core-web-vitals

addyosmani/web-quality-skills · updated May 16, 2026

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$npx skills add https://github.com/addyosmani/web-quality-skills --skill core-web-vitals
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summary

Diagnose and fix the three Core Web Vitals metrics that impact search ranking and user experience.

  • Covers LCP (Largest Contentful Paint), INP (Interaction to Next Paint), and CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift) with specific thresholds and optimization strategies for each
  • Includes common causes, code examples, and debugging scripts for identifying bottlenecks in loading, interactivity, and visual stability
  • Provides framework-specific quick fixes for Next.js, React, and Vue/Nuxt, plus measu
skill.md

Core Web Vitals optimization

Targeted optimization for the three Core Web Vitals metrics that affect Google Search ranking and user experience.

The three metrics

Metric Measures Good Needs work Poor
LCP Loading ≤ 2.5s 2.5s – 4s > 4s
INP Interactivity ≤ 200ms 200ms – 500ms > 500ms
CLS Visual Stability ≤ 0.1 0.1 – 0.25 > 0.25

Google measures at the 75th percentile — 75% of page visits must meet "Good" thresholds.


LCP: Largest Contentful Paint

LCP measures when the largest visible content element renders. Usually this is:

  • Hero image or video
  • Large text block
  • Background image
  • <svg> element

Common LCP issues

1. Slow server response (TTFB > 800ms)

Fix: CDN, caching, optimized backend, edge rendering

2. Render-blocking resources

<!-- ❌ Blocks rendering -->
<link rel="stylesheet" href="/all-styles.css">

<!-- ✅ Critical CSS inlined, rest deferred -->
<style>/* Critical above-fold CSS */</style>
<link rel="preload" href="/styles.css" as="style" 
      onload="this.onload=null;this.rel='stylesheet'">

3. Slow resource load times

<!-- ❌ No hints, discovered late -->
<img src="/hero.jpg" alt="Hero">

<!-- ✅ Preloaded with high priority -->
<link rel="preload" href="/hero.webp" as="image" fetchpriority="high">
<img src="/hero.webp" alt="Hero" fetchpriority="high">

4. Client-side rendering delays

// ❌ Content loads after JavaScript
useEffect(() => {
  fetch('/api/hero-text').then(r => r.json()).then(setHeroText);
}, []);

// ✅ Server-side or static rendering
// Use SSR, SSG, or streaming to send HTML with content
export async function getServerSideProps() {
  const heroText = await fetchHeroText();
  return { props: { heroText } };
}

LCP optimization checklist

- [ ] TTFB < 800ms (use CDN, edge caching)
- [ ] LCP image preloaded with fetchpriority="high"
- [ ] LCP image optimized (WebP/AVIF, correct size)
- [ ] Critical CSS inlined (< 14KB)
- [ ] No render-blocking JavaScript in <head>
- [ ] Fonts don't block text rendering (font-display: swap)
- [ ] LCP element in initial HTML (not JS-rendered)

LCP element identification

// Find your LCP element
new PerformanceObserver((list) => {
  const entries = list.getEntries();
  const lastEntry = entries[entries.length - 1];
  console.log('LCP element:', lastEntry.element);
  console.log('LCP time:', lastEntry.startTime);
}).observe({ type: 'largest-contentful-paint', buffered: true });

INP: Interaction to Next Paint

INP measures responsiveness across ALL interactions (clicks, taps, key presses) during a page visit. It reports the worst interaction (at 98th percentile for high-traffic pages).

