By thoughtbot
Socratic-guided Rails development and client consulting: pressure-test assumptions, break features into shippable slices, review code with design/security questioning, write polished client updates with git context, and execute strict TDD workflows.
Pressure-test an assumption, decision, or inherited constraint — Socratic cross-examination that forces you to defend or abandon your position
Explain what a piece of code does — a specific file, class, or method in close detail, or a user-facing flow as a concise system overview. What it does and why, not whether it's good.
Prepare to deliver difficult technical news to a client — a conversational prep session before the hard conversation happens
Walk through the Designer/Developer wrap-up checklist for offboarding a client engagement — conversationally, one item at a time.
Discover how a codebase already handles a specific concern — search broadly, find every instance, and assess consistency. The "how does this app do X?" tool.
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A collection of [skills][] for Rails development and consulting, with an emphasis on learning, communication, and client success.
Several skills draw on articles, books, and talks created by thoughtbot:
Install with [skills][]:
npx skills add thoughtbot/rails-consultant
Add the marketplace to Claude Code:
/plugin marketplace add thoughtbot/rails-consultant
Install the plugin:
/plugin install rails-consultant@rails-consultant
/explainExplains a specific piece of code or a user-facing flow. Point it at a file, class, or method for a close reading; point it at a feature or user action for a system-level diagram with entry points, branching logic, and side effects.
/explain app/models/user.rb
/explain password reset
/explain the Stripe webhook handler
/prior‑artFinds every place the codebase handles a specific concern — the consistent pattern and the exceptions. Answers the "how does this app do X?" question before you build something that reinvents it.
/prior-art How does this app handle authorization?
/prior-art Where do we send transactional emails?
/prior-art How are background jobs retried on failure?
/test‑driven‑developmentStrict outside-in TDD workflow for Rails. Starts with a feature spec describing behavior from the user's perspective, lets each failure guide what to build next, and drops to unit tests for non-trivial logic. Enforces the discipline: no production code without a failing test first. Red-green-refactor.
/test-driven-development Users can cancel their subscription from the billing page
/test-driven-development Fix the bug where archived projects still appear in search results
Based on [Superpowers][superpowers] by Jesse Vincent, adapted for Rails with guidance from [Testing from the Outside-In][outside-in], [The Testing Pyramid][testing-pyramid], and [Testing Antipatterns][antipatterns].
/socratic‑reviewA pairing session, not a report. Reads the code silently, then leads you to see the issues yourself through questions — whether it's your own code, a teammate's PR, or something you inherited. Names smells and moves precisely, then closes with a concrete plan: what to fix, in what order, and where to start.
/socratic-review app/services/payment_processor.rb
/socratic-review the open PR on branch feature/notifications
/socratic-review I inherited this controller and something feels off
/sliceTurns a feature into well-defined, independently shippable slices — whether it's an epic that needs breaking apart or a single story that needs sharpening into a job story. Works Socratically: guides you to find the slices yourself, validates each against the "can it ship independently?" and "can a user see the value?" tests, then helps you sequence by risk and learning, not by ease.
/slice Users need to be able to manage their subscription
/slice We need an admin dashboard for customer support
/slice Add multi-tenancy to the existing app
Inspired by [Break Apart Your Features into Full-Stack Slices][full-stack-slices] and [Job Stories][job-stories] from the thoughtbot Playbook.
/rubber‑duckSocratic friction to help you find clarity, not sympathy. Follows your thinking with one question at a time — the actual problem underneath, what you've already ruled out, what your gut says. Closes with an honest synthesis and one question you've been avoiding.
/rubber-duck I can't decide between a service object and a concern here
/rubber-duck I keep going back and forth on whether to extract this into a gem
/rubber-duck
/challengeCross-examines a belief, design decision, or inherited constraint. Asks where it came from, what evidence would change it, and what the simplest alternative is. Has opinions — says directly when an assumption is weak and names the better path.
/challenge We need microservices because the monolith won't scale
/challenge We can't use Hotwire because our UI is too complex
/challenge The client says we have to support IE11
/standupWrites a polished, ready-to-send client update. Checks git for context, then asks what the code can't tell: what you actually spent time on, what the client must know, what risks you might be softening. Pushes on internal team communication too — not just what goes to the client.
npx claudepluginhub thoughtbot/rails-consultant --plugin rails-consultantCode with thoughtbot's best practices in mind. Atomic commits, code auditing, testing patterns, Rails best practices, refactoring discipline, and systematic debugging.
Guides agents to commit early and often in atomic increments, separate feature/refactor/cleanup work, and keep pull requests around ~200 lines
Complete Rails development workflow with TDD, security reviews, and Linear integration
Ruby on Rails development toolkit with skills for Rails, Ruby, RSpec, RuboCop, SimpleCov, Brakeman, and code review with Sandi Metz principles
Design and review Rails applications using Vanilla Rails philosophy from 37signals/Basecamp. Emphasizes thin controllers, rich domain models, and avoiding unnecessary service layers.
Advanced Ruby on Rails skills for MVC patterns, Active Record, and Hotwire
Rails development coordinator with domain skills for Rails 8+, Hotwire, security, and TDD. Built on Superpowers workflows.
Rails conventions for consistent architecture + implementation in real codebases