Developer Toolkit

10 Skills That Make
Great Developers

A structured skill system for your development team. From planning to release — every step has a repeatable, proven process.

Skills

Core Rules

∞

Fewer Bugs

Developer Workflow

How skills map to your daily work — from receiving a task to shipping it.

💡

Suggest

→

📋

Plan

→

🔨

Build

→

🔍

Review

→

🧪

Test

→

✅

Commit

→

🚀

Release

🐛 find-fix · 📖 explain · 🔒 sec-audit — available anytime in the workflow

All Skills

Click any skill to see full details, flow diagrams, and usage guide.

Mandatory Rules

Every skill follows these 6 rules. No exceptions.

Understand Before You Build

Study the existing architecture first. Read how similar features are already built. Identify existing patterns, services, and utilities. Never assume — look at the actual codebase.

Reuse — Never Duplicate

Search for existing components, functions, and utilities. If something similar exists, extend it — don't copy it. Shared logic goes in shared files.

Use Existing Technology

Use the frameworks and libraries already in the project. Don't introduce a new library if an existing one works. Follow established patterns.

Ask Before Adding Anything New

New npm package, framework, tool, database pattern, or folder structure? Ask first. Never install or download without confirmation.

Follow Best Practices

Clean, readable code over clever code. Proper error handling on every path. Input validation at every boundary. Consistent naming throughout.

No Tool References — Anywhere

No "Generated by..." in code comments. No "Co-Authored-By" tags in commits. No tool mentions in PRs. All output must look 100% human-written.

Getting Started

Start using the skills in your workflow in 3 steps.

Clone the Skills Repo

Clone the GitHub repository to get all 66 skills.

git clone https://github.com/heaptracetechnology/heaptrace-skills.git

66 skills · 8 packs · ~300KB

Reference a Skill

When starting a task, tell your coding assistant to follow the skill. Paste the skill content or reference the file path.

Follow the steps in heaptrace-skills/feature-plan/SKILL.md

Follow the Process

Each skill has a step-by-step flow with checklists, diagrams, and templates. Follow them in order for consistent, high-quality output every time.

Setup Guide

Get Started in
Minutes

Step-by-step instructions to set up Heaptrace Skills in your preferred development environment.

▶ Setup in Cursor

Configure Cursor to use Heaptrace Skills as coding rules for your project.

Step 1

Download

Get the skills ZIP

→

Step 2

Open Settings

Features → Rules

→

Step 3

Add Rule

Point to skill files

→

Step 4

Use Skills

Reference by name

Clone the skills repo

Clone the GitHub repo into your project root or any accessible location.

git clone https://github.com/heaptracetechnology/heaptrace-skills.git

Open Cursor Settings

Navigate to Settings → Features → Rules. This is where you define project-level instructions that Cursor follows during every coding session.

Add rules pointing to skill files

You can either add rules that reference the skill folder path, or paste skill content directly into your .cursorrules file.

# .cursorrules — Example configuration
#
# Reference specific skills for your workflow:
#
# When planning a feature, follow the process in:
#   heaptrace-skills/feature-plan/SKILL.md
#
# When reviewing code, follow:
#   heaptrace-skills/code-review/SKILL.md
#
# When fixing bugs, follow:
#   heaptrace-skills/find-fix/SKILL.md
#
# General rules:
# - Always understand existing code before making changes
# - Reuse existing components — never duplicate
# - Follow best practices for error handling and validation
# - No tool references in code, commits, or PRs

Start a task and reference the skill by name

When working in Cursor, reference the skill directly: "Follow the feature-plan skill to plan this feature" or "Use the code-review skill to review these changes."

Tip: You can paste the full content of frequently-used skills directly into your .cursorrules file so they are always available without referencing a file path.

▶ Setup in Claude Code

Configure Claude Code to use Heaptrace Skills through your project instructions file.

