axone-protocol/contracts/tree/main/.agents/skills/api-design into .gemini/skills/api-design/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "api-design", then confirm the skill loads.

Gemini CLI copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install axone-protocol/contracts api-design

Installs for Copilot at project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Preview a skill first with gh skill preview. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

skills CLI

$ npx skills add axone-protocol/contracts --skill api-design -a github-copilot

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/axone-protocol/contracts.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/.agents/skills/api-design .github/skills/api-design && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.copilot/skills/ instead of .github/skills for a personal install. Commit .github/skills so cloud agent and code review can use it.

GitHub Copilot skills documentation · loads skills from .github/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into GitHub Copilot

Install the "api-design" agent skill from https://github.com/axone-protocol/contracts/tree/main/.agents/skills/api-design into .github/skills/api-design/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "api-design", then confirm the skill loads.

GitHub Copilot copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add axone-protocol/contracts --skill api-design -a opencode

OpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install axone-protocol/contracts api-design --agent opencode

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/axone-protocol/contracts.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/.agents/skills/api-design .opencode/skills/api-design && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.

OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into OpenCode

Install the "api-design" agent skill from https://github.com/axone-protocol/contracts/tree/main/.agents/skills/api-design into .opencode/skills/api-design/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "api-design", then confirm the skill loads.

OpenCode copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

Facts

Skill name: api-design
GitHub stars: 123
Token cost: ~1.1k tokens
SKILL.md length: 190 words
Files: 1
Skills in repo: 9
Repo updated: Sep 25, 2026
First seen: Oct 7, 2026
Licence: BSD-3-Clause

At a glance

Best practices for designing CosmWasm smart contract APIs. An agent skill from axone-protocol/contracts.

Works in 4 steps: Minimalism - Include only what's… → Clarity - Names should be self-documenting → Consistency - Follow established… → …
Defining message types
SKILL.md covers Core Principles, Message Type Patterns, Abstract SDK Integration and Documentation Standards, plus 1 more section
Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md

What it does

API Design is an agent skill from axone-protocol/contracts. Best practices for designing CosmWasm smart contract APIs. Use when defining message types, designing execute/query interfaces, or optimizing API ergonomics.

Its SKILL.md is about 1.1k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.

It sits in Backend & APIs, covering API design and Smart contracts. It works with Rust. The repository describes itself as: 📜 Smart contracts for the Axone protocol. The licence is BSD-3-Clause.

When your agent uses it

Defining message types
Designing execute/query interfaces
Optimizing API ergonomics

Example prompts

“/api-design”

Workflow steps

4 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.

Minimalism - Include only what's necessary; avoid bloated APIs
Clarity - Names should be self-documenting
Consistency - Follow established patterns across all contracts
Documentation - Every public type and field must have doc comments

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 02724f3. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

Tool permissions
Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.
From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.
Runs code
No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md (its code samples are rust).
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
No URLs in SKILL.md.
From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.
Credentials
Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.
From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

API Design loads about 1.1k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 42 tokens; SKILL.md has 190 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it: ~42
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches: ~1.1k

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from axone-protocol/contracts at commit 02724f3, republished under its BSD-3-Clause licence (© axone-protocol). 190 words, ~1,094 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/api-design/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).

name: api-design
description: Best practices for designing CosmWasm smart contract APIs. Use when defining message types, designing execute/query interfaces, or optimizing API ergonomics.
license: BSD-3-Clause
metadata.author: axone.xyz
metadata.version: 1.0

CosmWasm API Design Best Practices

Core Principles

Minimalism - Include only what's necessary; avoid bloated APIs
Clarity - Names should be self-documenting
Consistency - Follow established patterns across all contracts
Documentation - Every public type and field must have doc comments

Message Type Patterns

InstantiateMsg

rust

/// Contract instantiation message
#[cosmwasm_schema::cw_serde]
#[derive(Default)]
pub struct MyContractInstantiateMsg {
    /// Optional configuration parameter with sensible default
    #[serde(default)]
    pub some_config: Option<String>,
}

Guidelines:

Derive Default when possible for easier testing
Use #[serde(default)] for optional fields
Keep required fields minimal
Document each field

ExecuteMsg

rust

/// Contract execute messages
#[cosmwasm_schema::cw_serde]
#[derive(cw_orch::ExecuteFns)]
pub enum MyContractExecuteMsg {
    /// Update the contract configuration
    UpdateConfig {
        /// New admin address (optional)
        new_admin: Option<String>,
    },
    /// Process an action with the given parameters
    ProcessAction {
        /// Unique identifier for the action
        action_id: String,
        /// Amount to process
        amount: Uint128,
    },
}

Guidelines:

Use verb-based names (Update, Process, Create, Remove)
Group related parameters in structs if >3 fields
Document each variant AND each field
Derive ExecuteFns for cw-orch integration

QueryMsg

rust

/// Contract query messages
#[cosmwasm_schema::cw_serde]
#[derive(cw_orch::QueryFns, QueryResponses)]
pub enum MyContractQueryMsg {
    /// Get the current configuration
    #[returns(ConfigResponse)]
    Config {},
    
    /// Get item by ID
    #[returns(ItemResponse)]
    Item {
        /// The item identifier
        id: String,
    },
    
    /// List all items with pagination
    #[returns(ItemsResponse)]
    Items {
        /// Start after this ID for pagination
        start_after: Option<String>,
        /// Maximum number of items to return
        limit: Option<u32>,
    },
}

