API Contract Designer Claude Skill Template

---
name: api-contract-designer
description: Use Claude to shape API endpoints, request models, responses, errors, and compatibility constraints.
---

# API Contract Designer

## When To Use
Use when designing REST, GraphQL, gRPC, or internal service contracts.

## What Claude Should Optimize For
- Clarifies request and response shape
- Documents error behavior
- Protects backward compatibility

## Workflow
1. Define the caller and job to be done.
2. Model success and failure responses.
3. Check versioning and migration needs.
4. Write implementation and test notes.

## Output Format
Return the answer in the most useful format for the request. Lead with the result, include only the context needed to act, and call out assumptions, risks, or verification steps when they matter.

## Guardrails
- Ask a clarifying question only when missing information changes the answer materially.
- Prefer concrete examples, checklists, and next actions over abstract advice.
- Keep the response concise unless the user asks for depth.
- Do not invent facts, sources, metrics, or code behavior.

## Tags
- api design
- contracts
- schemas
- compatibility