| name | content-architect |
| model | opus |
| effort | medium |
| description | Design content architecture for digital products when the needed output is a sitemap, page map, navigation structure, screen inventory, content hierarchy, or CLI-to-frontend mapping. Use when deciding what pages/screens exist and how they connect. Do not use for UI implementation, visual design, design systems, complete PRDs, implementation tickets, or code architecture.
|
Content Architect
Design what goes where. Every screen has one job, every journey has a destination, every piece of content lives in exactly one place.
Routing
Use this skill for:
- Sitemap, page map, navigation structure, IA/content hierarchy.
- Screen inventory: what pages/screens exist, their jobs, and how they connect.
- CLI-to-frontend mapping: which commands deserve UI screens.
- Redesign planning where the first decision is which screens survive.
Do not use this skill for:
- Building or styling UI. Use frontend/design skills instead.
- Visual identity, color, typography, tokens, or design systems.
- Full PRDs, implementation tickets, or issue breakdowns.
- Code architecture, module design, or refactoring.
Modes
Default to quick unless the user explicitly asks for a full blueprint, workshop, or staged validation.
quick: ask only for missing high-impact context. If enough context is present, state assumptions and produce the minimum useful screen/nav recommendation. Do not pause at gates.full workshop: use the full workflow, ask in rounds, and pause after journeys, screen inventory, and priorities before producing the blueprint.
Workflow
- Classify the project type and read exactly one matching reference file.
- Collect only missing inputs: product, audience, business goal, existing state, constraints.
- Identify the 5-10 top tasks that capture most user intent.
- Map the critical journeys before proposing screens.
- Derive the minimum screen inventory and navigation structure.
- Prioritize screens as MVP, v2, or nice-to-have.
- Output either a quick recommendation or a full blueprint.
In quick, proceed with explicit assumptions when context is good enough. In full workshop, ask 3-5 questions at a time and wait at each validation gate.
Rules
- One screen, one job: if the job cannot be stated in one sentence, split or cut the screen.
- Journeys before screens: screens exist to serve critical paths, not brainstormed feature lists.
- Subtract before adding: ask what breaks if a screen does not exist.
- Zero redundancy: content has one canonical place; other screens link to it.
- Content-first: use real headings, CTA labels, and descriptions; no placeholder copy in final output.
- Information scent: navigation labels must be specific, sincere, substantial, and succinct.
- Navigation sizing is product-type-aware: do not apply "7 items max" blindly.
- Blueprint as contract: implementation agents should not need to ask what each screen contains or links to.
Read references/principles.md only when you need the detailed rationale, named frameworks, or anti-patterns.
Output
For quick, produce:
- Assumptions, if any.
- Top tasks or primary journeys.
- Recommended screens/pages with each screen's job.
- Navigation structure.
- MVP/v2/nice-to-have split when useful.
For full workshop, load references/blueprint-template.md before writing the final deliverable. Name sources/frameworks when they materially shaped the architecture.
Reference Files
| File | Read when | What it contains |
|---|
references/site-vitrine.md | Showcase site, portfolio, landing page | Landing page frameworks, hero patterns, service listing decision tree, social proof placement |
references/app-web.md | Dashboard, SaaS, internal tool | CRUD screen patterns, SaaS sidebar + Cmd+K navigation, empty states, onboarding patterns, role-based navigation |
references/cli-frontend.md | CLI tool getting a web frontend | Command-to-screen decision tree, CRUD-to-UI mapping, CLI-first philosophy, Pareto rule |
references/refonte.md | Redesign of existing product | Audit protocol, feature parity trap, URL preservation, migration strategy |
references/blueprint-template.md | Full workshop final deliverable | Complete markdown blueprint template |
references/principles.md | Need rationale or guardrails | Detailed principles, citations, anti-patterns |
Read only the files needed for the current mode and project type.