Guidelines:

Always include #[returns(ResponseType)] attribute
Use noun-based names for queries
Include pagination for list queries (start_after, limit)
Derive QueryFns and QueryResponses

Response Types

rust

#[cosmwasm_schema::cw_serde]
pub struct ConfigResponse {
    /// Current admin address
    pub admin: Addr,
    /// Whether the contract is paused
    pub paused: bool,
}

#[cosmwasm_schema::cw_serde]
pub struct ItemsResponse {
    /// List of items
    pub items: Vec<ItemInfo>,
}

Guidelines:

Response types should mirror what clients need
Use specific types (Addr, Uint128) not strings
Document all fields

Abstract SDK Integration

Use the app_msg_types! macro to generate wrapper types:

rust

use crate::contract::MyContract;
use cosmwasm_schema::QueryResponses;

// Generates ExecuteMsg, QueryMsg, InstantiateMsg wrappers
abstract_app::app_msg_types!(MyContract, MyContractExecuteMsg, MyContractQueryMsg);

Documentation Standards

Rust Doc Comments

rust

/// Brief one-line description of the variant.
/// 
/// Optional longer description that explains:
/// - When to use this
/// - Side effects
/// - Related messages
/// 
/// # Errors
/// 
/// Returns `ContractError::Unauthorized` if caller is not admin.

Field Documentation

Every field must have a doc comment:

Describe what the field represents
Mention default values if applicable
Note any constraints (min/max values, format)

Serde Patterns

Optional Fields with Defaults

rust

#[serde(default)]
pub optional_field: Option<String>,

#[serde(default = "default_limit")]
pub limit: u32,

fn default_limit() -> u32 {
    10
}

Flatten for Nested Configs

rust

#[cosmwasm_schema::cw_serde]
pub struct InstantiateMsg {
    #[serde(flatten)]
    pub base_config: BaseConfig,
    pub custom_field: String,
}

Rename for JSON Clarity

rust

#[serde(rename = "owner")]
pub owner_addr: Addr,

Files

Just SKILL.md in .agents/skills/api-design of axone-protocol/contracts.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 02724f3

Compare with similar skills

API Design next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

API Design compared with similar skills
Skill	Stars	Used in	Tokens	Auto-check	Licence	Repo updated
API Design this skillaxone-protocol/contracts	123	—	~1.1k	Automated safety check: Pass	BSD-3-Clause	12 days ago
Feynman Auditor0xiehnnkta/nemesis-auditor	244	1 repos	~11k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	6 mo ago
RadarAuditware/radar	154	—	~2.1k	Automated safety check: Pass	GPL-3.0	1 mo ago
Safe Solana BuilderFrankcastleauditor/safe-solana-builder	145	—	~3.6k	Automated safety check: Pass	None	2 days ago
Wiremock TestOpenZeppelin/openzeppelin-relayer	153	—	~1.6k	Automated safety check: Notes	AGPL-3.0	today
Stellar DevVelaPayments/vela-payments	131	—	~1.8k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	yesterday

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Questions about API Design

What does API Design do?

Best practices for designing CosmWasm smart contract APIs. An agent skill from axone-protocol/contracts. API Design is an agent skill from axone-protocol/contracts. Best practices for designing CosmWasm smart contract APIs.

When should I use API Design?

API Design fits situations like: defining message types; designing execute/query interfaces; optimizing API ergonomics.

How do I install API Design in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add axone-protocol/contracts --skill api-design -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (.agents/skills/api-design in axone-protocol/contracts) into .claude/skills/api-design in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install API Design in Codex?

Run `npx skills add axone-protocol/contracts --skill api-design -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (.agents/skills/api-design in axone-protocol/contracts) into .agents/skills/api-design in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use API Design in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add axone-protocol/contracts --skill api-design -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/api-design, .gemini/skills/api-design, .github/skills/api-design and .opencode/skills/api-design in your project.

What does API Design need to run?

SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: API Design is instructions for the agent only.

Does API Design access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is API Design safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does API Design use?

API Design is published under the BSD-3-Clause licence (declared in SKILL.md). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does API Design use?

About 1.1k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 4.4k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.

What are the alternatives to API Design?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with API Design: Feynman Auditor (0xiehnnkta/nemesis-auditor, 244 stars), Radar (Auditware/radar, 154 stars), Safe Solana Builder (Frankcastleauditor/safe-solana-builder, 145 stars) and Wiremock Test (OpenZeppelin/openzeppelin-relayer, 153 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains API Design?

axone-protocol (a GitHub organization) maintains it in axone-protocol/contracts, which has 123 GitHub stars. The repository holds 9 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on September 25, 2026.

Source: axone-protocol/contracts on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.

Install API Design

Facts

At a glance

What it does

When your agent uses it

Example prompts

Workflow steps

What it can do on your machine

Tool permissions

Runs code

Network

Credentials

Context cost

Safety

SKILL.md

CosmWasm API Design Best Practices

Core Principles

Message Type Patterns

InstantiateMsg

ExecuteMsg

QueryMsg

Response Types

Abstract SDK Integration

Documentation Standards

Rust Doc Comments

Field Documentation

Serde Patterns

Optional Fields with Defaults

Flatten for Nested Configs

Rename for JSON Clarity

Files

Compare with similar skills

Similar skills

More from axone-protocol/contracts

Related

Questions about API Design