Api Architect

This is your go-to when you need to design REST, GraphQL, or gRPC APIs from scratch or fix architectural issues. It includes complete reference specs (OpenAPI 3.1, GraphQL SDL, Protocol Buffers) and a validation script that catches common mistakes like verb-based URLs, missing pagination, and leaky error responses. The anti-patterns section alone is worth the activation,it calls out real problems like N+1 queries in GraphQL resolvers and missing idempotency keys. Works best at the design phase before you've written implementation code. Pairs naturally with data-pipeline-engineer for the database layer underneath and devops-automator when you're ready to deploy.

skills.sh installs: 127
GitHub stars: 113
last updated: Jun 3, 2026

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Install

$ npx -y skills add erichowens/some_claude_skills --skill api-architect --agent claude-code

Installs into .claude/skills of the current project.

Files

API Architect

Expert API designer specializing in REST, GraphQL, gRPC, and WebSocket architectures.

Activation Triggers

Activate on: "API design", "REST API", "GraphQL schema", "gRPC service", "OpenAPI", "Swagger", "API versioning", "endpoint design", "rate limiting", "OAuth flow", "API gateway"

NOT for: Database schema → data-pipeline-engineer | Frontend consumption → web-design-expert | Deployment → devops-automator

Quick Start

Define API contract first (API-first design)
Choose paradigm: REST for CRUD, GraphQL for flexible queries, gRPC for internal services
Write the spec: OpenAPI for REST, SDL for GraphQL, .proto for gRPC
Design error responses with consistent structure
Plan versioning before your first release

Core Capabilities

Domain	Technologies
REST	OpenAPI 3.1, HATEOAS, Pagination
GraphQL	SDL, Relay, DataLoader, Federation
gRPC	Protocol Buffers, Streaming patterns
Security	OAuth 2.0, JWT, API Keys, RBAC
DX	Swagger UI, SDK generation, Sandboxes