Best skills for Backend developer
As a backend developer, you build the core logic, APIs, and data layers that power applications. Two AI skills stand out for this role: Domain-Driven Design (DDD) and Definition of Done (DoD). DDD helps you model complex business domains through bounded contexts, aggregates, and ubiquitous language – AI can expedite this by suggesting patterns based on your domain descriptions. The Definition of Done ensures every feature meets a clear quality bar, including tests, documentation, and code review. Together, they help you ship maintainable, business-aligned backend systems. A common pitfall is treating AI-generated code as finished work: always apply your DoD checklist. DDD keeps your architecture focused on business value, not technical clutter. These skills aren't shortcuts; they're force multipliers for designing robust, scalable backend solutions.
24 skills selected
Python Patterns and Decision-Making
Development
This skill provides principles for making decisions in Python development: framework selection (FastAPI, Django, Flask), async vs sync patterns, type hints strategy, and project structure. It helps developers choose the right approach based on context rather than memorizing fixed patterns.
Add Game Subsystem
Development
Scaffolds a complete new game subsystem end-to-end: models, service, router, schemas, migrations, OpenAPI spec, and tests. Use this skill when adding a major new game feature that spans multiple layers (database, service, API, tests), such as a crafting system, an auction house, a reputation system, or a quest system.
No Johns Setup Troubleshooter
Development
Diagnoses and fixes common setup issues for No Johns, an AI training framework for Melee. Runs systematic checks on Python 3.12, required packages (libmelee, pyenet), configuration files (Dolphin path, ISO, connect code), Dolphin installation, and arena connectivity. Useful when users encounter errors during initial setup or after updates.
Django Expert Backend
Development
Provides expert guidance for Django backend development. Use it when building Django models, views, APIs with DRF, optimizing ORM queries, or implementing authentication and testing. Follows Django best practices to improve code quality and performance.
Safe Database Migration
Development
Run database migrations with safety checks: dry-run previews before staging/production, automatic rollback guidance, and explicit confirmation for production. Use it to apply schema changes without risking data loss or downtime.
Database Patterns (Drizzle ORM)
Development
Provides database patterns for PostgreSQL using Drizzle ORM, including a repository-based data access layer. Enforces conventions like snake_case naming, UUID primary keys, and timestamps. Includes migration workflow and common query patterns for filtering.
Domain-Driven Architecture Patterns
Development
Provides tactical Domain-Driven Design patterns for Python applications, including Domain Model, Repository, Service Layer, Unit of Work, and Aggregates. Helps architect clean backend systems with clear separation between business logic and infrastructure, and supports decisions on service boundaries and data access layers.
TinyDB Database Management for JSON Storage
Development
Configure and operate TinyDB for JSON-based document storage. The skill covers setup, CRUD operations, ID generation, and query patterns. It helps when building applications that need lightweight JSON persistence with search capabilities.
Python Functional Code Reviewer
Development
This skill reviews Python codebases with a focus on functional programming, avoiding for-loops, and promoting clean, composable code. It enforces code quality via ruff and validates environment hygiene with uv. Useful for ensuring modern, maintainable Python code.
Code Quality Checker
Development
Runs ruff for linting and mypy for type checking on the codebase. It can auto-fix ruff violations and target specific directories. Useful for catching style issues, security warnings, and type errors before commit.
Prisma ORM - Type-Safe Database Operations
Development
Performs type-safe database operations using Prisma ORM with PostgreSQL. Ideal for defining schemas, writing type-safe queries, creating migrations, modeling relations, or replacing raw SQL with ORM patterns. Automatically generates TypeScript types and manages database schema changes.
Python Functional Bug Debugging
Development
Investigates functional bugs in Python using specifications, logs, and observed behavior. Useful when a feature isn't working as specified, to analyze runtime errors, or to scope a problem before implementing a fix.
Node.js Backend with Express and TypeScript
Development
Node.js 20 LTS runtime for building Express and TypeScript backend services. Handles async operations, database connections with PostgreSQL, image processing with Sharp, and environment configuration. Use when working on server-side JavaScript with modern module system and TypeScript.
Database Reset & Seed
Development
This skill resets a database to a clean state and optionally seeds it with test data. It supports MongoDB and PostgreSQL projects, performing backup, drop, migration, and seeding steps. Use it when you need a fresh database for development or testing after running migrations.
Flask API Development
Development
Provides patterns for building Flask APIs with modular blueprints, SQLAlchemy ORM, JWT authentication, and structured error handling. Useful for developing RESTful APIs, microservices, or lightweight web services where a full framework like Django would be too heavy.
Architecture Performance Optimization
Development
Use to analyze and resolve performance bottlenecks across database, API, network, and frontend layers. It guides identifying bottleneck types, measuring baseline metrics, and applying layer-specific optimizations like indexing, caching, lazy loading, and OnPush change detection. Helpful when dealing with slow API responses, database query optimization, frontend rendering issues, or scalability planning.
Gitea Integration
Development
This skill enables interaction with Gitea, a self-hosted Git service, through its API and CLI. It supports managing repositories, issues, pull requests, and user/organization operations. Use it when automating workflow tasks on a Gitea instance.
Database Schema Design Agent
Development
Designs database schemas, data models, and architectures for applications. Helps when building new applications or refactoring existing databases by providing normalized schemas, indexing strategies, and migration plans tailored to your data requirements and query patterns.
Python Dependency Manager
Development
This skill manages Python dependencies using uv. It checks installed and outdated packages, updates dependencies safely (with test verification), adds or removes packages, and audits for security vulnerabilities. It enforces rules like never removing a dependency without checking usage and always running tests after changes.
Add Skill
Development
Adds a skill to the knowledge base using the POST /api/v1/skills endpoint. Accepts four input formats: a skill dictionary, an MCP tool definition (auto-converted), a Markdown string with YAML frontmatter, or a file/directory path.
Python Code Assistant
Development
Generates, analyzes, debugs, and tests Python code using only local context. It inspects the Python environment, reads docstrings and offline documentation to craft solutions, and suggests pip or conda commands for missing packages. Helps when you need to produce or improve Python code without internet access.
Generate CLI Wrapper Code for MCP Servers
Development
This skill generates production-ready CLI wrapper code for MCP servers using progressive disclosure patterns. It reads MCP server configurations and creates complete Python or TypeScript wrappers with help systems, argument parsing, error handling, and output formatting.
FastAPI Project Setup with RAG
Development
Clones and configures a production-ready FastAPI backend for RAG, either basic (launch-rag) or agentic (launch-agentic-rag). Guides through repository selection, virtual environment, dependency installation, and environment variable setup with Supabase and AI provider keys. Helps quickly bootstrap a structured FastAPI project with vector search, question answering, and optional agentic tools.
Python 3.11+ Modernization
Development
Applies Python 3.11+ modernization patterns including PEP 585/604 type hints, match-case, walrus operator, and Self type. Use when reviewing existing code for legacy patterns or writing new code to ensure modern idioms. Supports analyzing specific files or explaining individual topics.
How to choose
- How are these skills selected?
- Each skill is curated and verified by the Skills Guides editorial team. We run a security and quality review on every entry, so only verified skills appear in this selection.
- What do the security ratings mean?
- We label skills Safe, Caution or Risky based on our security analysis — checking for prompt-injection risks, requested permissions and other red flags. The rating gives you an at-a-glance sense of how much trust a skill warrants.
- How do I install a skill?
- Open any skill page and follow its install instructions for your tool — Claude Code, Cursor or Copilot. Each skill lists the exact steps so you can get it running in a couple of minutes.