Api Design Reviewer

Community

borghei

api-design-reviewer

Review REST API designs for quality, consistency, and breaking changes. Lints OpenAPI specs, generates scorecards, and detects breaking changes between versions. Use when designing APIs, reviewing contracts, or managing API versioning.

Overview

Publisher	borghei
Repository	`Claude-Skills`
Skill name	`api-design-reviewer`
Stars	856
Forks	154
Bundled files	7
Links	Skill source Repository Homepage

Markdown instructions
A SKILL.md file the model loads on demand, so it only costs tokens when a request actually matches.
Works with any LLM
AI skills are plain Markdown, not provider-specific code, so this works with GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, or a local model.
7 bundled files
Scripts, templates, and references the model can read while it works. Files are read-only and never executed.
Open source
Published by borghei on GitHub. Read the source before you install it.

Installation

Install the Api Design Reviewer AI skill in TypingMind to use it with any LLM, or drop it into another agent that reads SKILL.md.

Install in TypingMind

TypingMind installs a skill straight from its GitHub folder — it reads SKILL.md, bundles the resource files, and stores the result locally.

Open the app and go to Plugins → Skills.
Choose "Install from GitHub".
Paste the skill folder URL below and confirm.
https://github.com/borghei/Claude-Skills/tree/main/engineering/api-design-reviewer
Enable the skill in any chat where you want it available.

Plugins → Skills → Add skill → From GitHub URL, then paste the folder URL and press Continue.

Install in another agent

Any agent that reads the Agent Skills format can use this skill — copy the folder into that agent's skills directory.

Claude Code — .claude/skills

git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/borghei/Claude-Skills.git /tmp/Claude-Skills
mkdir -p .claude/skills
cp -r /tmp/Claude-Skills/engineering/api-design-reviewer .claude/skills/api-design-reviewer

Restart Claude Code after copying so it picks up the new skill.

Use it in TypingMind

Enable Api Design Reviewer in any TypingMind chat and the model takes it from there. Its name and description sit in the system prompt, and the moment a request matches, the model loads the full instructions itself — you never invoke it by hand, and it costs no tokens until it is actually used.

The model loads Api Design Reviewer on its own as soon as a request matches it.

Works with any AI model

AI skills are plain Markdown instructions rather than provider-specific code, so Api Design Reviewer is not tied to the model it was written for. Install it once in TypingMind and use it with GPT-5, Claude, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek, Mistral, Llama, or a local model you run yourself — all on your own API keys.

Loaded only when it is needed
The system prompt carries just the name and description. The instructions are fetched on the first matching request, so an idle skill costs nothing.
Switch models mid-chat
Because the skill is instructions rather than code, changing model does not break it — the next model reads the same SKILL.md.

Skill instructions

This is the SKILL.md content the model loads. Read it before installing — a skill is instructions your model will follow.

API Design Reviewer

Comprehensive analysis and review of REST API designs against conventions, best practices, and industry standards. Helps engineering teams build consistent, maintainable, well-designed APIs through automated linting, breaking-change detection, and design scorecards.

Core Capabilities

API linting & convention analysis — resource naming (kebab-case URLs, camelCase fields), HTTP method usage, URL structure, status-code compliance, error-format consistency, and documentation coverage.
Breaking change detection — endpoint removal, response-shape changes, field removal/rename, type changes, new required fields, and status-code changes between two spec versions, with migration guides.
API design scoring — weighted scorecard across Consistency (30%), Documentation (20%), Security (20%), Usability (15%), and Performance (15%), with letter grades A–F and recommendations.

When to Use

Designing a new REST API or reviewing an API contract.
Validating an OpenAPI/Swagger spec against REST conventions.
Managing API versioning and detecting breaking changes between releases.
Gating deployments on API design quality in CI.

Clarify First

Before producing the review, confirm these inputs. If any is unknown or vague, ASK — do not assume:

Which output — lint report, design scorecard, or breaking-change detection (selects api_linter.py, api_scorecard.py, or breaking_change_detector.py)
Spec file(s) — the OpenAPI/Swagger JSON, or the two versions to diff (the input the tools parse)
Quality bar / CI gate — minimum grade or fail-on-breaking (sets --min-grade / --exit-on-breaking and how strict the verdict is)

Stop rule: ask only the 2-3 that most change the output. If the user says "just draft it," proceed and list your assumptions at the top of the artifact.