INP breakdown

Total INP = Input Delay + Processing Time + Presentation Delay

Phase Target Optimization
Input Delay < 50ms Reduce main thread blocking
Processing < 100ms Optimize event handlers
Presentation < 50ms Minimize rendering work

Common INP issues

1. Long tasks blocking main thread

// ❌ Long synchronous task
function processLargeArray(items) {
  items.forEach(item => expensiveOperation(item));
}

// ✅ Break into chunks with yielding
async function processLargeArray(items) {
  const CHUNK_SIZE = 100;
  for (let i = 0; i < items.length; i += CHUNK_SIZE) {
    const chunk = items.slice(i, i + CHUNK_SIZE);
    chunk.forEach(item => expensiveOperation(item));
    
    // Yield to main thread
    await new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, 0));
    // Or use scheduler.yield() when available
  }
}

2. Heavy event handlers

// ❌ All work in handler
button.addEventListener('click', () => {
  // Heavy computation
  const result = calculateComplexThing();
  // DOM updates
  updateUI(result);
  // Analytics
  trackEvent('click');
});

// ✅ Prioritize visual feedback
button.addEventListener('click', () => {
  // Immediate visual feedback
  button.classList.add('loading');
  
  // Defer non-critical work
  requestAnimationFrame(() => {
    const result = calculateComplexThing();
    updateUI(result);
  });
  
  // Use requestIdl
how to use core-web-vitals

How to use core-web-vitals on Cursor

AI-first code editor with Composer

1

Prerequisites

Before installing skills in Cursor, ensure your development environment meets these requirements:

  • Cursor installed and configured on your development machine
  • Node.js version 16.0+ with npm package manager (verify with node --version)
  • Active project directory or workspace where you want to add core-web-vitals
2

Execute installation command

Execute the skills CLI command in your project's root directory to begin installation:

$npx skills add https://github.com/addyosmani/web-quality-skills --skill core-web-vitals

The skills CLI fetches core-web-vitals from GitHub repository addyosmani/web-quality-skills and configures it for Cursor.

3

Select Cursor when prompted

The CLI will show a list of available agents. Use arrow keys to navigate and space to select Cursor:

◆ Which agents do you want to install to?
│ ── Universal (.agents/skills) ── always included ────
│ • Amp
│ • Antigravity
│ • Cline
│ • Codex
│ ●Cursor(selected)
│ • Cursor
│ • Windsurf
4

Verify installation

Confirm successful installation by checking the skill directory location:

.cursor/skills/core-web-vitals

Reload or restart Cursor to activate core-web-vitals. Access the skill through slash commands (e.g., /core-web-vitals) or your agent's skill management interface.

Security & Verification Notice

We perform automated surface-level scans (Gen AI Scanner, Socket, Snyk) during installation. These checks detect common vulnerabilities but do not guarantee complete security. Always review skill source code and verify the publisher's reputation before production use.

Skills execute code in your development environment. Always verify the publisher's identity, review recent commits, and test in isolated environments before production deployment.

List & Monetize Your Skill

Submit your Claude Code skill and start earning

GET_STARTED →

Use Cases

User Story & Requirements Generation

Create detailed user stories, acceptance criteria, and feature specs

Example

Generate user stories for 'password reset feature' with acceptance criteria, edge cases, and test scenarios

Reduce spec writing time by 50%, ensure comprehensive coverage

Competitive Analysis

Research competitors, compare features, identify gaps

Example

Analyze 5 competitor products, create feature comparison matrix, suggest differentiation opportunities

Complete competitive research in 2 hours instead of 2 days

Roadmap Prioritization

Evaluate features using frameworks (RICE, ICE, Kano) and create prioritized backlogs

Example

Score 20 feature ideas using RICE framework, generate prioritized roadmap with rationale

Make data-driven prioritization decisions faster

Stakeholder Communication

Draft PRDs, status updates, and stakeholder presentations

Example

Create executive summary of Q3 roadmap, monthly progress report, feature launch announcement

Save 3-5 hours/week on communication overhead

Implementation Guide

Prerequisites

  • Claude Desktop or compatible AI client
  • Access to product documentation and roadmap tools (Jira, Notion, etc.)
  • Understanding of product management frameworks (RICE, Jobs-to-be-Done, etc.)
  • Stakeholder contact information and communication channels

