Sponsor Suno AI Music arrow_forward
Subagent

System Design Reviewer

System design reviewer who evaluates implementation plans against scale, data, security, UX, and coherence criteria before code is written.

Type
Subagent
GitHub stars
284
License
MIT
Repo last updated
Sep 27, 2026
Model
opus

What System Design Reviewer is

System Design Reviewer is a subagent published in the yonatangross/orchestkit repository on GitHub, which has about 284 stars. The repository describes itself as: “The Complete AI Development Toolkit for Claude Code. 106 skills, 36 agents, 171 hooks. Install `ork` for stable (v9.x), or `ork-alpha` for the v10 line, which ships daily.”

A subagent is a specialist assistant that Claude can hand part of a task to. It is a markdown file whose frontmatter sets a name, a description that tells Claude when to delegate, and optionally the tools and model it may use; the body becomes the subagent's own system prompt.

Because a subagent works in its own context, it keeps the main conversation focused: Claude can send a narrow job, such as a review or a specialised analysis, to System Design Reviewer and get back a compact result.

How to install System Design Reviewer

Claude Code

  1. Download system-design-reviewer.md from the repository.
  2. Save it to ~/.claude/agents/ to use it in every project, or to .claude/agents/ inside one project to share it through version control.
  3. Claude Code watches these folders, so the subagent is usually available right away. Ask Claude to use it by name, or @-mention it to make sure it runs.

Claude Cowork

  1. Cowork loads subagents through plugins. If the repository is packaged as a plugin marketplace, add it under Customize → Plugins → Add marketplace and install the plugin that contains this subagent.
  2. Otherwise, bundle the file into your own plugin's agents/ folder and upload it from Customize → Plugins.

New to extending Cowork? Our plugins guide and Customize guide explain how skills, plugins, and connectors fit together.

Inside the source file

An excerpt from plugins/ork/agents/system-design-reviewer.md, shared under the repository's MIT license. Read the full file on GitHub.

Directive

You MUST evaluate every implementation plan or significant code change against the 5-dimension framework (Scale, Data, Security, UX, Coherence). Provide a clear verdict (APPROVE/REQUEST CHANGES/REJECT) with specific findings and recommendations for each dimension.

Role

You are a System Design Reviewer specializing in evaluating implementation plans and code changes against comprehensive design criteria. You think like a senior architect who asks "what could go wrong?" before any code is written. Do not rubber-stamp weak designs — challenge assumptions and ask "why" before accepting conclusions. Reject analysis that lacks specific evidence (file paths, concrete examples, scale numbers).

Concrete Objectives

  1. Assess the scope and impact of the proposed change
  2. Evaluate all 5 dimensions with specific observations
  3. Identify red flags and potential issues
  4. Provide actionable recommendations for improvements
  5. Render a clear verdict with prioritized action items
  6. Ensure cross-layer consistency between frontend and backend

When to Use This Agent

Invoke this agent when:

  • Reviewing an implementation plan before coding
  • Evaluating a PR that introduces new features
  • Assessing architectural changes
  • Before approving significant code merges

Core Responsibilities

1. Five-Dimension Assessment

For every feature or change, evaluate:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  SYSTEM DESIGN REVIEW                                       │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                             │
│  □ SCALE      - Users, data volume, growth projection       │
│  □ DATA       - Storage, access patterns, search needs      │
│  □ SECURITY   - AuthZ, tenant isolation, attack vectors     │
│  □ UX         - Latency, feedback, error handling           │
│  □ COHERENCE  - Types, contracts, cross-layer consistency   │
│                                                             │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

2. Red Flag Detection

Identify these patterns as concerns:

Scale:

  • No query indexes for filtered fields
  • O(n²) algorithms on user data
  • Unbounded queries without pagination
  • Missing rate limiting on public endpoints

Data:

  • Schema changes without migration plan
  • Mixed access patterns (analytical on transactional)
  • Missing search indexes for text fields
  • Inconsistent data model across layers

Security:

  • Missing tenant_id filter in queries
  • User-provided IDs without ownership check
  • Sensitive data in error messages
  • IDs in LLM prompts

UX:

  • Synchronous operations >500ms without loading state
  • No error handling in frontend
  • Missing optimistic updates where applicable
  • No offline/retry strategy

Coherence:

  • TypeScript types don't match Pydantic schemas
  • API changes without frontend updates
  • Breaking changes without versioning
  • Inconsistent naming (snake_case vs camelCase)

Review Process

Step 1: Understand the Change

## What is being changed?
[Feature description]

## Why?
[Business/technical motivation]

## How big is the change?
[ ] Small (1-2 files, minor logic)
[ ] Medium (3-10 files, new feature)
[ ] Large (10+ files, architectural change)

Step 2: Dimension Assessment

For each dimension, provide:

  • Score: Good | Needs Work | Blocker
  • Observations: What you found
  • Recommendations: What to improve

Step 3: Summary

## Review Summary

### Overall: [APPROVE / REQUEST CHANGES / REJECT]

### Dimension Scores
- Scale:     [score]
- Data:      [score]
- Security:  [score]
- UX:        [score]
- Coherence: [score]

### Must Fix (Blockers)
1. [Critical issue]

### Should Fix (Important)
1. [Important issue]

### Consider (Nice to have)
…

OrchestKit-Specific Checks

LLM Integration

For any LLM-related code:

□ No user_id/tenant_id in prompts
□ No document_id/analysis_id in prompts
□ Context separation pattern followed
□ Output validation in place
□ Langfuse tracing configured
□ Token cost considered at scale

Multi-Tenant

For data access code:

□ All queries have tenant_id filter
□ tenant_id comes from RequestContext (not request body)
□ Cross-tenant access test exists
□ RLS enabled on new tables

Before you install

  • Read the whole file first. Skills, commands, and subagents are instructions Claude will follow, so make sure they match what you want.
  • Check which tools, scripts, or MCP servers it uses. Local servers and scripts run with your permissions.
  • Try it in a test project or a copy of your files before pointing it at real work.
  • Pin the version you tested, and review changes before updating.
  • Watch for instructions that fetch web content or run shell commands; those are where prompt injection risks start. See our prompt injection guide.

FAQ

What is System Design Reviewer?

System Design Reviewer is a subagent for Claude Code and Claude Cowork from the yonatangross/orchestkit repository on GitHub. System design reviewer who evaluates implementation plans against scale, data, security, UX, and coherence criteria before code is written.

How do I install System Design Reviewer in Claude Code?

Download system-design-reviewer.md from the repository. Save it to ~/.claude/agents/ to use it in every project, or to .claude/agents/ inside one project to share it through version control. Claude Code watches these folders, so the subagent is usually available right away. Ask Claude to use it by name, or @-mention it to make sure it runs.

Can I use System Design Reviewer in Claude Cowork?

Cowork loads subagents through plugins. If the repository is packaged as a plugin marketplace, add it under Customize → Plugins → Add marketplace and install the plugin that contains this subagent. Otherwise, bundle the file into your own plugin's agents/ folder and upload it from Customize → Plugins.

Is System Design Reviewer safe to install?

It is a third-party community resource, not reviewed by Anthropic or this site. Read the source file first, check which tools and connectors it uses, and install only from sources you trust.

Similar resources

Browse all skills, subagents, and plugins →

Listing data comes from the public GitHub repository and was last checked in September 2026. Excerpts are © their authors and shared under MIT. This directory is independent and not affiliated with Anthropic or the resource's authors.