tech-debt
Systematically identify, categorize, and prioritize technical debt.
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Installation Guide
How to use tech-debt on Cursor
AI-first code editor with Composer
Prerequisites
Before installing skills in Cursor, ensure your development environment meets these requirements:
- ›Cursor installed and configured on your machine
- ›Node.js 16+ with npm — verify with
node --version - ›Active project directory where you want to add
tech-debt
Run the install command
Execute the skills CLI command in your project's root directory to begin installation:
Fetches tech-debt from anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins and configures it for Cursor.
Select Cursor when prompted
The CLI shows a list of agents. Use arrow keys and space to select Cursor:
Verify installation
Confirm successful installation by checking the skill directory location:
Restart Cursor to activate tech-debt. Access via /tech-debt in your agent's command palette.
Security 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 environment. Always review source, verify the publisher, and test in isolation before production.
Documentation
Tech Debt Management
Systematically identify, categorize, and prioritize technical debt.
Categories
| Type | Examples | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Code debt | Duplicated logic, poor abstractions, magic numbers | Bugs, slow development |
| Architecture debt | Monolith that should be split, wrong data store | Scaling limits |
| Test debt | Low coverage, flaky tests, missing integration tests | Regressions ship |
| Dependency debt | Outdated libraries, unmaintained dependencies | Security vulns |
| Documentation debt | Missing runbooks, outdated READMEs, tribal knowledge | Onboarding pain |
| Infrastructure debt | Manual deploys, no monitoring, no IaC | Incidents, slow recovery |
Prioritization Framework
Score each item on:
- Impact: How much does it slow the team down? (1-5)
- Risk: What happens if we don't fix it? (1-5)
- Effort: How hard is the fix? (1-5, inverted — lower effort = higher priority)
Priority = (Impact + Risk) x (6 - Effort)
Output
Produce a prioritized list with estimated effort, business justification for each item, and a phased remediation plan that can be done alongside feature work.
List & Monetize Your Skill
Submit your Claude Code skill and start earning
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
Steps
- 1Install product management skill
- 2Start with user story generation for known feature
- 3Progress to competitive analysis: research 2-3 competitors
- 4Use for roadmap prioritization: apply RICE/ICE scoring
- 5Draft stakeholder communications and refine based on feedback
- 6Build template library for recurring PM tasks
- 7Share 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
- 1Basic: user stories, feature specs, status updates
- 2Intermediate: competitive analysis, prioritization frameworks, PRDs
- 3Advanced: product strategy, go-to-market planning, OKR setting
- 4Expert: product vision, market positioning, business model innovation
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Reviews
- GGanesh Mohane★★★★★Dec 24, 2024
Keeps context tight: tech-debt is the kind of skill you can hand to a new teammate without a long onboarding doc.
- LLayla Farah★★★★★Dec 20, 2024
Solid pick for teams standardizing on skills: tech-debt is focused, and the summary matches what you get after install.
- IIra Thompson★★★★★Dec 8, 2024
tech-debt has been reliable in day-to-day use. Documentation quality is above average for community skills.
- DDiego Martin★★★★★Nov 27, 2024
tech-debt fits our agent workflows well — practical, well scoped, and easy to wire into existing repos.
- RRahul Santra★★★★★Nov 15, 2024
Registry listing for tech-debt matched our evaluation — installs cleanly and behaves as described in the markdown.
- AAmelia Singh★★★★★Nov 11, 2024
We added tech-debt from the explainx registry; install was straightforward and the SKILL.md answered most questions upfront.
- LLayla Perez★★★★★Nov 11, 2024
I recommend tech-debt for anyone iterating fast on agent tooling; clear intent and a small, reviewable surface area.
- IIshan Brown★★★★★Oct 18, 2024
We added tech-debt from the explainx registry; install was straightforward and the SKILL.md answered most questions upfront.
- PPratham Ware★★★★★Oct 6, 2024
tech-debt reduced setup friction for our internal harness; good balance of opinion and flexibility.
- SSophia Khan★★★★★Oct 2, 2024
tech-debt fits our agent workflows well — practical, well scoped, and easy to wire into existing repos.
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