Tools

Tool	Purpose	Command
`api_linter.py`	Lint an OpenAPI/Swagger JSON spec for REST conventions and best practices	`python scripts/api_linter.py openapi.json --format json`
`breaking_change_detector.py`	Detect breaking changes between two spec versions (with migration guides)	`python scripts/breaking_change_detector.py v1.json v2.json --exit-on-breaking`
`api_scorecard.py`	Score API design quality across 5 weighted dimensions (A–F grades)	`python scripts/api_scorecard.py openapi.json --min-grade B`

References

Load the reference that matches the task — keep this file lean and pull detail on demand:

references/rest-design-patterns.md — REST naming/method/URL principles, versioning strategies, pagination patterns, error formats and status codes, auth/RBAC patterns, rate limiting, HATEOAS, idempotency, backward-compatibility rules, OpenAPI validation, performance, and security best practices. Read when designing or reviewing endpoints.
references/tooling-ci-and-troubleshooting.md — the three tools' features, CI/CD and pre-commit integration, best-practices and anti-pattern checklists, troubleshooting table, success criteria, and full CLI flag references. Read when wiring tools into pipelines or debugging.
references/rest_design_rules.md — detailed REST design rules reference (resources vs actions, HTTP method semantics with worked examples). Read for an in-depth rules catalog.
references/api_antipatterns.md — common API anti-patterns (verb-based URLs / RPC trap and more) with bad/good examples and recommended fixes. Read when auditing an existing API for design smells.

Scope & Limitations

This skill covers:

Linting OpenAPI 3.x and Swagger 2.0 JSON specifications against REST conventions
Detecting breaking, potentially-breaking, and non-breaking changes between two spec versions
Scoring API design quality across consistency, documentation, security, usability, and performance
Generating actionable migration guides when breaking changes are found

This skill does NOT cover:

Runtime API testing, load testing, or contract testing (see api-test-suite-builder)
GraphQL, gRPC, or WebSocket API design review
Auto-generation of OpenAPI specs from code or server stubs
Authentication flow implementation or OAuth server configuration (see senior-security in engineering/)

Integration Points

Skill	Integration	Data Flow
`engineering/api-test-suite-builder`	Generate test cases from linter findings	Linter issues feed into test plan priorities for endpoint validation
`engineering/changelog-generator`	Document breaking changes in release notes	Breaking change detector output provides structured change data for changelogs
`engineering/ci-cd-pipeline-builder`	Gate deployments on API quality	Scorecard grade and linter exit codes integrate as pipeline quality gates
`engineering/senior-backend`	Review API implementation against design	Scorecard recommendations guide backend refactoring decisions
`engineering/code-reviewer`	Enrich PR reviews with API analysis	Linter and breaking change reports attach to PR review comments
`engineering/release-manager`	Validate version bumps match change severity	Breaking change detector severity levels inform semver version decisions

Bundled files

The model reads these on demand while the skill is loaded. They are exposed as readable files and are never executed.

references/api_antipatterns.md13 KB
references/rest_design_rules.md10 KB
references/rest-design-patterns.md7 KB
references/tooling-ci-and-troubleshooting.md10 KB
scripts/api_linter.py37 KB
scripts/api_scorecard.py64 KB
scripts/breaking_change_detector.py48 KB

Frequently asked questions

What does the Api Design Reviewer AI skill do?

Why use Api Design Reviewer on TypingMind?

Because you install it once and use it with any model. Api Design Reviewer is plain Markdown rather than provider-specific code, so the same skill runs on GPT-5, Claude, Gemini, Grok, or a local model — and you can switch model mid-chat without it breaking. TypingMind runs on your own API keys, so you pay providers directly instead of a per-seat subscription, and your skills and chats stay in your own storage.

How do I install Api Design Reviewer in TypingMind?

Open Plugins → Skills → Install from GitHub in TypingMind and paste https://github.com/borghei/Claude-Skills/tree/main/engineering/api-design-reviewer. TypingMind reads its SKILL.md and bundles its files and installs it as a skill you can enable per chat.

Which AI models can use Api Design Reviewer?

Any model you connect in TypingMind. AI skills are plain Markdown instructions rather than provider-specific code, so GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, and local models can all load this skill when a request matches it.

How many AI models can I use with Api Design Reviewer?

As many as you like. As long as a model supports skills, you can use Api Design Reviewer with it — GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek, Mistral, Llama and more — all on TypingMind with your own API keys.

Is the Api Design Reviewer AI skill free?

It is published on GitHub by borghei. Check the repository for licensing terms. You only pay your own AI provider for the tokens you use.

What are AI skills?

An AI skill is a reusable instruction bundle that teaches an AI model how to do one specific task. It follows the open Agent Skills format: a SKILL.md file with a name and description, plus any scripts, templates or reference files the model may need. The model reads the instructions only when your request matches the skill, so an installed skill costs nothing until it is used.

How are AI skills different from plugins or MCP servers?

A plugin or MCP server gives a model new tools to call — code that runs somewhere and returns a result. An AI skill gives the model knowledge and process instead: how to approach a task, which steps to follow, what good output looks like. Skills are plain Markdown, so they need no server, no API key and no runtime, and they work with any model.

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Discord archive: search, sync freshness, DMs, summaries, TUI, repo/release work.

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Overview

Installation

Install in TypingMind

Install in another agent

Use it in TypingMind

Works with any AI model

Skill instructions

API Design Reviewer

Core Capabilities

When to Use

Clarify First

Tools

References

Scope & Limitations

Integration Points

Bundled files

Frequently asked questions

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