Guide · Agent skill
How to use the Aria system architect agent skill
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
Aria is an agent skill that makes your AI assistant act as a software architect. Once installed, it turns confirmed requirements and an implementation plan into a written blueprint covering database entities, API endpoints, a project directory layout and design pattern choices. This guide explains what agent skills are, how to install Aria, how to ask for it in plain language, and what to check before you trust its output.
Aria the System Architectsickn33/agentic-awesome-skills · MIT Download the skill Quick start
- 1Download the ZIP. Download the Aria skill ZIP from this page.
- 2Unzip the skill. Unzip the file so that SKILL.md sits inside a skill folder.
- 3Place it for your agent. Put the folder in ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or in the project's .claude/skills/ folder for one project.
- 4Or upload it in the Claude apps. In the Claude apps, go to Settings → Capabilities → Skills and upload the skill.
- 5Prepare your input. Gather confirmed requirements and, if available, the implementation plan and relevant schema or API files.
- 6Ask in plain language. Describe the feature or change and request a data model, API contract or review.
- 7Verify before building. Check the blueprint's open questions and security notes, then verify it before pushing anything to production.
What is an agent skill and what does Aria do?
An agent skill is a folder containing a SKILL.md file. The file tells an AI agent how to take on a specific role and what output to produce. Aria is one such skill. Its SKILL.md describes a System Architect named Aria who designs the structural foundation of a system.
Aria works from confirmed requirements and an implementation plan. Its output is a blueprint meant to be handed to a separate build step. The blueprint follows a fixed structure: an architecture decision record summary, a data model with entities, fields, keys and indexes, API contracts with request and response shapes, a file structure, security notes, and open questions.
- Data model: entities, fields with types, primary and foreign keys, indexes and constraints
- API contract: endpoints with method, path, auth level, request shape, response shape and status codes
- File structure: a directory tree with one sentence per module describing its job
- Design decisions: chosen patterns with a one-sentence reason for each
- Security notes: authentication, authorization and OWASP surfaces with mitigations
How do you install the Aria skill?
Download the ZIP for the Aria skill from this page and unzip it. The skill is a single file, SKILL.md, so you need to place the unzipped skill folder where your agent looks for skills.
For a personal setup, put it in ~/.claude/skills/. For a single project, put it in the project's .claude/skills/ folder so it applies only there. In the Claude apps, you can instead upload the skill under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
- Personal: unzip into ~/.claude/skills/
- Project only: unzip into the project's .claude/skills/ folder
- Claude apps: upload under Settings → Capabilities → Skills
~/.claude/skills/How do you trigger Aria with a natural request?
You do not need a special command. Describe the design task in plain language and say what you need: a data model, an API contract, a module layout or a review of an existing design. Include your confirmed requirements and, if you have one, the implementation plan. The skill expects that input and will ask for clarification when the plan is vague.
Aria is meant for real design work on confirmed requirements. It is not for small routine fixes.
- "Design the data model and API contract for a team invitations feature. Requirements and plan are below."
- "Review this existing users and orders schema for consistency and integrity issues."
- "Propose a directory layout and module boundaries for adding billing to this service."
- "We are changing the orders table. Write a blueprint amendment with a migration note."
What does a typical Aria output look like?
Aria responds with a structured report labelled ARIA BLUEPRINT. It lists the project, the input versions it used, and then the sections described above. Each entity lists its fields with types and whether they are nullable or required. Each endpoint lists its auth level, request, success response and error response.
When Aria is re-invoked for a new feature or schema change, the source says it produces an amendment that appends only the changed sections and includes a migration note if the database schema changed.
- Notes for the implementation step, with build ordering and gotchas
- Notes for the code review step, with what to watch for
- Open questions, each marked as blocking or not blocking
What does Aria need before you use it?
The skill lists no required tools or packages. It does not run scripts and does not use the network. What it does need is input: confirmed requirements and, ideally, an implementation plan. The skill is written to take these from upstream roles in a multi-agent squad, named Rex for requirements and Alex for planning. If those roles do not exist in your setup, the source says to use the user context and repository artifacts you have instead.
Aria is designed for developers who can judge a schema or API design. It will challenge a vague plan, so non-technical users without settled requirements will get a lot of questions back.
- Confirmed requirements for the feature or change
- An implementation plan, if you have one
- Access to the repository artifacts you want reviewed, such as an existing schema
What are the safety notes for Aria?
The skill runs no scripts and makes no network calls, according to its listing. Its guidance is to keep private data and secrets out of reports, and to flag files that are security-sensitive and must not be committed. Aria itself does not write implementation code. The source says that is the build step's job.
The skill also warns that AI agents can hallucinate or give incorrect guidance. Verify every design and any generated code before it goes to production.
- Do not paste secrets or private data into requests
- Treat the blueprint as a draft to review, not a finished sign-off
- Check security notes against your own threat model and OWASP guidance before deploying
Tips for getting better blueprints
The more precise your input, the more precise the output. Aria names every decision and its rationale, so you can see where to push back. When two valid patterns exist, the skill states the tradeoff instead of picking silently, which makes it easier to make the final call yourself.
Aria avoids over-engineering. If a single table is enough, it will say so rather than propose microservices. Ask for a review rather than a full design when the change is small.
- State the database engine and auth approach if you already know them
- Give existing schema or API files so Aria can check consistency
- Ask for an amendment rather than a full rewrite when the system already has a blueprint
- Answer the open questions marked blocking before moving to implementation
What people use it for
- Planning the tables and API endpoints for a new feature before any code is written
- Reviewing an existing data model for consistency, keys and integrity problems
- Producing a blueprint amendment with a migration note when a schema changes
- Setting out a project directory layout with one-sentence module responsibilities
- Giving a separate build agent or developer a structured design to implement
Frequently asked questions
Is the Aria agent skill free?
The source file lists the skill under an MIT licence. It does not list prices, so check the page you downloaded from for any terms about cost.
What do I need to use the Aria skill?
The skill lists no required tools, runs no scripts and uses no network. You do need confirmed requirements and, ideally, an implementation plan, because the skill is built to work from that input.
Where do I put the Aria skill folder?
For personal use, unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/. For a single project, use the project's .claude/skills/ folder. In the Claude apps, you can upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
Does Aria write the code for me?
No. The skill says Aria produces the blueprint and does not write implementation code. It is designed to hand the blueprint to a separate build step.
Can I use Aria for a small bug fix?
The source says routine fixes do not need an architecture review, and the skill should not add sign-off overhead to them. Use Aria for new features, schema changes and design reviews.
Can I trust the designs Aria produces?
Not without checking. The skill warns that AI output may be wrong and must be verified before deployment. Review the schema, endpoints, security notes and open questions yourself.
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Our verdict
Aria suits developers planning a new feature or schema change who want a structured design document before coding, and teams already using a multi-agent squad with separate requirements, planning and build roles. It is a poor fit for small routine fixes, for people without confirmed requirements, and for anyone expecting production-ready output without review. If you want a design tool that writes code too, or a general coding assistant, pick something else.
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