Project Templates Skill

Provides curated, research-backed project templates for /popkit:dev full Phase 3 (Questions).

Purpose

Instead of dynamically generating technology options (which can miss relevant choices or suggest unfamiliar stacks), this skill provides:

1. Curated templates for common project types
2. Research-backed options with pros/cons/when-to-use
3. Consistent question flow across similar projects
4. Extensibility for custom project types

Available Templates

Template	Use Case	Key Decisions
saas-api	Backend APIs for SaaS products	Runtime, Database, Auth, Billing
ml-service	ML/AI inference APIs	Runtime, Model Serving, Inference Engine
cli-tool	Command-line applications	Language, Distribution, Config Format
fullstack	Full-stack web applications	Frontend, Backend, Database, Hosting
browser-extension	Browser extensions	Manifest Version, Framework, Storage
mobile-backend	Mobile app backends	Runtime, Push Notifications, Real-time

Template Schema

Each template is a JSON file with this structure:

{
  "id": "saas-api",
  "name": "SaaS Backend API",
  "description": "Backend API for SaaS products with auth, billing, multi-tenancy",
  "icon": "cloud",
  "questions": [
    {
      "id": "runtime",
      "header": "Runtime",
      "question": "Which runtime/framework should we use for the API server?",
      "multiSelect": false,
      "options": [
        {
          "value": "node-fastify",
          "label": "Node.js + Fastify",
          "description": "Fast, TypeScript-native, great for APIs",
          "pros": ["Fastest Node framework", "First-class TypeScript", "Schema validation built-in"],
          "cons": ["Smaller ecosystem than Express", "Less middleware available"],
          "when": "Performance critical, TypeScript preferred, API-focused",
          "popularity": { "npm_weekly": 2000000, "github_stars": 28000 }
        }
      ],
      "default": "node-fastify",
      "research_sources": ["npm trends", "TechEmpower benchmarks", "State of JS 2024"]
    }
  ],
  "agents": {
    "primary": ["api-designer", "code-architect"],
    "supporting": ["security-auditor", "test-writer-fixer"]
  },
  "quality_gates": ["typescript", "lint", "test", "security-scan"],
  "scaffolding": {
    "directories": ["src", "src/routes", "src/services", "tests"],
    "files": ["package.json", "tsconfig.json", ".env.example"]
  }
}

Usage in feature-dev

Phase 3 Integration

When /popkit:dev full reaches Phase 3 (Questions):

1. Template Selection - First question asks project type:

   What type of project is this?
   - SaaS Backend API
   - ML/AI Service
   - CLI Tool
   - Full-Stack Web App
   - Custom (dynamic questions)
   

2. Load Template - Based on selection, load the corresponding template

3. Ask Template Questions - Use AskUserQuestion with template-defined options:

   Use AskUserQuestion tool with:
   - questions: template.questions (converted to AskUserQuestion format)
   - Each question has curated options with descriptions
   

4. Store Decisions - Save answers for Phase 4 (Architecture)

Example Flow

## Phase 3: Questions

Based on your PRODUCT-SPEC.md, this looks like a **SaaS API** project.

[AskUserQuestion: Project Type confirmation]

Loading SaaS API template...

[AskUserQuestion: Runtime - Node.js+Fastify / Python+FastAPI / Go+Fiber / Bun+Hono]
[AskUserQuestion: Database - PostgreSQL / MySQL / MongoDB / SQLite]
[AskUserQuestion: Auth - Clerk / Auth0 / Supabase Auth / Custom JWT]
[AskUserQuestion: Billing - Stripe / Paddle / LemonSqueezy / None]

Decisions captured. Moving to Phase 4: Architecture...

Adding Custom Templates

To add a project-specific template:

1. Create templates/my-template.json following the schema
2. Add entry to templates/index.json
3. Template will appear in project type selection

Research Methodology

Each template option should include:

• Popularity metrics: npm downloads, GitHub stars, survey data
• Performance data: Benchmarks where relevant
• Ecosystem size: Available plugins, middleware, tools
• Production usage: Companies using it at scale
• Maintenance status: Last release, contributor activity

Sources:

• npm trends (https://npmtrends.com)
• State of JS/Python/Go surveys
• TechEmpower benchmarks
• GitHub star history
• Developer surveys (Stack Overflow, JetBrains)

Process

1. Detect Project Type: Analyze PRODUCT-SPEC.md or ask user
2. Load Template: Read from templates/<type>.json
3. Present Questions: Use AskUserQuestion with template options
4. Capture Decisions: Store for architecture phase
5. Generate Scaffolding: Optional project structure setup