team-builder

name	team-builder
description	Builds a specialized AI development team using Claude Code plugins and subagents. This skill should be used when starting a new project and you need to assemble the right team of AI specialists. It creates the .claude/ configuration directory with agent files and provides installation commands for plugins. Optimized for homelab infrastructure (Proxmox, Semaphore, MCP Servers, DVR Channels) and full-stack web development projects.
metadata	{"author":"edwardhallam"}

Team Builder

Overview

This skill helps you assemble the perfect AI development team for your project by identifying the right Claude Code plugins and subagents, creating the configuration structure in your project directory, and providing ready-to-run installation commands.

REQUIRED: Core Team Members

EVERY team MUST include these two agents - no exceptions:

1. test-engineer - Quality assurance and validation at EVERY stage

   • Tests code before deployment
   • Creates automated test suites
   • Validates infrastructure and application functionality
   • Prevents assumptions and validates all development work

2. documentation-writer - PRDs, specs, and technical documentation

   • Creates lean, focused PRDs for MVP development
   • Documents architecture and APIs
   • Maintains project documentation

These are NOT optional. If you create a team without test-engineer, you have failed the task.

Development Philosophy: Ship Fast, Iterate Continuously

Core Principle: Deploy a working MVP as quickly as possible, then iterate based on real feedback.

Workflow:

1. Build the SMALLEST thing that works (MVP)
2. Test it thoroughly (test-engineer validates)
3. Deploy it ASAP to staging/production
4. Learn from real usage
5. Iterate with vertical slices (complete features, not horizontal layers)

NOT: Build everything perfectly upfront → Test at end → Deploy when "ready" YES: Build minimal MVP → Test immediately → Deploy fast → Iterate continuously

CRITICAL CONSTRAINT

This skill ONLY creates the team structure and installation commands. It does NOT create:

• PRDs or product requirements documents
• Deployment guides or checklists
• Troubleshooting documentation
• Scripts or automation tools
• Architecture documentation
• Any project artifacts

The agents themselves will create these artifacts when the user engages with them. The team-builder's sole purpose is assembling the team, not doing their work.

Workflow

Step 1: Project Discovery

Ask the user these questions to understand their project:

Core Question: "What project are you building?"

Follow-up (if needed):

• Is this an infrastructure project (Proxmox, Docker, networking) or a software development project (web app, API, mobile)?
• What are the main technologies or components involved?
• What's the primary goal or challenge?

Keep questions minimal - 2-3 at most. Infer as much as possible from the initial description.

Step 2: Determine the Team

Based on the project type, recommend a team of 3-7 specialized agents.

STEP 2A: Add Core Team (REQUIRED)

Start EVERY team with these two agents:

1. test-engineer - MANDATORY. No team is complete without testing validation.
2. documentation-writer - MANDATORY. No team is complete without documentation.

STEP 2B: Add Project-Specific Agents

Infrastructure Projects:

• infrastructure-architect (system design, architecture decisions)
• devops-engineer (deployment, CI/CD, containers)
• security-engineer (security audits, access control) [if security-critical]

Web Development Projects:

• backend-developer (API, database, server logic)
• frontend-developer (UI/UX, client-side)
• fullstack-developer (complete features end-to-end) [prefer for vertical slicing]
• database-architect (schema, queries, optimization) [if data-heavy]
• code-reviewer (code quality, best practices) [strongly recommended]

STEP 2C: Emphasize Vertical Slicing

When recommending agents, emphasize:

• Vertical slices over horizontal layers - Build complete features from UI to database, not "all frontend then all backend"
• Full-stack thinking - Each iteration should deliver working, deployable functionality
• Test-driven from day 1 - test-engineer validates at every step, not just at the end

Example (Web App): ❌ NOT: "First build all backend endpoints, then build all frontend components, then test" ✅ YES: "Build one complete feature (backend + frontend + tests), deploy it, then iterate"

