Matt Pocock's agent skills for real engineers: TDD, planning, and production-grade workflows

mattpocock/skills is Matt Pocock's public agent skills library—20+ workflows he uses daily for real engineering work, not vibe coding. The repository has attracted approximately 25,500+ GitHub stars and 2,100+ forks (counts change daily), positioning it as one of the most visible skill collections in the agent ecosystem. Matt Pocock is a TypeScript educator who built Total TypeScript, a comprehensive production-grade TypeScript course, and is a former Vercel and Stately engineer with around 60,000 newsletter subscribers.

This ExplainX article is a map, not a replacement for upstream docs. github.com/mattpocock/skills is canonical for install commands, skill descriptions, and per-release features. MIT license, no paywall.

The thesis

Agent skills for real engineers. Straight from my .claude directory.

The README positions these as production workflows, not throwaway prompts: test-driven development, explicit planning before coding, architecture deepening informed by domain language, and git safety nets. The repository description is blunt: "not vibe coding."

According to Matt Pocock's newsletter (approximately 60,000 subscribers), these are the same skills he uses to ship production code and teach TypeScript at scale.

The skill map (at a glance)

The README organizes skills into six categories. This table reflects the structure as of April 2026—always check the upstream README for the current list.

Planning & Design

Skills that force thinking before coding.

Development

Core engineering workflows: TDD, bug triage, architecture improvements.

Tooling & Setup

Infrastructure and git safety.

Writing & Knowledge

Documentation, article editing, and knowledge management.

Philosophy: Real engineering, not vibe coding

The README and skill descriptions repeatedly emphasize discipline over speed:

• TDD first — The /tdd skill enforces red-green-refactor: failing test → minimal implementation → refactor. No speculative features.
• Planning before coding — /grill-me won't let you proceed until every decision is explicit. /to-prd forces synthesis before implementation.
• Vertical slices — /to-issues breaks work into independently shippable pieces, not layered "frontend then backend" splits.
• Git safety — /git-guardrails-claude-code blocks git push --force, git reset --hard, git clean -f, and other destructive commands unless explicitly confirmed.
• Domain-driven design — /improve-codebase-architecture reads your CONTEXT.md and decision records (r/) to find where code structure diverges from business language.

This stands in contrast to "generate a feature and hope it works" workflows common in demo-focused agent usage.

How /tdd works (red-green-refactor)

The /tdd skill is the most referenced in Matt Pocock's public posts. The pattern:

1. Red — Write a failing test that describes the desired behavior.
2. Green — Write the minimum code to make the test pass.
3. Refactor — Clean up the implementation while keeping tests green.
4. Repeat — Build the feature one vertical slice at a time.

Per the skill description: "Builds features or fixes bugs one vertical slice at a time." This prevents over-engineering and ensures every line of code is verified.

Example workflow:

• User: "Add validation to the login form"
• Agent with /tdd: "I'll write a test for invalid email first, then implement validation to make it pass."

Install:

npx skills@latest add mattpocock/skills/tdd

How /to-prd and /to-issues chain together

A common pattern in the repository is chaining skills:

1. Conversation — Discuss a feature or problem with the agent.
2. /to-prd — Synthesize the conversation into a Product Requirements Document and file as a GitHub issue. No interview needed—it just summarizes what you already discussed.
3. /to-issues — Break the PRD into independently-grabbable GitHub issues using vertical slices (end-to-end functionality, not layers).

This mirrors the "skills compound if you chain them" idea in our agent skills guide and gstack's sprint process.

Install both:

npx skills@latest add mattpocock/skills/to-prd
npx skills@latest add mattpocock/skills/to-issues

Domain-driven design: /improve-codebase-architecture + /ubiquitous-language

Matt Pocock's architecture skills lean on domain-driven design (DDD):

• /ubiquitous-language — Extract a glossary of domain terms from the conversation. Example: "Order," "Fulfillment," "Inventory allocation."
• /improve-codebase-architecture — Read CONTEXT.md (domain language) and r/ (decision records), then find where code structure doesn't reflect the business domain.

Example: If your codebase has processOrder() but the business talks about "fulfillment workflows," the skill flags the mismatch and suggests refactoring toward business language.

This is particularly valuable for legacy codebases where technical debt has obscured the original business model.

Install:

npx skills@latest add mattpocock/skills/improve-codebase-architecture
npx skills@latest add mattpocock/skills/ubiquitous-language

Git guardrails: Preventing destructive commands

The /git-guardrails-claude-code skill is a safety net for agent-assisted git workflows. It sets up Claude Code hooks to block:

• git push --force
• git reset --hard
• git clean -f
• git branch -D
• Other destructive commands

Unless you explicitly confirm the action, the hook prevents execution. This is critical when agents have terminal access.

Per the skill description: "Block dangerous git commands (push, reset --hard, clean, etc.) before they execute."

Install:

npx skills@latest add mattpocock/skills/git-guardrails-claude-code

Design workflows: /design-an-interface

The /design-an-interface skill generates multiple radically different interface designs for a module using parallel sub-agents. Each sub-agent proposes a distinct approach, then you compare and choose.

Example use case: You need a new API for user authentication. The skill spawns sub-agents that propose:

• REST API with JWT
• GraphQL with session cookies
• tRPC with token refresh
• WebSockets with handshake auth

You review all four, pick one, and proceed with implementation.

