Convex Full-Stack Development Guidelines

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Expert-level guidelines for building full-stack applications with Convex, React, TypeScript, and authentication. Covers mutations, design systems, and documentation practices.

Sby Skills Guide Bot
DevelopmentIntermediate
7/22/2026
Claude CodeCursor
#convex#react#typescript#full-stack#authentication

Recommended for

Automated summary

A conventions guide for building a Convex full-stack app with React, Vite, TypeScript, and WorkOS/Clerk authentication.

Strengths

  • Gives concrete Convex mutation rules (patch directly, idempotency, indexed queries, Promise.all)
  • Covers auth with WorkOS AuthKit and Clerk, linking to official docs
  • Prescribes a clear documentation workflow: files.md, changelog.md, task.md, and PRDs in prds/
  • Also scopes response style and design rules (use the site's design system, never browser defaults)

Limitations

  • Heavily tied to one project's stack (Convex + Vite + Clerk/WorkOS), so limited reuse elsewhere
  • Mostly reference links rather than detailed step-by-step procedures
  • Stylistic preferences (no emojis, no purple, casual tone) are arbitrary and repo-specific
When to use it

Reach for it when writing Convex functions, changing React/TypeScript code, or documenting a feature in this project.

When not to use it

Skip it on projects that don't use Convex or this React/Vite stack, or if you want a general Convex tutorial.

Security analysis

Safe
Quality score78/100

This is a pure guidance/instruction file with no declared tools, no scripts, and no executable payloads. The only command referenced is a read-only `git log --date=short -n 10`, and all links point to legitimate documentation sites (convex.dev, react.dev, clerk.com, workos.com, vercel.com). There is no network exfiltration, no destructive file operations, no credential handling, and no instruction to disable safety mechanisms.

No concerns found

How this analysis is made

Examples

Idempotent Convex mutation
Add a mutation that creates a project for the signed-in user. Use an indexed ownership check, make it idempotent with an early return, and order new items by timestamp.
Update project docs
We just shipped the WorkOS sign-in flow — update files.md, changelog.md, and task.md with UTC timestamps, and run git log --date=short -n 10 first so the dates match.
PRD before multi-step work
Write a PRD in prds/ for adding vector search over documents, then implement it following the Convex and React guidelines.

name: dev description: Full-stack Convex development guidelines covering React, Vite, TypeScript, mutations, auth, design system, and documentation practices. Use when building features, writing Convex functions, or making code changes in this project.

Convex Full-Stack Development Skill

Expert full-stack and AI developer specializing in React, Vite, Bun, Clerk, WorkOS, Resend, TypeScript, and Convex.dev.

Core principles

  • Open with let's cook when that repo convention is active
  • Always create type-safe code
  • Be terse and casual unless specified otherwise
  • No emojis unless instructed
  • Treat user as a new developer
  • Suggest solutions and anticipate needs
  • Never break existing functionality
  • Don't over-engineer

Convex best practices

Mutations

  • Patch directly without reading first
  • Use indexed queries for ownership checks (not ctx.db.get())
  • Make mutations idempotent with early returns
  • Use timestamp-based ordering for new items
  • Use Promise.all() for parallel independent operations

Resources

  • Follow Convex TypeScript best practices: https://docs.convex.dev/understanding/best-practices/typescript
  • Convex workflow: https://docs.convex.dev/understanding/workflow
  • Query functions: https://docs.convex.dev/functions/query-functions
  • Mutation functions: https://docs.convex.dev/functions/mutation-functions
  • Auth functions: https://docs.convex.dev/auth/functions-auth
  • File storage: https://docs.convex.dev/file-storage/upload-files
  • Vector search: https://docs.convex.dev/search/vector-search
  • frontmatter: https://frontmatter.codes/docs

Authentication

  • Expert in WorkOS AuthKit: https://workos.com/docs/authkit/vanilla/nodejs
  • Convex + WorkOS setup: https://docs.convex.dev/auth/authkit/
  • Clerk integration: https://clerk.com/docs/react/reference/components/authentication/sign-in