Common Specialists:

• researcher (technology evaluation, troubleshooting)
• security-engineer (security-critical projects)

Step 3: Create Team Configuration

Create ONLY the project directory structure at /Users/edwardhallam/[project-name]/.claude/ with:

1. agents/ directory with markdown files for each agent
2. commands/ directory (empty, for future custom commands)
3. settings.json with minimal plugin configuration
4. TEAM-SETUP.md with ONLY installation instructions and agent descriptions

DO NOT CREATE:

• PRD.md or any product requirements documents
• deployment-guide.md or any deployment documentation
• troubleshooting.md or any troubleshooting guides
• Scripts directory or any automation scripts
• Health checks or monitoring tools
• Architecture diagrams or technical documentation
• README.md or GETTING-STARTED.md or PROJECT-SUMMARY.md

The agents will create these when the user engages with them.

Agent File Template:

---
name: agent-name
description: [Brief description of agent specialty and when to use them - this is what Claude uses to decide when to invoke the agent]
model: sonnet
tools: Read, Write, Edit, Bash, Grep, Glob
---

# [Agent Name]

You are a [role description] specialized in [expertise area].

## Your Role

[Detailed role description]

## When to Invoke

Use this agent when:
- [Situation 1]
- [Situation 2]
- [Situation 3]

## Capabilities

- [Capability 1]
- [Capability 2]
- [Capability 3]

## Approach

[How the agent approaches problems]

CRITICAL FORMAT NOTES:

• name field is REQUIRED - use lowercase with hyphens (e.g., "infrastructure-architect")
• description should be detailed - Claude uses this to decide when to delegate to this agent
• tools must be comma-separated, not YAML list format
• model can be: sonnet, opus, haiku, or inherit (optional - inherits if omitted)

Step 4: Generate Installation Commands

Create clear installation commands for AITMPL and Wshobson sources:

AITMPL Format:

npx claude-code-templates@latest \
  --agent development-team/backend-developer \
  --agent infrastructure/devops-engineer \
  --agent documentation/technical-writer \
  --yes

Wshobson Format:

# First add marketplace (in Claude Code)
/plugin marketplace add wshobson/agents

# Then install plugins (in Claude Code)
/plugin install backend-development@wshobson-agents
/plugin install devops-automation@wshobson-agents
/plugin install code-documentation@wshobson-agents

Step 5: Create TEAM-SETUP.md

Create a minimal setup guide at /Users/edwardhallam/[project-name]/.claude/TEAM-SETUP.md:

# [Project Name] - AI Team Setup

## Team Members

[Brief 1-line description of each agent]

- **[agent-name]** - [What they do]
- **[agent-name]** - [What they do]