This prevents premature commitment to a single design and surfaces tradeoffs early.

Install:

npx skills@latest add mattpocock/skills/design-an-interface

Writing and knowledge management

Matt Pocock's writing skills reflect his background as a TypeScript educator:

• /edit-article — Restructure sections, improve clarity, tighten prose. Built for technical writing and course content.
• /write-a-skill — Create new skills with proper structure, progressive disclosure, and bundled resources. Meta-skill for skill creators.
• /obsidian-vault — Manage notes in Obsidian with wikilinks and index notes. Useful for maintaining course materials or documentation.

These are practitioner tools from someone who ships educational content at scale (Total TypeScript has thousands of students).

Install:

npx skills@latest add mattpocock/skills/edit-article
npx skills@latest add mattpocock/skills/write-a-skill
npx skills@latest add mattpocock/skills/obsidian-vault

Install paths and compatibility

All skills use the npx skills@latest add pattern from the skills CLI. They follow the SKILL.md format and work with:

• Claude Code (primary target)
• Other agents that support the SKILL.md convention (see agent skills guide)

Individual skill install:

npx skills@latest add mattpocock/skills/<skill-name>

Examples:

npx skills@latest add mattpocock/skills/tdd
npx skills@latest add mattpocock/skills/grill-me
npx skills@latest add mattpocock/skills/improve-codebase-architecture

Always check the README for the current install command—syntax can change with CLI releases.

Who is Matt Pocock?

Matt Pocock is a TypeScript educator and developer with:

• Total TypeScript — A comprehensive, production-grade TypeScript course with thousands of students.
• Former Vercel engineer — Worked on developer tooling and TypeScript infrastructure.
• Former Stately engineer — Contributed to XState and state machine patterns.
• 60,000+ newsletter subscribers — Regular TypeScript tips, agent workflows, and engineering insights.
• 25,500+ GitHub stars on mattpocock/skills (as of April 2026).

His expertise centers on TypeScript, developer education, and production engineering practices. The skills repository is a public release of the workflows he uses to ship code and teach at scale.

Primary channels:

• Newsletter: Sign up for TypeScript and agent tips
• Twitter/X: @mattpocock
• GitHub: github.com/mattpocock
• Total TypeScript: totaltypescript.com

A minimal "try it" path

If you're new to Matt Pocock's skills, start with these three:

1. /tdd — Run it on a real bug fix to see red-green-refactor in action.
2. /to-prd — After discussing a feature, use this to synthesize a PRD.
3. /git-guardrails-claude-code — Install as a safety net before giving agents terminal access.

If they click, add /to-issues for breaking PRDs into work items, /improve-codebase-architecture for refactoring guidance, and /grill-me for planning rigor.

Install all three:

npx skills@latest add mattpocock/skills/tdd
npx skills@latest add mattpocock/skills/to-prd
npx skills@latest add mattpocock/skills/git-guardrails-claude-code

How this fits the ExplainX view of agent skills

The mattpocock/skills repository is a monorepo of opinionated workflows from a single author. ExplainX is a directory of skills from many authors, ranked by adoption and tagged by domain.

The underlying pattern is the same: structured, reusable agent instructions. Many teams use both:

• mattpocock/skills for TDD, planning, and git safety
• ExplainX registry for domain skills like SEO/GEO, MCP, or PostHog integration

Browse agent skills on ExplainX: explainx.ai/skills

Read our agent skills guide: What are agent skills? Complete guide

Comparison: mattpocock/skills vs gstack vs ExplainX registry

All three are complementary: use mattpocock/skills for engineering rigor, gstack for sprint cadence, and ExplainX to discover domain-specific skills from the broader community.

Privacy and open source

Per the repository:

• MIT license — Fully open source.
• No telemetry — Skills are local instruction files, not SaaS.
• No paywall — All skills free to use and modify.

This contrasts with some agent skill marketplaces that require accounts or usage fees.

Read next (ExplainX)

• What are agent skills? Complete guide
• gstack: Garry Tan's open-source software factory for Claude Code
• Karpathy-inspired Claude Code guidelines: andrej-karpathy-skills explained
• MCP: Model Context Protocol
• Browse all skills on ExplainX

Summary

mattpocock/skills is Matt Pocock's MIT-licensed collection of 20+ agent skills for production engineering: test-driven development (/tdd), planning workflows (/to-prd, /to-issues, /grill-me), architecture improvements informed by domain-driven design (/improve-codebase-architecture, /ubiquitous-language), git safety (/git-guardrails-claude-code), and writing tools (/edit-article, /obsidian-vault).

Built by a TypeScript educator with 60,000+ newsletter subscribers and a track record at Vercel and Stately, these are the workflows he uses to ship production code and teach at scale—not vibe coding.

Primary repository: github.com/mattpocock/skills · Matt Pocock on X: @mattpocock · Total TypeScript: totaltypescript.com

Next: Browse agent skills on ExplainX → · Agent skills guide → · Join Matt's newsletter →

Skill descriptions and install commands summarized here follow the upstream README as of April 2026; star and fork counts on GitHub change over time. Always verify against the current repository for latest features and syntax.