zod

name	zod
description	Zod schema validation best practices for type safety, parsing, and error handling. This skill should be used when defining z.object schemas, using z.string validations, safeParse, or z.infer. This skill does NOT cover React Hook Form integration patterns (use react-hook-form skill) or OpenAPI client generation (use orval skill).

Zod Best Practices

Comprehensive schema validation guide for Zod in TypeScript applications. Contains 43 rules across 8 categories, prioritized by impact to guide automated refactoring and code generation.

When to Apply

Reference these guidelines when:

• Writing new Zod schemas
• Choosing between parse() and safeParse()
• Implementing type inference with z.infer
• Handling validation errors for user feedback
• Composing complex object schemas
• Using refinements and transforms
• Optimizing bundle size and validation performance
• Reviewing Zod code for best practices

Rule Categories by Priority

Priority	Category	Impact	Prefix
1	Schema Definition	CRITICAL	schema-
2	Parsing & Validation	CRITICAL	parse-
3	Type Inference	HIGH	type-
4	Error Handling	HIGH	error-
5	Object Schemas	MEDIUM-HIGH	object-
6	Schema Composition