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replica-architect

Plans the stack, database schema and API for an app clone, from the recon map replica-recon wrote. Picks boring, managed tech, turns the inferred data model into real SQL with indexes and access rules, lists every route by flow, and orders the build as a thin vertical slice first. Use when the user says "plan the clone", "what stack should I use", "design the database", "write the schema", "plan the API", "architecture for my version of X", or after /replica-recon finishes.

Published by Jakeschincariol ↗Jakeschincariol/replica-skill

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replica-architect

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Use replica-architect to turn the existing replica/recon.md and replica/features.csv into replica/architecture.md with a managed stack recommendation, SQL schema and access rules, API routes, and a thin-vertical-slice build order; use only official public APIs with my own keys.

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    SKILL.md

    name: replica-architectdescription: >-  Plans the stack, database schema and API for an app clone, from the recon  map replica-recon wrote. Picks boring, managed tech, turns the inferred data  model into real SQL with indexes and access rules, lists every route by  flow, and orders the build as a thin vertical slice first. Use when the user  says "plan the clone", "what stack should I use", "design the database",  "write the schema", "plan the API", "architecture for my version of X", or  after /replica-recon finishes.

    replica-architect

    Reads replica/recon.md and replica/features.csv. Writes replica/architecture.md (template: architecture.md in this folder).

    If there is no recon map, stop and run /replica-recon first. Planning a clone from memory of what an app does is how you miss half of it.

    Step 1: the stack

    Use what the user already knows if they have a stack. Otherwise the default, because every part is managed, documented and cheap at zero users:

    layerdefaultswap for
    web appNext.js (App Router) + TypeScriptRemix, SvelteKit, Rails
    stylingTailwind, tokens from replica-designCSS modules
    mobileExpo (React Native)SwiftUI, Kotlin
    databasePostgres on Supabase or NeonPlanetScale, SQLite (Turso)
    ORMDrizzle or Prismaraw SQL
    authSupabase Auth or Auth.jsClerk
    paymentsStripe Checkout + BillingLemon Squeezy, Paddle
    emailResend or PostmarkSES
    jobsVercel Cron, Inngest or Trigger.deva worker on Fly
    filesSupabase Storage or Cloudflare R2S3
    hostingVercelNetlify, Fly, Render

    Write each choice with one line of why. One database. No microservices. The clone does not need the original's architecture, it needs the original's features.

    Step 2: the schema

    Turn the inferred data model into SQL. For every table:

    • id uuid primary key default gen_random_uuid(), created_at, updated_at
    • an owner column (user_id or org_id) on everything a user owns
    • foreign keys with an on delete rule decided, not defaulted
    • indexes on every foreign key and every column you filter or sort by
    • enums or check constraints for status fields
    • times as timestamptz, always, stored in UTC
    • money as integer cents plus a currency column
    • access rules: Postgres row level security on Supabase, or one authorisation check per query in the data layer. Write which.

    Example, for a booking app:

    create table bookings (
      id uuid primary key default gen_random_uuid(),
      event_type_id uuid not null references event_types(id) on delete cascade,
      host_id uuid not null references users(id) on delete cascade,
      start_at timestamptz not null,
      end_at timestamptz not null,
      guest_name text not null,
      guest_email text not null,
      guest_timezone text not null,
      status text not null default 'confirmed'
        check (status in ('confirmed','cancelled','rescheduled')),
      answers jsonb not null default '{}',
      created_at timestamptz not null default now(),
      constraint no_zero_length check (end_at > start_at)
    );
    create index on bookings (host_id, start_at);
    

    Then the hard constraints the recon found. Two guests booking the same slot is a database problem (an exclusion constraint or a unique index), not a UI problem.

    Step 3: the API

    One table per flow from the recon map. For every route or server action:

    method path | what it does | who can call it | input | output | flow

    Plus webhooks in (Stripe, calendar providers) and out, and background jobs (reminders, sync, cleanup) with their schedule.

    Only official, public APIs with the user's own keys. Never the original app's private endpoints, even if they are visible in a browser.

    Step 4: the parts that bite

    Write a line on each that applies: time zones and daylight saving, idempotency (webhooks arrive twice), race conditions, rate limits, file size limits, search, realtime, offline, email deliverability, multi-tenancy, GDPR deletion.

    Step 5: build order

    1. Vertical slice. The core loop end to end, ugly: sign up, do the one thing, see the result. Proves the stack.
    2. Must-haves from features.csv, by area.
    3. Should-haves, then could-haves.
    4. The fixes replica-entrepreneur finds, once it has run.

    Each milestone lists its screens (S-IDs), tables and routes.

    Output

    replica/architecture.md, the SQL in replica/schema.sql or as the first migration, and a summary: stack in one line, table count, route count, the three riskiest parts, and the next step: /replica-design.

    replica-architect by Jakeschincariol · The Skill Leaderboard