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app-builder

Main application building orchestrator. Creates full-stack applications from natural language requests. Determines project type, selects tech stack, coordinates agents. Use for creating new applications, scaffolding projects, or building features from scratch.

personAuthor: jakexiaohubgithub

App Builder - Application Building Orchestrator

Purpose

Analyzes user's natural language requests, determines the appropriate tech stack, plans project structure, and coordinates expert agents to create a working application.


1. Project Type Detection

1.1 Keyword Matrix

| Keywords | Project Type | Template | |----------|--------------|----------| | blog, post, article | Blog | astro-static | | e-commerce, product, cart, payment | E-commerce | nextjs-saas | | dashboard, panel, management | Admin Dashboard | nextjs-fullstack | | api, backend, service, rest | API Service | express-api | | python, fastapi, django | Python API | python-fastapi | | mobile, android, ios, react native | Mobile App (RN) | react-native-app | | flutter, dart | Mobile App (Flutter) | flutter-app | | portfolio, personal, cv | Portfolio | nextjs-static | | crm, customer, sales | CRM | nextjs-fullstack | | saas, subscription, stripe, payment | SaaS | nextjs-saas | | landing, promotional, marketing | Landing Page | nextjs-static | | docs, documentation, content | Documentation | astro-static | | extension, plugin, chrome, browser | Browser Extension | chrome-extension | | desktop, electron, windows, mac | Desktop App | electron-desktop | | cli, command line, terminal, tool | CLI Tool | cli-tool | | monorepo, workspace, multi-package | Monorepo | monorepo-turborepo |

1.2 Detection Process

1. Tokenize user request
2. Extract keywords
3. Determine project type
4. Detect missing information → forward to conversation-manager
5. Suggest tech stack

2. Tech Stack Selection

2.1 Default Stack (Web App - 2025)

Frontend:
  framework: Next.js 15 (Stable)
  language: TypeScript 5.7+
  styling: Tailwind CSS v4 (Alpha/Stable)
  state: React 19 Actions / Server Components
  bundler: Turbopack (Stable for Dev)

Backend:
  runtime: Node.js 23 (Native Test Runner)
  framework: Next.js API Routes / Hono (for Edge)
  validation: Zod / TypeBox

Database:
  primary: PostgreSQL
  orm: Prisma / Drizzle
  hosting: Supabase / Neon

Auth:
  provider: Auth.js (v5) / Clerk

Monorepo:
  tool: Turborepo 2.0 (New Terminal UI)

2.2 Alternative Options

| Need | Default | Alternative | |------|---------|-------------| | Real-time | - | Supabase Realtime, Socket.io | | File storage | - | Cloudinary, S3 | | Payment | Stripe | LemonSqueezy, Paddle | | Email | - | Resend, SendGrid | | Search | - | Algolia, Typesense |


3. Agent Coordination

3.1 Agent Pipeline

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                   APP BUILDER (Orchestrator)                 │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                              │
                              ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                     PROJECT PLANNER                          │
│  • Task breakdown                                            │
│  • Dependency graph                                          │
│  • File structure planning                                   │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                              │
          ┌───────────────────┼───────────────────┐
          ▼                   ▼                   ▼
┌─────────────────┐ ┌─────────────────┐ ┌─────────────────┐
│ DATABASE        │ │ BACKEND         │ │ FRONTEND        │
│ ARCHITECT       │ │ SPECIALIST      │ │ SPECIALIST      │
│                 │ │                 │ │                 │
│ • Schema design │ │ • API routes    │ │ • Components    │
│ • Migrations    │ │ • Controllers   │ │ • Pages         │
│ • Seed data     │ │ • Middleware    │ │ • Styling       │
└─────────────────┘ └─────────────────┘ └─────────────────┘
          │                   │                   │
          └───────────────────┼───────────────────┘
                              ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                 PARALLEL PHASE (Optional)                    │
│  • Security Auditor → Vulnerability check                   │
│  • Test Engineer → Unit tests                               │
│  • Performance Optimizer → Bundle analysis                  │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                              │
                              ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                     DEVOPS ENGINEER                          │
│  • Environment setup                                         │
│  • Preview deployment                                        │
│  • Health check                                              │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

