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Agent skill

API Design

by travisjneuman in travisjneuman/.claude

REST and GraphQL API design best practices including OpenAPI specs.

MITAuto-check passedBackend & APIs

Install API Design

skills CLI
$ npx skills add travisjneuman/.claude --skill api-design -a claude-code

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

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install travisjneuman/.claude 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/travisjneuman/.claude.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/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/

Facts

Skill name
api-design
GitHub stars
101
Used in
1 other repo
Token cost
~2.5k tokens
SKILL.md length
357 words
Files
1
Skills in repo
21
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

REST and GraphQL API design best practices including OpenAPI specs.

  • Documenting endpoints
  • SKILL.md covers REST API Principles, OpenAPI Specification, Authentication and Rate Limiting, plus 5 more sections
  • Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md
  • Reviewing API architecture

What it does

API Design is an agent skill from travisjneuman/.claude. REST and GraphQL API design best practices including OpenAPI specs. Use when designing APIs, documenting endpoints, or reviewing API architecture.

Its SKILL.md is about 2.5k 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, OpenAPI specifications and gRPC and Protobuf. It works with GraphQL and gRPC. The repository describes itself as: The Ultimate Claude Code Toolkit: 180 skills, 10 agents, 29 commands, 7 hooks, and 81 marketplace repos (11,000+ community skills). Drop-in ~/.claude config with a generated… The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

  • Documenting endpoints
  • Reviewing API architecture

Example prompts

  • “/api-design”

Requirements

  • A credential in YOUR_API_KEY

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 139c07b. 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 json, typescript, yaml and protobuf).

    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 2.5k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 39 tokens; SKILL.md has 357 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~39
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~2.5k

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 travisjneuman/.claude at commit 139c07b, republished under its MIT licence (© travisjneuman). 357 words, ~2,493 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/api-design/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).
name
api-design
description
REST and GraphQL API design best practices including OpenAPI specs. Use when designing APIs, documenting endpoints, or reviewing API architecture.

API Design Guide

Best practices for designing developer-friendly, maintainable APIs.

REST API Principles

Resource Naming

Use nouns, not verbs:

✓ GET /users
✓ GET /users/123
✓ GET /users/123/orders

✗ GET /getUsers
✗ GET /fetchUserById
✗ POST /createNewOrder

Use plural nouns:

✓ /users
✓ /orders
✓ /products

✗ /user
✗ /order

Hierarchical relationships:

/users/{userId}/orders           # User's orders
/users/{userId}/orders/{orderId} # Specific order
HTTP Methods
MethodPurposeIdempotentRequest Body
GETRetrieve resource(s)YesNo
POSTCreate resourceNoYes
PUTReplace resource entirelyYesYes
PATCHUpdate resource partiallyNoYes
DELETERemove resourceYesNo
Status Codes

Success (2xx):

  • 200 OK - Request succeeded
  • 201 Created - Resource created (return Location header)
  • 204 No Content - Success with no response body

Client Error (4xx):

  • 400 Bad Request - Malformed request
  • 401 Unauthorized - Authentication required
  • 403 Forbidden - No permission
  • 404 Not Found - Resource doesn't exist
  • 409 Conflict - State conflict
  • 422 Unprocessable Entity - Validation failed
  • 429 Too Many Requests - Rate limited

Server Error (5xx):

  • 500 Internal Server Error - Unexpected error
  • 503 Service Unavailable - Temporary outage
Response Format

Successful response:

json
{
  "data": {
    "id": "123",
    "name": "John Doe",
    "email": "john@example.com"
  }
}

Collection response:

json
{
  "data": [
    { "id": "1", "name": "Item 1" },
    { "id": "2", "name": "Item 2" }
  ],
  "meta": {
    "page": 1,
    "perPage": 20,
    "total": 100,
    "totalPages": 5
  },
  "links": {
    "self": "/items?page=1",
    "next": "/items?page=2",
    "prev": null
  }
}

Error response:

json
{
  "error": {
    "code": "VALIDATION_ERROR",
    "message": "Validation failed",
    "details": [
      {
        "field": "email",
        "code": "INVALID_FORMAT",
        "message": "Must be a valid email address"
      }
    ]
  }
}
Pagination

Offset-based (simple, but slow on large datasets):

