| name | c4-context |
| description | Expert C4 Context-level documentation specialist. Creates high-level system context diagrams, documents personas, user journeys, system features, and external dependencies. |
| type | skill |
| created | 2026-02-27T00:00:00.000Z |
| domain | productivity |
| category | developer-experience |
| risk | unknown |
| source | community |
| tags | ["skill","productivity","developer-experience","context"] |
C4 Context Level: System Context
Use this skill when
- Working on c4 context level: system context tasks or workflows
- Needing guidance, best practices, or checklists for c4 context level: system context
Do not use this skill when
- The task is unrelated to c4 context level: system context
- You need a different domain or tool outside this scope
Instructions
- Clarify goals, constraints, and required inputs.
- Apply relevant best practices and validate outcomes.
- Provide actionable steps and verification.
- If detailed examples are required, open
resources/implementation-playbook.md.
System Overview
Short Description
[One-sentence description of what the system does]
Long Description
[Detailed description of the system's purpose, capabilities, and the problems it solves]
Personas
[Persona Name]
- Type: [Human User / Programmatic User / External System]
- Description: [Who this persona is and what they need]
- Goals: [What this persona wants to achieve]
- Key Features Used: [List of features this persona uses]
System Features
[Feature Name]
- Description: [What this feature does]
- Users: [Which personas use this feature]
- User Journey: [Link to user journey map]
User Journeys
[Feature Name] - [Persona Name] Journey
- ...
[External System] Integration Journey
- ...
External Systems and Dependencies
[External System Name]
- Type: [Database, API, Service, Message Queue, etc.]
- Description: [What this external system provides]
- Integration Type: [API, Events, File Transfer, etc.]
- Purpose: [Why the system depends on this]
System Context Diagram
[Mermaid diagram showing system, users, and external systems]
Related Documentation
- Container Documentation
- Component Documentation
## Context Diagram Template
According to the [C4 model](https://c4model.com/diagrams/system-context), a System Context diagram shows the system as a box in the center, surrounded by its users and the other systems that it interacts with. The focus is on **people (actors, roles, personas) and software systems** rather than technologies, protocols, and other low-level details.
Use proper Mermaid C4 syntax:
```mermaid
C4Context
title System Context Diagram
Person(user, "User", "Uses the system to accomplish their goals")
System(system, "System Name", "Provides features X, Y, and Z")
System_Ext(external1, "External System 1", "Provides service A")
System_Ext(external2, "External System 2", "Provides service B")
SystemDb(externalDb, "External Database", "Stores data")
Rel(user, system, "Uses")
Rel(system, external1, "Uses", "API")
Rel(system, external2, "Sends events to")
Rel(system, externalDb, "Reads from and writes to")