3.2 Execution Order

| Phase | Agent(s) | Parallel? | Prerequisite | |-------|----------|-----------|--------------| | 1 | Project Planner | ❌ | - | | 2 | Database Architect | ❌ | Plan ready | | 3 | Backend Specialist | ❌ | Schema ready | | 4 | Frontend Specialist | ✅ | API ready (partial) | | 5 | Security Auditor, Test Engineer | ✅ | Code ready | | 6 | DevOps Engineer | ❌ | All code ready |


4. Project Scaffolding

4.1 Directory Structure (Next.js Full-Stack)

project-name/
├── prisma/
│   ├── schema.prisma
│   ├── migrations/
│   └── seed.ts
├── src/
│   ├── app/
│   │   ├── layout.tsx
│   │   ├── page.tsx
│   │   ├── globals.css
│   │   ├── api/
│   │   │   └── [resource]/
│   │   │       └── route.ts
│   │   └── [feature]/
│   │       └── page.tsx
│   ├── components/
│   │   ├── ui/
│   │   └── [feature]/
│   ├── lib/
│   │   ├── db.ts
│   │   ├── auth.ts
│   │   └── utils.ts
│   ├── hooks/
│   └── types/
├── public/
├── .env.example
├── .env.local
├── package.json
├── tailwind.config.ts
├── tsconfig.json
└── README.md

4.2 Core Files

Files automatically created for every project:

  • package.json - Dependencies
  • tsconfig.json - TypeScript config
  • tailwind.config.ts - Tailwind config
  • .env.example - Environment variables template
  • README.md - Project documentation
  • .gitignore - Git ignore rules
  • prisma/schema.prisma - Database schema

5. Feature Building

5.1 Feature Analysis

Request: "add payment system"

Analysis:
├── Required Changes:
│   ├── Database: orders, payments tables
│   ├── Backend: /api/checkout, /api/webhooks/stripe
│   ├── Frontend: CheckoutForm, PaymentSuccess
│   └── Config: Stripe API keys
│
├── Dependencies:
│   ├── stripe package
│   └── Existing user authentication
│
└── Estimated Time: 15-20 minutes

5.2 Iterative Enhancement

1. Analyze existing project
2. Create change plan
3. Present plan to user
4. Get approval
5. Apply changes
6. Test
7. Show preview

6. Context Management

6.1 Project State

{
  "projectPath": "/path/to/project",
  "projectType": "nextjs-ecommerce",
  "techStack": {
    "frontend": "next.js",
    "database": "postgresql",
    "auth": "clerk"
  },
  "features": ["product-listing", "cart", "checkout"],
  "pendingFeatures": ["admin-panel"],
  "lastModified": "2025-12-30T08:00:00Z"
}

6.2 Context Loading

At session start:
1. Read current-project.json
2. Load project state
3. Restore conversation history
4. Present summary to user (optional)

7. Error Handling

7.1 Build Errors

Error Type → Solution Strategy:

TypeScript Error → Fix type, add missing import
Missing Dependency → Run npm install
Port Conflict → Suggest alternative port
Database Error → Check migration, validate connection string

7.2 Recovery Strategy

1. Detect error
2. Try automatic fix
3. If failed, report to user
4. Suggest alternative
5. Rollback if necessary

8. Integration Points

This skill integrates with the following skills and agents:

| Component | Role | |-----------|------| | conversation-manager | User communication, Q&A | | project-planner agent | Task breakdown, dependency graph | | frontend-specialist agent | UI components, pages | | backend-specialist agent | API, business logic | | database-architect agent | Schema, migrations | | devops-engineer agent | Deployment, preview | | progress-reporter script | Real-time status updates |


9. Usage Example

User: "Make an Instagram clone with photo sharing and likes"

App Builder Process:
1. Project type: Social Media App
2. Tech stack: Next.js + Prisma + Cloudinary + Clerk
3. 
   ┌─ Create plan
   ├─ Database schema (users, posts, likes, follows)
   ├─ API routes (12 endpoints)
   ├─ Pages (feed, profile, upload)
   └─ Components (PostCard, Feed, LikeButton)
4. Coordinate agents
5. Report progress
6. Start preview
7. Notify user when complete