GET /users?page=2&perPage=20
GET /users?offset=40&limit=20

Cursor-based (efficient, recommended):

GET /users?cursor=eyJpZCI6MTIzfQ&limit=20

Response includes next cursor:

json
{
  "data": [...],
  "meta": {
    "nextCursor": "eyJpZCI6MTQzfQ",
    "hasMore": true
  }
}
Filtering, Sorting, Fields

Filtering:

GET /users?status=active
GET /users?created_after=2024-01-01
GET /users?role=admin,moderator

Sorting:

GET /users?sort=name
GET /users?sort=-created_at         # Descending
GET /users?sort=status,-created_at  # Multiple fields

Field selection:

GET /users?fields=id,name,email
GET /users?include=orders,profile
Versioning

URL path (recommended):

/api/v1/users
/api/v2/users

Header:

Accept: application/vnd.api+json;version=2

OpenAPI Specification

yaml
openapi: 3.0.3
info:
  title: My API
  version: 1.0.0
  description: API for managing users

servers:
  - url: https://api.example.com/v1

paths:
  /users:
    get:
      summary: List users
      tags: [Users]
      parameters:
        - name: page
          in: query
          schema:
            type: integer
            default: 1
      responses:
        "200":
          description: List of users
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                type: object
                properties:
                  data:
                    type: array
                    items:
                      $ref: "#/components/schemas/User"

components:
  schemas:
    User:
      type: object
      required: [id, email]
      properties:
        id:
          type: string
        email:
          type: string
          format: email
        name:
          type: string

Authentication

API Keys (simple, for server-to-server):

Authorization: Api-Key YOUR_API_KEY

Bearer Tokens (JWT, OAuth):

Authorization: Bearer eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIs...

Include in OpenAPI:

yaml
components:
  securitySchemes:
    bearerAuth:
      type: http
      scheme: bearer
      bearerFormat: JWT

security:
  - bearerAuth: []

Rate Limiting

Include headers in responses:

X-RateLimit-Limit: 1000
X-RateLimit-Remaining: 999
X-RateLimit-Reset: 1640995200

Return 429 Too Many Requests when exceeded.

Security Checklist

  • HTTPS only
  • Authentication on protected routes
  • Input validation
  • Output encoding
  • Rate limiting
  • CORS configuration
  • No sensitive data in URLs
  • Audit logging
Show full SKILL.md (139 more words)Show less

gRPC and Protocol Buffers

Proto Definition
protobuf
syntax = "proto3";
package user.v1;

service UserService {
  rpc GetUser(GetUserRequest) returns (User);
  rpc ListUsers(ListUsersRequest) returns (ListUsersResponse);
  rpc CreateUser(CreateUserRequest) returns (User);
  rpc StreamUpdates(StreamRequest) returns (stream UserUpdate);
}

message User {
  string id = 1;
  string name = 2;
  string email = 3;
  google.protobuf.Timestamp created_at = 4;
}

message GetUserRequest {
  string id = 1;
}

message ListUsersRequest {
  int32 page_size = 1;
  string page_token = 2;
}

message ListUsersResponse {
  repeated User users = 1;
  string next_page_token = 2;
}
When to Use gRPC vs REST
FactorgRPCREST
PerformanceBinary, fastJSON, human-readable
StreamingBidirectionalSSE/WebSocket workaround
Type safetyProto generates typesOpenAPI + codegen
BrowserNeeds gRPC-Web proxyNative
ToolingProtoc, BufSwagger, Postman
Best forService-to-service, streamingPublic APIs, web clients

tRPC for TypeScript

typescript
// server/router.ts
import { router, publicProcedure, protectedProcedure } from './trpc';
import { z } from 'zod';

export const appRouter = router({
  user: router({
    get: publicProcedure
      .input(z.object({ id: z.string() }))
      .query(async ({ input }) => {
        return db.user.findUnique({ where: { id: input.id } });
      }),
    create: protectedProcedure
      .input(z.object({
        name: z.string().min(1),
        email: z.string().email(),
      }))
      .mutation(async ({ input, ctx }) => {
        return db.user.create({ data: { ...input, createdBy: ctx.userId } });
      }),
  }),
});

export type AppRouter = typeof appRouter;

// client.ts - Full type inference, no codegen
const user = trpc.user.get.useQuery({ id: '123' });
const createUser = trpc.user.create.useMutation();

tRPC is ideal for monorepo full-stack TypeScript apps where client and server share the same codebase.