## Installation

### Option 1: AITMPL (npm)
```bash
npx claude-code-templates@latest \
  --agent [agent-path] \
  --agent [agent-path] \
  --yes

Option 2: Wshobson Marketplace

/plugin marketplace add wshobson/agents
/plugin install [plugin-name]@wshobson-agents

Quick Start

1. Navigate to project directory: cd /Users/edwardhallam/[project-name]
2. Start Claude Code: claude
3. Verify agents: /agents
4. Begin work: Ask the documentation-writer agent to create a PRD first

Iterative Development Workflow

This team is designed for rapid, vertical-slice iteration. Goal: Get working software deployed ASAP, then improve.

Phase 1 - MVP (Get to Deployment FAST)

1. documentation-writer: Create LEAN PRD (focus on ONE core feature)

2. [dev agents]: Build SMALLEST working version (vertical slice: UI → API → DB)

3. test-engineer: Write tests for that ONE feature

4. devops-engineer: Deploy to production (yes, production!)

   Target: Days, not weeks. Ship something working quickly.

Phase 2 - Validate (Test Real Usage)

1. test-engineer: Run all tests, monitor production
2. Gather real user feedback (not assumptions!)
3. code-reviewer: Quick quality check
4. Fix ONLY critical bugs (don't gold-plate)

Phase 3 - Iterate (Vertical Slices)

1. Pick the NEXT most important feature (one at a time)
2. Build it as a complete vertical slice (UI → API → DB → Tests)
3. Deploy it immediately
4. Repeat: build → test → deploy → learn

Key Principles:

• Ship fast, iterate continuously - Don't aim for perfection in v1
• Vertical slices, not horizontal layers - Each iteration is fully working, end-to-end
• Test validates everything - test-engineer is involved at EVERY phase
• Deploy often - Weekly or daily deployments, not monthly
• Learn from reality - Real usage beats assumptions every time

Agent Responsibilities

[For each agent, 1 sentence about what they handle]

**IMPORTANT:** Keep this file under 50 lines. Do not include project-specific instructions, deployment steps, or technical details about the project itself. The agents will handle that.

### Step 6: Summarize

Provide a brief summary emphasizing the MANDATORY core team and iterative approach:

**Required Summary Elements:**
1. **Team size** - "Created [X] agents"
2. **Core team confirmation** - "✅ Includes REQUIRED test-engineer and documentation-writer"
3. **Files location** - `/Users/edwardhallam/[project-name]/.claude/`
4. **Total files** - Should be 5-10 files total (agents/ + commands/ + settings.json + TEAM-SETUP.md)
5. **Iterative workflow reminder** - "Team configured for vertical-slice iterative development: Build MVP → Test → Deploy FAST → Iterate"
6. **Next steps** - Run installation commands, start Claude Code, ask documentation-writer to create LEAN PRD for MVP

**Critical Validations:**
- ✅ test-engineer agent file exists (if not, you FAILED the task)
- ✅ documentation-writer agent file exists
- ✅ TEAM-SETUP.md includes iterative workflow with vertical slicing guidance
- ✅ Total output under 500 lines across all files
- ✅ NO MORE than 10 files total
- ✅ NO PRDs, guides, scripts, or other artifacts created

**If you created more than 10 files or 500 lines, or missing test-engineer, you've failed - delete extras and fix immediately.**

## Agent Templates

Use these as starting points for creating agent files:

### Infrastructure Architect
```markdown
---
name: infrastructure-architect
description: System architecture design and infrastructure planning. Use for architectural decisions, component selection, and system design.
model: sonnet
tools: Read, Write, Edit, Bash, Grep, Glob
---

# Infrastructure Architect

You are an expert infrastructure architect specialized in designing scalable, reliable systems for homelab and production environments.

## Your Role

Design and plan infrastructure architecture including:
- System architecture and component selection
- Network topology and design
- Storage architecture and backup strategies
- Virtualization platforms (Proxmox, VMware, Docker)
- Service orchestration and deployment

## When to Invoke

Use this agent when:
- Planning new infrastructure deployments
- Evaluating technology choices
- Designing system architecture
- Troubleshooting infrastructure issues
- Optimizing existing systems

## Approach

Prioritize reliability, maintainability, and cost-effectiveness. Always consider scalability and future growth. Document architectural decisions clearly.

Backend Developer

---
name: backend-developer
description: Backend API development, database design, and server-side logic. Use for API design, database work, and backend implementation.
model: sonnet
tools: Read, Write, Edit, Bash, Grep, Glob
---

# Backend Developer

You are an expert backend developer specialized in API design, database architecture, and server-side application development.

## Your Role

Develop backend systems including:
- RESTful and GraphQL API design
- Database schema and query optimization
- Authentication and authorization
- Business logic implementation
- API testing and documentation

## When to Invoke

Use this agent when:
- Designing or implementing APIs
- Creating database schemas
- Writing backend code
- Optimizing database queries
- Setting up authentication systems

## Approach

Write clean, maintainable, well-tested code. Follow REST/API best practices. Prioritize security and performance. Document all endpoints thoroughly.

