Pydantic Schema Development (Research-Driven)

Philosophy

This skill does NOT prescribe specific patterns. Instead, it guides you to:

1. Research the current Pydantic version and capabilities
2. Discover existing patterns in the codebase
3. Validate your implementations against SDK documentation
4. Verify backward compatibility and contract stability

Pre-Implementation Research Protocol

Step 1: Verify Runtime Environment

ALWAYS run this first:

python -c "import pydantic; print(f'Pydantic {pydantic.__version__}')"

Critical Questions to Answer:

• What version is installed? (v1 or v2?)
• Does it match the documented requirements?
• Are there breaking changes from the docs?

Step 2: Research SDK State (if unfamiliar)

When to research: If you encounter unfamiliar Pydantic features or need to validate syntax

Research queries (use WebSearch):

• "Pydantic v2 [feature] documentation 2025"
• "Pydantic v2 breaking changes from v1"
• "Pydantic v2 best practices [specific use case]"

SDK documentation: https://docs.pydantic.dev/latest/

Step 3: Discover Existing Patterns

BEFORE creating new schemas, search for existing implementations:

# Find existing Pydantic models
rg "class.*\(BaseModel\)" --type py

# Find field validators
rg "@field_validator|@model_validator" --type py

# Find ConfigDict usage
rg "model_config.*ConfigDict" --type py

Key questions:

• What patterns are already in use?
• Are they using v1 or v2 syntax?
• What validation patterns exist?

Step 4: Validate Against Requirements

Check API-REFERENCE.md for known v2 patterns, then verify:

• Are you using v2 syntax (@field_validator, NOT @validator)?
• Are you using model_config = ConfigDict(...), NOT class Config:?
• Are type hints present on ALL fields and methods?
• Are secrets using SecretStr (not str)?

Implementation Guidance (Not Prescriptive)

Contract Design Principles

When designing contract schemas (like CompiledArtifacts):

• Consider immutability: frozen=True prevents accidental mutations
• Consider strict validation: extra="forbid" rejects unknown fields
• Consider versioning: Use semantic versioning for contract changes
• Consider backward compatibility: Only add optional fields in minor versions

Research questions:

• What are the actual integration points? (Read architecture docs)
• Who are the consumers of this contract?
• What changes would break compatibility?

Security Considerations

When handling sensitive data:

• Research: What fields contain secrets? (passwords, API keys, tokens)
• Validate: Are you using SecretStr for sensitive fields?
• Verify: Are secrets excluded from logs and error messages?

SDK feature to research: pydantic.SecretStr usage and .get_secret_value() pattern

Configuration Models

When building configuration from environment variables:

• Research: pydantic-settings package (separate from core Pydantic)
• Discover: What env var naming conventions exist in the codebase?
• Validate: Are you using SettingsConfigDict with appropriate env_prefix?

SDK feature to research: pydantic_settings.BaseSettings and SettingsConfigDict

Validation Workflow

Before Implementation

1. ✅ Verified Pydantic version
2. ✅ Searched for existing patterns in codebase
3. ✅ Read architecture docs to understand requirements
4. ✅ Identified security requirements (secrets, PII)
5. ✅ Researched unfamiliar Pydantic features

During Implementation

1. ✅ Using from __future__ import annotations
2. ✅ Type hints on ALL fields and methods
3. ✅ Using v2 syntax (@field_validator, model_config)
4. ✅ Secrets using SecretStr (not str)
5. ✅ Contract models using frozen=True and extra="forbid"

After Implementation

1. ✅ Run type checker: mypy --strict [file]
2. ✅ Verify JSON schema export works: Model.model_json_schema()
3. ✅ Test validation with invalid data
4. ✅ Test serialization/deserialization
5. ✅ Check backward compatibility if modifying existing contracts

Context Injection (For Future Claude Instances)

When this skill is invoked, you should:

1. Verify runtime state (don't assume):

   python -c "import pydantic; print(pydantic.__version__)"
   

2. Discover existing patterns (don't invent):

   rg "class.*\(BaseModel\)" --type py
   

3. Research when uncertain (don't guess):

   • Use WebSearch for "Pydantic v2 [feature] documentation 2025"
   • Check official docs: https://docs.pydantic.dev/latest/

4. Validate against architecture (don't assume requirements):

   • Read relevant architecture docs in /docs/
   • Understand the actual contract requirements
   • Check for existing schema definitions

Quick Reference: Common Research Queries

Use these WebSearch queries when encountering specific needs:

• Field validation: "Pydantic v2 field_validator examples 2025"
• Model validation: "Pydantic v2 model_validator cross-field validation"
• Settings: "pydantic-settings BaseSettings environment variables 2025"
• Secrets: "Pydantic v2 SecretStr SecretBytes best practices"
• JSON Schema: "Pydantic v2 model_json_schema custom schema"
• Performance: "Pydantic v2 performance optimization tips 2025"
• Migration: "Pydantic v1 to v2 migration guide breaking changes"

References

• API-REFERENCE.md: Curated v2 API changes and migration patterns
• Pydantic Documentation: Official SDK documentation
• pydantic-settings: Environment variable configuration

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Remember: This skill provides research guidance, NOT prescriptive patterns. Always:

1. Verify the runtime environment
2. Discover existing codebase patterns
3. Research SDK capabilities when needed
4. Validate against actual requirements