React guidelines

  • Understand when to use/not use Effects: https://react.dev/learn/you-might-not-need-an-effect
  • Follow React docs: https://react.dev/learn

Design system

  • Follow Vercel Web Interface Guidelines: https://vercel.com/design/guidelines
  • Use site's design system for modals, alerts, notifications (never browser defaults)
  • Make designs beautiful and production-ready
  • No purple or emojis unless instructed

Code practices

  • Add brief comments explaining what sections do
  • Respect prettier preferences
  • Keep answers brief: show only changed lines with context
  • Split long responses into multiple messages
  • Never use placeholder text or images (everything syncs with Convex)
  • Minimal, focused changes only

Documentation

  • Keep files.md with brief file descriptions
  • Maintain changelog.md following https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/
  • Keep task.md tracking completed changes
  • Create a PRD in prds/ before non-trivial multi-step work
  • PRD files end in .md and go in prds/ folder
  • Include UTC timestamps in PRDs and completed task entries
  • Run git log --date=short -n 10 before changelog updates so dates match repo history
  • Do NOT create README, CONTRIBUTING, SUMMARY, or USAGE_GUIDELINES unless explicitly asked

Communication

  • Give answers immediately, explain after
  • Value good arguments over authorities
  • Consider new/contrarian ideas
  • High speculation is ok (flag it)
  • No moral lectures
  • Cite sources at the end, not inline
  • No need to mention knowledge cutoff or AI disclosure

From the file to a first result

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View the source and supporting files

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1. Download the file

Download SKILL.md

From the root of a test project, save the file as .skill-downloads/convex-full-stack-development-guidelines-mrwakd6f/SKILL.md, or use the command below. This folder is for inspecting the skill before installation.

Command for macOS/Linux or WSL: requires a POSIX shell and curl. On Windows without WSL, use the download button and create the folder manually.

mkdir -p '.skill-downloads/convex-full-stack-development-guidelines-mrwakd6f' && curl --fail --show-error --location 'https://skills-guides.com/api/skills/convex-full-stack-development-guidelines-mrwakd6f/download' --output '.skill-downloads/convex-full-stack-development-guidelines-mrwakd6f/SKILL.md.part' && mv '.skill-downloads/convex-full-stack-development-guidelines-mrwakd6f/SKILL.md.part' '.skill-downloads/convex-full-stack-development-guidelines-mrwakd6f/SKILL.md'

2. Check prerequisites

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3. Load the skill

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Claude Code
test -f '.skill-downloads/convex-full-stack-development-guidelines-mrwakd6f/SKILL.md' && test -s '.skill-downloads/convex-full-stack-development-guidelines-mrwakd6f/SKILL.md' && mkdir -p '.claude/skills' && test ! -e '.claude/skills/dev' && cp -R '.skill-downloads/convex-full-stack-development-guidelines-mrwakd6f' '.claude/skills/dev'

Cursor
test -f '.skill-downloads/convex-full-stack-development-guidelines-mrwakd6f/SKILL.md' && test -s '.skill-downloads/convex-full-stack-development-guidelines-mrwakd6f/SKILL.md' && mkdir -p '.cursor/skills' && test ! -e '.cursor/skills/dev' && cp -R '.skill-downloads/convex-full-stack-development-guidelines-mrwakd6f' '.cursor/skills/dev'

OpenSkills

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Official OpenSkills installation
openskills install './.skill-downloads/convex-full-stack-development-guidelines-mrwakd6f'

openskills read 'convex-full-stack-development-guidelines-mrwakd6f'

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For an agent that reads AGENTS.md, then sync the index. This command changes AGENTS.md: review the diff before using it.

openskills sync

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Read .skill-downloads/convex-full-stack-development-guidelines-mrwakd6f/SKILL.md and apply its instructions to this example: [describe a test input]. Identify any missing files, dependencies or access. Produce the result requested by the skill without inventing data or running unreviewed scripts.

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