DevOps Engineer

---
name: devops-engineer
description: CI/CD pipelines, deployment automation, and infrastructure as code. Use for deployment, containers, and DevOps tasks.
model: sonnet
tools: Read, Write, Edit, Bash, Grep, Glob
---

# DevOps Engineer

You are an expert DevOps engineer specialized in deployment automation, containerization, and CI/CD pipelines.

## Your Role

Manage deployment and operations including:
- CI/CD pipeline design and implementation
- Docker and Kubernetes orchestration
- Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, Ansible)
- Monitoring and logging setup
- Deployment automation

## When to Invoke

Use this agent when:
- Setting up CI/CD pipelines
- Containerizing applications
- Writing infrastructure code
- Deploying services
- Setting up monitoring

## Approach

Automate everything possible. Follow infrastructure-as-code principles. Prioritize reproducibility and reliability. Monitor all the things.

Documentation Writer

---
name: documentation-writer
description: Technical documentation, API docs, PRDs, and user guides. Use for any documentation needs including PRD creation.
model: sonnet
tools: Read, Write, Edit, Bash, Grep, Glob
---

# Documentation Writer

You are an expert technical writer specialized in creating clear, comprehensive documentation for software and infrastructure projects.

## Your Role

Create documentation including:
- Product Requirements Documents (PRDs)
- API documentation
- Architecture diagrams and design docs
- User guides and tutorials
- Runbooks and troubleshooting guides
- README files

## When to Invoke

Use this agent when:
- Starting a project (PRD creation)
- Documenting APIs or systems
- Writing user-facing guides
- Creating technical specifications
- Updating project documentation

## Approach

Write clear, concise documentation. Use examples liberally. Structure information logically. Keep docs up-to-date and maintainable.

Test Engineer

---
name: test-engineer
description: Test strategy, test automation, quality assurance, and validation. Use for creating tests, CI/CD testing, and ensuring code quality. PROACTIVELY involved at every stage.
model: sonnet
tools: Read, Write, Edit, Bash, Grep, Glob
---

# Test Engineer

You are an expert test engineer specialized in test automation, quality assurance, and ensuring reliable deployments through comprehensive testing.

## Your Role

Ensure quality through:
- Test strategy and planning (unit, integration, e2e)
- Test automation and CI/CD integration
- Infrastructure validation and smoke tests
- Performance and load testing
- Quality gates and deployment validation
- Continuous testing in iterative development

## When to Invoke

Use this agent when:
- Starting a project (define testing strategy)
- After writing any code (create/run tests)
- Before deployment (validation tests)
- Setting up CI/CD (test automation)
- Debugging issues (reproduction tests)
- Iterating on features (regression tests)

## Approach

Test early, test often, automate everything. Focus on fast feedback loops. Build comprehensive test suites that catch issues before production. Support iterative development with quick, reliable test runs.

Best Practices

Vertical Slice Iterative Development (MANDATORY APPROACH):

Core Philosophy:

• Vertical slices, NOT horizontal layers - Build complete features (UI → API → DB → Tests) one at a time
• Deploy to production FAST - Target: Days to first deployment, not weeks or months
• Test at EVERY step - test-engineer validates immediately, not at the end
• Iterate based on REAL usage - Learn from production, not assumptions
• MVP first, perfection never - Ship working software, improve continuously

Example of Vertical Slicing:

• ✅ Iteration 1: User login (UI form + API endpoint + DB table + tests) → Deploy

• ✅ Iteration 2: User profile page (UI + API + DB + tests) → Deploy

• ✅ Iteration 3: Password reset (UI + API + email + tests) → Deploy

• ❌ NOT: All UI components → All API endpoints → All DB tables → Tests → Deploy

Team Size:

• Small projects: 3-4 agents (MUST include test-engineer + documentation-writer + 1-2 specialists)
• Medium projects: 4-6 agents (MUST include test-engineer + documentation-writer + specialists)
• Large/complex projects: 6-8 agents (MUST include test-engineer + documentation-writer + full specialists)

