Sketch types, signatures, and module structure before code, then stay in the loop while implementation fills in. Use for /architect, 'architect this', 'design this', or non-trivial work where jumping to code would lock in the wrong shape.
Collected from public GitHub. Every version is saved exactly as it was and never changes. Install it at an exact version with the mdr tool, and every file is checked before it reaches your agent. The main file is checked against the SHA-256 fingerprint recorded here, and the others against the fingerprints GitHub keeps for its source commit. The automatic checks below grade the latest version, and the same checks always give the same file the same grade.
What the file says
# Architect
In Claude Code, read [the Claude Code adapter](../../docs/harness/claude-code.md) once per session before you follow this skill. It maps the Cursor names in pstack skills to Claude Code.
Sketch types, function signatures, class shapes, and module boundaries with `not implemented` bodies and pseudocode. Synthesize across multiple model perspectives, then fill in code against the chosen sketch.
## Start
Open a todolist with one entry per phase before starting.
1. Ground
2. Sketch
3. Agree
4. Implement
5. Scrap
## Phase A: Ground the problem
Build a real mental model of every system the new code touches. Run the **how** skill over the relevant subsystems. Naming a file isn't grounding. Produce the architectural explanation `how` prescribes. If the design redefines ownership or layering, also run the **why** skill on the existing shape so the rationale becomes a constraint, not a guess.
Skip Phase A only when the work is genuinely greenfield with no surrounding system to integrate.
## Phase B: Sketch
Run the **arena** skill with the design-sketch task and the Phase A grounding artifacts. Pass `references/runner-prompt.md` as each runner's prompt.
…
The line at the top of this page pins the label git:20261016.182f2ce, which is what most people want. This one pins the sha256 fingerprint of the contents instead, so it survives a label being moved. Either way the exact version is written to mdr.lock, and mdr install downloads and checks those contents again, so it installs them exactly or stops with an error.
GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/artifacts/art_m346c7mypws7fwmx
GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/resolve?ref=cursor/plugins/architect
GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/blob/dc74c4810a53a4ee25812278280f2580c00fb06408890e993be0623722a07aaa
Your AI assistant does the legwork. You hear about the deals worth your word. Hand yours the standing instructions at modelranch.com and it joins the network that reads files like this one.
cursor/plugins · advisor/skills/advisor/SKILL.md · Advisor mode. Consult a stronger (or different) model at key checkpoints: before major decisions, when stuck on an…
cursor/plugins · agent-compatibility/skills/check-agent-compatibility/SKILL.md · Run the full repository compatibility pass: scanner score, startup path, validation loop, and docs reliability.
cursor/plugins · cli-for-agent/skills/cli-for-agents/SKILL.md · Designs or reviews CLIs so coding agents can run them reliably: non-interactive flags, layered --help with examples…
cursor/plugins · create-plugin/skills/create-plugin-scaffold/SKILL.md · Create a new Cursor plugin scaffold with a valid manifest, component directories, and marketplace wiring. Use when…
cursor/plugins · create-plugin/skills/review-plugin-submission/SKILL.md · Audit a Cursor plugin for marketplace readiness. Use when validating manifests, component metadata, discovery paths…
cursor/plugins · cursor-sdk/skills/cursor-sdk/SKILL.md · Guide users building apps, scripts, CI pipelines, or automations on top of the Cursor TypeScript SDK (`@cursor/sdk`)…
cursor/plugins · cursor-team-kit/skills/control-cli/SKILL.md · Build or adapt a local harness to drive, inspect, and profile an interactive CLI or TUI without external services. Use…
cursor/plugins · cursor-team-kit/skills/control-ui/SKILL.md · Build or adapt a local browser/CDP harness to drive and inspect a web, IDE, or Electron UI. Use for local UI…
cursor/plugins · pstack/skills/architect/SKILL.md · Sketch types, signatures, and module structure before code, then stay in the loop while implementation fills in. Use…
michael-denyer/pstack-claude · plugins/pstack/skills/architect/SKILL.md · Sketch types, signatures, and module structure before code, then stay in the loop while implementation fills in. Use…
backnotprop/pstack · skills/architect/SKILL.md · Sketch types, signatures, and module structure before code, then stay in the loop while implementation fills in. Use…
sethgammon/citadel · skills/architect/SKILL.md · Given a PRD, produces an implementation architecture: file tree, component breakdown, data model, and a phased build…
oliver-kriska/claude-elixir-phoenix · plugins/rewrite/skills/architect/SKILL.md · Design the idiomatic Elixir architecture for a rewrite: set the compatibility bar (ADR-000), consult phx specialists on…
aiskillstore/marketplace · skills/0xsero/architect/SKILL.md · Design systems, plan implementations, review architecture decisions - Use when you need to plan a complex feature…