Time Estimate

30-60 minutes to see productivity improvements

Installation Steps

  1. 1.Install product management skill
  2. 2.Start with user story generation for known feature
  3. 3.Progress to competitive analysis: research 2-3 competitors
  4. 4.Use for roadmap prioritization: apply RICE/ICE scoring
  5. 5.Draft stakeholder communications and refine based on feedback
  6. 6.Build template library for recurring PM tasks
  7. 7.Share effective prompts with product team

Common Pitfalls

  • Not validating competitive research—verify facts before sharing
  • Accepting user stories without involving engineering team
  • Over-relying on frameworks without qualitative judgment
  • Not customizing outputs to company culture and communication style
  • Skipping stakeholder validation of generated requirements

Best Practices

✓ Do

  • +Validate research and competitive analysis with real data
  • +Collaborate with engineering when generating technical requirements
  • +Customize frameworks and templates to your company context
  • +Use skill for first drafts, refine with stakeholder input
  • +Document successful prompt patterns for PM tasks
  • +Combine AI efficiency with human judgment and intuition

✗ Don't

  • Don't publish competitive analysis without fact-checking
  • Don't finalize user stories without engineering review
  • Don't make prioritization decisions solely on AI scoring
  • Don't skip customer validation of generated requirements
  • Don't ignore company-specific context and culture

💡 Pro Tips

  • Provide context: company goals, constraints, customer feedback
  • Ask for alternatives: 'Show 3 ways to prioritize this roadmap'
  • Request stakeholder-specific formatting: 'Executive summary vs. engineering spec'
  • Use skill for 70% generation + 30% customization to company needs

When to Use This

✓ Use When

Use for user story writing, competitive research, roadmap prioritization, stakeholder communication, and PRD drafting. Best for reducing repetitive documentation and research work.

✗ Avoid When

Avoid for strategic product vision (requires deep customer empathy), pricing decisions (needs market and financial expertise), or when face-to-face customer discovery is more valuable than speed.

Learning Path

  1. 1Basic: user stories, feature specs, status updates
  2. 2Intermediate: competitive analysis, prioritization frameworks, PRDs
  3. 3Advanced: product strategy, go-to-market planning, OKR setting
  4. 4Expert: product vision, market positioning, business model innovation

Discussion

Product Hunt–style comments (not star reviews)
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general reviews

Ratings

4.459 reviews
  • Yash Thakker· Dec 28, 2024

    Solid pick for teams standardizing on skills: core-web-vitals is focused, and the summary matches what you get after install.

  • Valentina Huang· Dec 28, 2024

    Solid pick for teams standardizing on skills: core-web-vitals is focused, and the summary matches what you get after install.

  • Valentina White· Dec 16, 2024

    Registry listing for core-web-vitals matched our evaluation — installs cleanly and behaves as described in the markdown.

  • James Malhotra· Dec 8, 2024

    core-web-vitals is among the better-maintained entries we tried; worth keeping pinned for repeat workflows.

  • Ishan Ndlovu· Dec 4, 2024

    core-web-vitals has been reliable in day-to-day use. Documentation quality is above average for community skills.

  • Maya Harris· Dec 4, 2024

    core-web-vitals reduced setup friction for our internal harness; good balance of opinion and flexibility.

  • Mateo Khan· Nov 27, 2024

    core-web-vitals fits our agent workflows well — practical, well scoped, and easy to wire into existing repos.

  • Aditi Taylor· Nov 27, 2024

    core-web-vitals has been reliable in day-to-day use. Documentation quality is above average for community skills.

  • Aanya Jackson· Nov 23, 2024

    I recommend core-web-vitals for anyone iterating fast on agent tooling; clear intent and a small, reviewable surface area.

  • Valentina Bansal· Nov 7, 2024

    Useful defaults in core-web-vitals — fewer surprises than typical one-off scripts, and it plays nicely with `npx skills` flows.

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