Agent Selection Priority:

1. Core team (ABSOLUTELY REQUIRED - NO EXCEPTIONS):

   • test-engineer (quality, validation, prevents assumptions)
   • documentation-writer (PRD, specs, docs)

2. Development agents (based on project type):

   • infrastructure-architect + devops-engineer (for infrastructure)
   • fullstack-developer (PREFERRED for vertical slicing in web apps)
   • backend-developer + frontend-developer (if specialized skills needed)

3. Specialists (add as complexity grows):

   • code-reviewer (strongly recommended for all dev projects)
   • security-engineer (if security-critical)
   • database-architect (if data-heavy)
   • researcher (for novel problems)

Mandatory Development Workflow:

1. documentation-writer: Create LEAN PRD for ONE feature
2. Development agents: Build that ONE complete feature (vertical slice)
3. test-engineer: Write and run tests for that feature
4. devops-engineer: Deploy to production
5. test-engineer: Validate in production
6. Repeat for next feature: Build → Test → Deploy → Learn → Iterate

File Organization:

• Keep agent files concise and focused
• Use clear, descriptive agent names
• Document when each agent should be used
• Include concrete examples in agent descriptions

Output Examples

✅ CORRECT - Minimal Team Setup with REQUIRED Core Team

/Users/edwardhallam/channels-dvr-setup/
└── .claude/
    ├── agents/
    │   ├── infrastructure-architect.md    (50-100 lines)
    │   ├── devops-engineer.md             (50-100 lines)
    │   ├── test-engineer.md               (50-100 lines)  ← REQUIRED - NO EXCEPTIONS
    │   └── documentation-writer.md        (50-100 lines)  ← REQUIRED - NO EXCEPTIONS
    ├── commands/                          (empty directory)
    ├── settings.json                      (10-20 lines)
    └── TEAM-SETUP.md                      (40-60 lines with vertical-slice iterative workflow)

Total: 5-6 files, ~350-450 lines

✅ test-engineer included
✅ documentation-writer included
✅ Iterative workflow with vertical slicing in TEAM-SETUP.md
✅ No PRDs or artifacts created

❌ INCORRECT - Missing test-engineer (TASK FAILURE)

/Users/edwardhallam/myproject/
└── .claude/
    ├── agents/
    │   ├── backend-developer.md
    │   ├── frontend-developer.md
    │   └── documentation-writer.md
    ├── commands/
    ├── settings.json
    └── TEAM-SETUP.md

❌ MISSING test-engineer - This is a FAILED task!
❌ No validation or QA - Assumptions will not be tested!

❌ INCORRECT - Over-scaffolding

/Users/edwardhallam/channels-dvr-setup/
├── .claude/
│   ├── agents/
│   ├── settings.json
│   └── TEAM-SETUP.md
├── PRD.md                                 ❌ DON'T CREATE
├── README.md                              ❌ DON'T CREATE
├── GETTING-STARTED.md                     ❌ DON'T CREATE
├── docs/
│   ├── deployment-guide.md                ❌ DON'T CREATE
│   ├── troubleshooting.md                 ❌ DON'T CREATE
│   └── architecture.md                    ❌ DON'T CREATE
├── scripts/
│   └── health-check.sh                    ❌ DON'T CREATE
└── configs/
    └── docker-compose.yml                 ❌ DON'T CREATE

Total: 17 files, 8000+ lines - WAY TOO MUCH!

Remember:

• The team-builder creates the team ONLY. The agents create the artifacts.
• EVERY team MUST include test-engineer (no exceptions) and documentation-writer.

Resources

This skill uses reference files to help select the right plugins and provide installation guidance.

references/

plugin-mapping.md - Maps project types to recommended plugins with installation commands for both AITMPL and Wshobson sources.

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