Step 1

Download

Get the skills ZIP

→

Step 2

Place Files

Project root or ~/.claude/

→

Step 3

Configure

Reference in CLAUDE.md

→

Step 4

Invoke

Use /skill-name or paste

Clone the skills repo

Clone the GitHub repo to your preferred location.

git clone https://github.com/heaptracetechnology/heaptrace-skills.git

Place in your project or home directory

Copy the folder into your project root alongside your code, or place it in ~/.claude/ for global access across all projects.

# Option A: Project-level (recommended) cp -r ~/heaptrace-skills/ ./heaptrace-skills/ # Option B: Global access cp -r ~/heaptrace-skills/ ~/.claude/skills/

Reference skills in your CLAUDE.md

Add references in your project's .claude/CLAUDE.md file so skills are automatically available.

# CLAUDE.md — Example configuration

## Skills
The following developer skills are available in `heaptrace-skills/`:

- **feature-plan** — Use when planning any new feature
- **feature-work** — Use when implementing a feature end-to-end
- **code-review**  — Use for all code reviews and self-reviews
- **find-fix**     — Use when investigating and fixing bugs
- **test-gen**     — Use when writing tests
- **smart-commit** — Use for all git commits
- **sec-audit**    — Run before every release

To invoke a skill:
  Follow the process in heaptrace-skills/{skill-name}/SKILL.md

Invoke skills in your workflow

Reference a skill by name in chat: "Follow the feature-plan skill to plan this feature". If configured as slash commands, use /skill-name to invoke directly.

Tip: For frequently used skills, configure them as slash commands in your skills/ directory so you can invoke them with a single /command.

▶ Quick Comparison

A side-by-side view of how skills work in each environment.

Feature	Cursor	Claude Code
Where skills live	`.cursorrules` or project folder	`CLAUDE.md` or `skills/` folder
How to reference	Paste in rules or @file	/skill-name or paste in chat
Auto-trigger	Via `.cursorrules`	Via skill frontmatter
Best for	In-editor coding	Terminal-based workflows
Project-wide rules	`.cursorrules` in project root	`.claude/CLAUDE.md` in project
Global rules	Settings → Rules	`~/.claude/CLAUDE.md`

Learn

Understand Skills,
Rules & Customization

Learn what skills are, how they work, and how to create and customize your own for any project.

✦ What Are Skills?

Skills are structured, repeatable processes that guide developers through common tasks. They turn tribal knowledge into documented workflows that any team member can follow.

Input

Requirement

A task or request

→

Process

Skill Applied

Structured steps

→

Output

Quality Result

Consistent every time

Why Skills Matter

Consistency

Every developer follows the same process, producing predictable, high-quality results regardless of experience level.

Faster Onboarding

New team members can immediately follow proven processes instead of figuring things out from scratch.

Fewer Bugs

Checklists and structured reviews catch issues before they reach production, reducing rework and incident rates.

Knowledge Capture

Best practices are documented and evolve with the team rather than living in one person's head.

✦ How Skills Work

Every skill follows the same structure: a SKILL.md file with frontmatter metadata, step-by-step instructions, checklists, and templates.

Anatomy of a Skill File

heaptrace-skills/
  feature-plan/
    SKILL.md          ← The skill definition
  feature-work/
    SKILL.md
  code-review/
    SKILL.md
  ...

Each SKILL.md contains:

  1. Frontmatter      — Name, description, trigger conditions
  2. When to Use      — Scenarios where this skill applies
  3. Process Flow     — Step-by-step instructions with diagrams
  4. Checklist        — Verification items to complete
  5. Templates        — Reusable output formats
  6. Examples         — Real-world usage examples

The Skill Workflow

Step 1

Get Task

Receive a requirement

→

Step 2

Pick Skill

Match task to skill

→

Step 3

Follow Steps

Execute the process

→

Step 4

Deliver

Quality output

✦ Rules & Instructions

Understanding the difference between project rules, editor rules, and skills is key to using them effectively.

CLAUDE.md

Project-wide rules for Claude Code. Lives in .claude/CLAUDE.md. Defines coding conventions, architecture decisions, and mandatory checks.

"Always use Prisma for DB changes"

Tool-Specific

.cursorrules

Project-wide rules for Cursor. Lives in project root. Defines coding conventions and contextual instructions for the editor.

