new-feature

name	new-feature
description	Pre-flight checklist that must complete before writing the first line of code for any new feature. Load this skill when starting a new endpoint, service method, or integration. Prevents the most common AI-coding failure mode — writing code before defining layer boundaries, which leads to features that work today and break in 3 months.

new-feature

Do not open any file for editing until all 5 steps below are completed.

---

Step 1 — Define the API contract

Write the contract in plain text before any code. Answer these 4 questions:

Endpoint:   POST /generate/image
Request:    { prompt: str, model_id: str, width: int, height: int }
Response:   { task_id: str, status: "queued" }
Side effect: creates a task, holds credits

If you cannot answer all 4 in 2 sentences, the feature scope is unclear. Stop and clarify with the user.

---

Step 2 — Identify layers touched

Use this decision matrix to know which files you will create or modify:

What the feature needs	Layers touched	Files
New HTTP endpoint only	Router	routers/<domain>.py
Endpoint + business logic	Router + Service	+ services/<domain>/
Logic + database	Router + Service + Repo	+ repositories/protocols.py, repositories/sqlalchemy/<domain>.py
Logic + external API	Router + Service + Provider	+ providers/<name>.py
Logic + credits charge	All of the above + Credits	+ services/credits/user.py (read-only — single writer!)

Write the list: "This feature touches: Router, Service, Repo."

Do not touch more layers than listed. If you discover you need more, stop and re-plan.

---

Step 3 — Define the test scenario

Write the test scenario before code. Two scenarios minimum:

# Scenario 1: happy path
# Given: user has 10.00 credits, valid prompt
# When:  POST /generate/image with correct payload
# Then:  202 response, task_id returned, credits held

# Scenario 2: edge case
# Given: user has 0.00 credits
# When:  POST /generate/image
# Then:  402 response, no task created, no credits touched

These become your actual pytest tests in tests/unit/ or tests/integration/.

---

Step 4 — Build bottom-up

Always build in this order. Never start from the router.

1. Repository (if new data access needed)
   └── Add method to CreditsRepoProtocol
   └── Implement in SQLAlchemyCreditsRepo
   └── Implement in FakeCreditsRepo (tests/conftest.py)

2. Service
   └── Accepts repo via Protocol (never imports SQLAlchemy)
   └── Contains all business logic
   └── Raises domain exceptions (ValueError, not HTTPException)

3. Router
   └── Thin: validate schema → call service → return response
   └── Maps domain exceptions to HTTP codes
   └── No logic beyond 10 lines per endpoint handler

4. Schema
   └── Request and response Pydantic models
   └── Goes in schemas/<domain>.py, never inside routers/

Code template for a new router endpoint:

@router.post("/<resource>", response_model=ResourceResponse, status_code=202)
async def create_resource(
    body: ResourceRequest,
    user_id: str = Depends(get_current_user_id),
    service: ResourceService = Depends(get_resource_service),
) -> ResourceResponse:
    try:
        result = await service.create(user_id=user_id, **body.model_dump())
    except ValueError as e:
        raise HTTPException(status_code=400, detail=str(e))
    return ResourceResponse.model_validate(result)

---

Step 5 — Verify principles before committing

Run through this checklist before calling the feature done:

# Architecture lint — must exit 0
bash scripts/lint-architecture.sh

# No SQLAlchemy in service layer
grep -rn "AsyncSession\|from sqlalchemy" app/services/<new-service>/

# Auth on every new endpoint
grep -n "get_current_user_id" app/routers/<new-router>.py

# user_id scoping in every new query
grep -n "user_id" app/repositories/sqlalchemy/<new-repo>.py

Principle	Check
A1 — folder if 3+ endpoints in domain	ls app/routers/<domain>/
A7 — file under 400 LOC	wc -l app/services/<file>.py
B1 — no SQLAlchemy in service	grep above
B2 — service via Protocol, not concrete	constructor accepts Protocol type
B10 — credits only via CreditsUserService	no direct repo.hold() calls

---

Verification

The skill was applied correctly when:

• API contract written before code
• Layers listed and respected during implementation
• Test scenarios written, tests are green
• Built bottom-up (repo → service → router)
• bash scripts/lint-architecture.sh exits 0
• No new file exceeds 200 LOC (it's a new file — keep it small)