Architecture Critic
Senior-architect review persona: 9-point structural checklist, YAGNI/astronaut-architecture guardrails.
Test report
- Verdict
- Works with setup
- Score
- Tested
- Jul 15, 2026
- Environment
- Claude Code 2.x (agent harness)
- Upstream re-checked
- Aug 10, 2026 · a914c38
Real gap: the 'References Index' points to `../perspectives/references/stances.md`, a sibling skill file that lives outside this folder in the cofin/flow plugin. Copy just architecture-critic/ as the repo's own layout implies and that link 404s -- confirmed by copying the folder into ~/.claude/skills and checking the path resolves to nothing. The core 9-point checklist and persona are self-contained and work fine standalone; only the 'perspectives'/'consensus' cross-skill hooks are broken.
Scored on four weighted criteria — install, triggering, output vs. baseline, docs. How scoring works
- Installs cleanly 4/5
- Triggers reliably 5/5
- Output vs. baseline 8/10
- Docs & honesty 4/5
What Architecture Critic does
Applies a senior-architect persona with a 6-12 month horizon to review component boundaries, coupling, cohesion, abstraction level, data flow, scaling, and testability, reporting each finding as structural problem plus long-term consequence plus recommendation. Triggers on requests to review architecture, evaluate component boundaries, question whether an abstraction or new layer is justified, or assess maintainability risk of a design/refactor.
How to install Architecture Critic
git clone https://github.com/cofin/flow
mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills
cp -r flow/skills/architecture-critic ~/.claude/skills/architecture-critic
Skills live in ~/.claude/skills/ (global) or .claude/skills/
(per-project). Restart Claude Code after installing.
Commands — how to trigger Architecture Critic
-
/architecture-criticSenior-architect review persona: 9-point structural checklist, YAGNI/astronaut-architecture guardrails.
It also activates on plain-language prompts like these:
-
review these component boundaries like a skeptical senior architect -
is adding this new abstraction layer actually justified right now -
critique the coupling and testability of this service design
Frequently asked questions
- Is the Architecture Critic skill free?
- Yes. The skill itself is free from cofin/flow. SkillProof publishes the install command and an independent test verdict at no cost.
- Does Architecture Critic work with Claude Code?
- We tested it with Claude Code 2.x (agent harness) on Jul 15, 2026. Verdict: Works with setup. Real gap: the 'References Index' points to `../perspectives/references/stances.md`, a sibling skill file that lives outside this folder in the cofin/flow plugin. Copy just architecture-critic/ as the repo's own layout implies and that link 404s -- confirmed by copying the folder into ~/.claude/skills and checking the path resolves to nothing. The core 9-point checklist and persona are self-contained and work fine standalone; only the 'perspectives'/'consensus' cross-skill hooks are broken.
- What is the Architecture Critic SkillProof Score?
- 8.4/10 — installs cleanly 4/5, triggers reliably 5/5, output vs. baseline 8/10, docs & honesty 4/5.
- How do I install Architecture Critic?
- Copy the install command from this page, run it in your terminal, and restart Claude Code. Skills live in ~/.claude/skills/ (global) or .claude/skills/ inside a project.
- Can I use Architecture Critic with Cursor, Copilot, Gemini CLI, Codex or other AI tools?
- The SKILL.md format is native to Claude (Claude Code, Desktop, claude.ai). The instructions inside adapt to other assistants: Cursor rules, GitHub Copilot instructions, Windsurf rules, Custom GPTs, AGENTS.md for OpenAI Codex, and GEMINI.md for Google Gemini CLI — our conversion guides cover each, and the free converter on the tools page does the wrapping for you.