"Always use Prisma for DB changes"

Tool-Specific

Skills

Task-specific guides that work with any tool. Not tied to a single editor. Portable, reusable, and shareable across teams.

"When planning a feature, follow these 8 steps..."

Tool-Agnostic

Key distinction: CLAUDE.md and .cursorrules define what rules to follow (project conventions). Skills define how to do specific tasks (step-by-step processes). Use both together for the best results.

✦ Create Your Own Skills

You can create custom skills for any repeatable process in your team's workflow. Start with a process you do often, document the steps, and add verification checklists.

The Creation Process

Step 1

Identify

Find a repeated task

→

Step 2

Document

Write the steps

→

Step 3

Add Checks

Verification items

→

Step 4

Test

Use with real work

→

Step 5

Refine

Iterate and improve

Skill Template

Use this template as a starting point for any new skill.

# {Skill Name}

## Description
{One-line summary of what this skill does}

## When to Use
- {Scenario 1}
- {Scenario 2}
- {Scenario 3}

## Process

### Step 1: {First Step Name}
- {What to do}
- {What to check}

### Step 2: {Second Step Name}
- {What to do}
- {What to check}

### Step 3: {Third Step Name}
- {What to do}
- {What to check}

## Checklist
- [ ] {Verification item 1}
- [ ] {Verification item 2}
- [ ] {Verification item 3}
- [ ] {Verification item 4}

## Examples
{Real-world example of this skill in action}

Tips for creating effective skills:
• Start with a process you do at least once a week
• Write steps as if explaining to a new team member
• Add checklists based on mistakes you've seen in the past
• Keep each step focused — one action per step
• Include examples with real (anonymized) scenarios

✦ Customize Existing Skills

Heaptrace Skills are designed to be customized. Adapt them to your specific project, tech stack, and team conventions.

Add your project's tech stack

Update the skill steps to reference your specific frameworks, libraries, and tools. For example, if the code-review skill mentions "check for SQL injection," customize it to say "check Prisma queries for raw SQL usage."

Add project-specific patterns

Include your component names, naming conventions, and architectural patterns. If your project uses a specific state management approach or API pattern, add those checks to relevant skills.

Add checklist items from past bugs

Every time your team encounters a bug that a skill should have caught, add a new checklist item. This way your skills get smarter over time and prevent repeat mistakes.

Example: customizing code-review for your stack

Here is an example of adding project-specific review items to the code-review skill's checklist:

# Added checklist items for our project:
- [ ] Check that all new API routes use the tenantMiddleware
- [ ] Verify Prisma queries include tenant_id filter
- [ ] Confirm new components reuse existing UI primitives from /components/ui/
- [ ] Check that new pages follow the existing layout pattern
- [ ] Verify error responses use the standard ApiError format
- [ ] Ensure new environment variables are added to .env.example

Remember: Skills are living documents. Review and update them quarterly as your project evolves, your team grows, and new patterns emerge.

10 Skills That MakeGreat Developers

Developer Workflow

All Skills

Mandatory Rules

Getting Started

Clone the Skills Repo

Reference a Skill

Follow the Process

Get Started inMinutes

▶ Setup in Cursor

Clone the skills repo

Open Cursor Settings

Add rules pointing to skill files

Start a task and reference the skill by name

▶ Setup in Claude Code

Clone the skills repo

Place in your project or home directory

Reference skills in your CLAUDE.md

Invoke skills in your workflow

▶ Quick Comparison

Understand Skills,Rules & Customization

✦ What Are Skills?

Why Skills Matter

✦ How Skills Work

Anatomy of a Skill File

The Skill Workflow

✦ Rules & Instructions

CLAUDE.md

.cursorrules

Skills

✦ Create Your Own Skills

The Creation Process

Skill Template

✦ Customize Existing Skills

Add your project's tech stack

Add project-specific patterns

Add checklist items from past bugs

Example: customizing code-review for your stack

10 Skills That Make
Great Developers

Get Started in
Minutes

Understand Skills,
Rules & Customization