github/awesome-copilot
Create a high-level technical architecture specification for a development epic from a product requirements document
About this skill
A prompt-based skill that directs the agent to act as a senior software engineer. The agent converts the epic's product requirements document (Epic PRD) into a technical architecture specification in Markdown format. The specification includes an overview of the technical approach, a layered Mermaid system diagram, a list of key features and technical enablers, the technologies used, an estimate of technical value, and a T-shirt size estimate (S/M/L/XL). The output is saved to the path /docs/ways-of-work/plan/{epic-name}/arch.md.
How do you use this skill?
1. Prepare the content of the epic's product requirements document (Epic PRD), either as a Markdown file or as text, and choose a short name for the epic.
2. Ask the agent to apply the breakdown-epic-arch skill and paste the document content into the request or point to its file. Example user request: "Here is the requirements document for the notification system epic. Create a high-level technical architecture specification for it, and save it under the epic name notifications."
3. The agent will produce the specification with the six defined sections: the overview, a Mermaid diagram with user, application, services, data, and infrastructure layers, the features and technical enablers, the technologies, the technical value, and the size estimate.
4. Verify that the file was saved to the path /docs/ways-of-work/plan/notifications/arch.md, then review the diagram in a tool that renders Mermaid.
5. Adjust the proposed technologies if your project does not use the stack assumed by the skill, and ask the agent to update the specification accordingly.
Requirements and limitations
- The skill requires the content of the epic's product requirements document (Epic PRD) as its primary input.
- No accounts or access keys are required. To save the output automatically to the specified path, the agent must have write permission to the repository files.
- The skill assumes a predefined technology stack: TypeScript and Next.js with App Router, Turborepo, tRPC, Stack Auth for authentication, Docker containers, PostgreSQL, Qdrant, Redis, and n8n. If your project's stack is different, you will need to adjust the results manually.
- Rendering the diagram requires a tool or platform that supports Mermaid.
- The skill does not write code; it uses only pseudocode when needed. It does not execute anything and does not validate the proposed architecture.
- The technical value and size estimates are approximate and require human review.
- The skill is taken from a source licensed under the MIT License.
Installation by agent
Download and extract the ZIP. It contains the folder breakdown-epic-arch and the file SKILL.md with the original attachments and license.
GitHub Copilot
- Create this path inside your project if it does not exist:
.github/skills/ - Copy the entire extracted skill folder to this path:
.github/skills/breakdown-epic-arch/SKILL.md - Open the project in your agent or refresh the skills list and look for breakdown-epic-arch.
- Request the task shown above and select the skill. Grant only necessary permissions.
Claude Code
- Create this path inside your project if it does not exist:
.claude/skills/ - Copy the entire extracted skill folder to this path:
.claude/skills/breakdown-epic-arch/SKILL.md - Open the project in your agent or refresh the skills list and look for breakdown-epic-arch.
- Request the task shown above and select the skill. Grant only necessary permissions.
OpenAI Codex
- Create this path inside your project if it does not exist:
.agents/skills/ - Copy the entire extracted skill folder to this path:
.agents/skills/breakdown-epic-arch/SKILL.md - Open the project in your agent or refresh the skills list and look for breakdown-epic-arch.
- Request the task shown above and select the skill. Grant only necessary permissions.
Cursor
- Create this path inside your project if it does not exist:
.cursor/skills/ - Copy the entire extracted skill folder to this path:
.cursor/skills/breakdown-epic-arch/SKILL.md - Open the project in your agent or refresh the skills list and look for breakdown-epic-arch.
- Request the task shown above and select the skill. Grant only necessary permissions.
Gemini CLI
- Create this path inside your project if it does not exist:
.gemini/skills/ - Copy the entire extracted skill folder to this path:
.gemini/skills/breakdown-epic-arch/SKILL.md - Open the project in your agent or refresh the skills list and look for breakdown-epic-arch.
- Request the task shown above and select the skill. Grant only necessary permissions.
Devin / Windsurf
- Create this path inside your project if it does not exist:
.devin/skills/ - Copy the entire extracted skill folder to this path:
.devin/skills/breakdown-epic-arch/SKILL.md - Open the project in your agent or refresh the skills list and look for breakdown-epic-arch.
- Request the task shown above and select the skill. Grant only necessary permissions.