| name | architect |
| description | Sketch types, signatures, and module structure before code, then stay in the loop while implementation fills in. Use for /architect, 'architect this', 'design this', or non-trivial work where jumping to code would lock in the wrong shape. |
Architect
Design before implementing. Sketch types, function signatures, class shapes, and module boundaries with not implemented bodies and pseudocode. Synthesize across multiple model perspectives, then fill in code against the chosen sketch. If implementation proves the sketch wrong, throw it out and redesign.
Start
Open a todolist with one entry per phase before starting. Autonomous mode without checkpoints needs the list to show phase position and keep phases from silently disappearing.
- Ground
- Sketch
- Agree
- Implement
- Scrap
Phase A: Ground the problem
Build a real mental model of every system the new code touches. Run the how skill over the relevant subsystems. Critique mode if existing structure is the constraint or the design must push back on it.
Naming a file isn't grounding. Produce the traced model how prescribes. If the design redefines ownership or layering, also run the why skill on the existing shape so the rationale becomes a constraint, not a guess.
Skip Phase A only when the work is genuinely greenfield with no surrounding system to integrate.
Phase B: Sketch
Run the arena skill with the design-sketch task and the Phase A grounding artifacts. Pass references/runner-prompt.md as each runner's prompt. Each candidate produces a design package shaped per references/rationale-template.md: the caller's usage written first, then the type sketch, function signatures, module map, and prose rationale derived from it.
Use your configured architect runners (defaults claude-fable-5-thinking-max, , , ).