Webhook Design Patterns

Webhook Payload
json
{
  "id": "evt_abc123",
  "type": "order.completed",
  "created_at": "2025-01-15T10:30:00Z",
  "data": {
    "order_id": "ord_456",
    "total": 99.99,
    "currency": "USD"
  }
}
Signature Verification
typescript
// Sign webhooks with HMAC-SHA256
import crypto from 'crypto';

function signWebhook(payload: string, secret: string): string {
  return crypto
    .createHmac('sha256', secret)
    .update(payload)
    .digest('hex');
}

// Verify on receiving end
function verifyWebhook(payload: string, signature: string, secret: string): boolean {
  const expected = signWebhook(payload, secret);
  return crypto.timingSafeEqual(
    Buffer.from(signature),
    Buffer.from(expected),
  );
}
Retry Strategy
Attempt 1: Immediately
Attempt 2: After 1 minute
Attempt 3: After 5 minutes
Attempt 4: After 30 minutes
Attempt 5: After 2 hours
Attempt 6: After 24 hours (final)

Failed webhooks: log, alert, manual retry UI
Idempotency
typescript
// Include idempotency key in webhook
// Receivers should deduplicate based on event ID
async function handleWebhook(event: WebhookEvent) {
  // Check if already processed
  const existing = await db.processedEvents.findUnique({
    where: { eventId: event.id },
  });
  if (existing) return { status: 'already_processed' };

  // Process and record
  await db.$transaction([
    processEvent(event),
    db.processedEvents.create({ data: { eventId: event.id } }),
  ]);
}

API Versioning Strategies

StrategyExampleProsCons
URL path/api/v1/usersExplicit, easy to routeURL pollution
Query parameter/api/users?version=1Optional parameterEasy to miss
HeaderAccept: application/vnd.api.v1Clean URLsHidden, harder to test
Content negotiationAccept: application/json;v=2Standards-basedComplex to implement

Recommendation: URL path versioning for simplicity. Only bump major versions for breaking changes. Use additive, non-breaking changes within a version.

© travisjneuman, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

Just SKILL.md in skills/api-design of travisjneuman/.claude.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 139c07b

Used in 1 other repository

We found 1 copy of this SKILL.md (exact, near-identical or edited) in other folders, from 1 other GitHub owner. This page covers the copy in travisjneuman/.claude, which our catalogue first saw on October 7, 2026.

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
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API Design this skilltravisjneuman/.claude1011 repos~2.5kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
API ForgeEliasOulkadi/shokunin114—~2.9kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
System Design CommunicationHoangNguyen0403/agent-skills-standard571—~894Automated safety check: PassMIT
API Contract Detectionprime-radiant-inc/greenfield292—~4.2kAutomated safety check: PassApache-2.0
API Architectcuriositech/some_claude_skills2431 repos~1.4kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
API Designmajiayu000/spellbook286—~2.1kAutomated safety check: PassMIT

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Works with

Categories

Questions about API Design

What does API Design do?

REST and GraphQL API design best practices including OpenAPI specs. claude. REST and GraphQL API design best practices including OpenAPI specs.

When should I use API Design?

API Design fits situations like: documenting endpoints; reviewing API architecture.

How do I install API Design in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add travisjneuman/.claude --skill api-design -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/api-design in travisjneuman/.claude) 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 travisjneuman/.claude --skill api-design -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/api-design in travisjneuman/.claude) 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 travisjneuman/.claude --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. Our summary lists: A credential in YOUR_API_KEY.

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 MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does API Design use?

About 2.5k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 10k 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: API Forge (EliasOulkadi/shokunin, 114 stars), System Design Communication (HoangNguyen0403/agent-skills-standard, 571 stars), API Contract Detection (prime-radiant-inc/greenfield, 292 stars) and API Architect (curiositech/some_claude_skills, 243 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains API Design?

travisjneuman (a GitHub user) maintains it in travisjneuman/.claude, which has 101 GitHub stars. The repository holds 21 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 6, 2026.

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