WEB DEVELOPMENT / Matt Pocock
Matt Pocock Codebase Design
Evaluates module boundaries through caller complexity, dependency seams and alternative interface designs.
“Shared vocabulary for designing deep modules. Use when the user wants to design or improve a module's interface, find deepening opportunities, decide where a”
01 / THE REASONING
Why this made the selection.
- Defines a deep module by what callers can accomplish through a small interface, rather than by its line count.
- Distinguishes internal dependencies, local substitutes and external boundaries, then compares alternative interfaces before choosing a design.
02 / THE REVIEW RECORD
What we actually inspected.
Source review has boundaries.
A clear record is more useful than a “safe” badge.
Material inspected
- skills/engineering/codebase-design/DEEPENING.md
- skills/engineering/codebase-design/DESIGN-IT-TWICE.md
- skills/engineering/codebase-design/SKILL.md
- skills/engineering/codebase-design/agents/openai.yaml
- skills/engineering/setup-matt-pocock-skills/SKILL.md
- skills/engineering/setup-matt-pocock-skills/agents/openai.yaml
- skills/engineering/setup-matt-pocock-skills/domain.md
- skills/engineering/setup-matt-pocock-skills/issue-tracker-github.md
- skills/engineering/setup-matt-pocock-skills/issue-tracker-gitlab.md
- skills/engineering/setup-matt-pocock-skills/issue-tracker-local.md
- skills/engineering/setup-matt-pocock-skills/triage-labels.md
- README.md (installation, compatibility and licence sections)
- LICENSE
Our findings
- The definition, deepening guide and alternative-design guide were all inspected. They give a shared vocabulary and a concrete comparison procedure.
- The skill can guide changes to code and tests but supplies no executable check that the resulting interface is better.
Not established by this review
- No refactor or interface comparison was performed.
- No claim of reduced defects, token usage or maintenance time was measured.
The review applies to the material and revision named here. A newer upstream release can change its behavior.
03 / PUT IT TO WORK
Add a skill to your workflow.
DOCUMENTED COMMAND
npx skills add https://github.com/mattpocock/skills/tree/c55ee46073ed923f86ce59a5eb3b6d895095d1b7 --skill codebase-design --skill setup-matt-pocock-skillsCopying does not execute this command. It may retrieve a newer version than the reviewed source.
- Keep DEEPENING.md and DESIGN-IT-TWICE.md with the installed definition.
- Choose a bounded module or seam and review the proposed design before authorizing code or test replacement.
- The publisher recommends setup-matt-pocock-skills as a separate companion. Review its repository documentation and issue-tracker changes before running it.
- Choose the intended host and project scope in the installer. The source revision is pinned; the installer itself is not executed or version-pinned by this review.
Before you start
- Node.js/npm and git for the documented Skills installer
- A codebase and its tests
- Subagent support for the optional independent-interface exercise; project domain vocabulary when using that exercise
- The separately selected setup companion establishes the repository conventions; review its proposed AGENTS.md or CLAUDE.md and docs/agents edits before accepting them.
04 / FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The source trail.
Our notes are separate from the original resource.
Check upstream before adopting a new version.
https://github.com/mattpocock/skills/blob/c55ee46073ed923f86ce59a5eb3b6d895095d1b7/skills/engineering/codebase-design/SKILL.md
Supports: summary, upstreamDescription, whySelected, bestFor, limitations, review, access
https://github.com/mattpocock/skills/blob/c55ee46073ed923f86ce59a5eb3b6d895095d1b7/skills/engineering/codebase-design/DEEPENING.md
Supports: review, limitations, install, access
https://github.com/mattpocock/skills/blob/c55ee46073ed923f86ce59a5eb3b6d895095d1b7/skills/engineering/codebase-design/DESIGN-IT-TWICE.md
Supports: review, limitations, install, access
https://github.com/mattpocock/skills/blob/c55ee46073ed923f86ce59a5eb3b6d895095d1b7/skills/engineering/setup-matt-pocock-skills/SKILL.md
Supports: review, limitations, install, access
https://github.com/mattpocock/skills/blob/c55ee46073ed923f86ce59a5eb3b6d895095d1b7/skills/engineering/setup-matt-pocock-skills/domain.md
Supports: review, limitations, install, access
- Reviewed reference or helper: skills/engineering/setup-matt-pocock-skills/issue-tracker-github.md ↗Checked
https://github.com/mattpocock/skills/blob/c55ee46073ed923f86ce59a5eb3b6d895095d1b7/skills/engineering/setup-matt-pocock-skills/issue-tracker-github.md
Supports: review, limitations, install, access
- Reviewed reference or helper: skills/engineering/setup-matt-pocock-skills/issue-tracker-gitlab.md ↗Checked
https://github.com/mattpocock/skills/blob/c55ee46073ed923f86ce59a5eb3b6d895095d1b7/skills/engineering/setup-matt-pocock-skills/issue-tracker-gitlab.md
Supports: review, limitations, install, access
- Reviewed reference or helper: skills/engineering/setup-matt-pocock-skills/issue-tracker-local.md ↗Checked
https://github.com/mattpocock/skills/blob/c55ee46073ed923f86ce59a5eb3b6d895095d1b7/skills/engineering/setup-matt-pocock-skills/issue-tracker-local.md
Supports: review, limitations, install, access
https://github.com/mattpocock/skills/blob/c55ee46073ed923f86ce59a5eb3b6d895095d1b7/skills/engineering/setup-matt-pocock-skills/triage-labels.md
Supports: review, limitations, install, access
https://github.com/mattpocock/skills/blob/c55ee46073ed923f86ce59a5eb3b6d895095d1b7/README.md
Supports: install, compatibility, access, license
https://github.com/mattpocock/skills/blob/c55ee46073ed923f86ce59a5eb3b6d895095d1b7/LICENSE
Supports: license, access.cost
https://github.com/vercel-labs/skills/blob/7407f3893ad4dceab546ac002c3ef806e4000c73/README.md
Supports: install
https://github.com/vercel-labs/skills/blob/7407f3893ad4dceab546ac002c3ef806e4000c73/src/git.ts
Supports: install
https://github.com/vercel-labs/skills/blob/7407f3893ad4dceab546ac002c3ef806e4000c73/src/source-parser.ts
Supports: install