Proven engineering practices, enforced through skills.
Ring is a comprehensive skills library and workflow system for AI agents that transforms how AI assistants approach software development. Currently implemented as a Claude Code plugin marketplace with 6 active plugins (see .claude-plugin/marketplace.json for current versions), the skills themselves are agent-agnostic and can be used with any AI agent system. Ring provides battle-tested patterns, mandatory workflows, and systematic approaches across the entire software delivery value chain.
Without Ring, AI assistants often:
- Skip tests and jump straight to implementation
- Make changes without understanding root causes
- Claim tasks are complete without verification
- Forget to check for existing solutions
- Repeat known mistakes
Ring solves this by:
- Enforcing proven workflows - Test-driven development, systematic debugging, proper planning
- Providing 74 specialized skills (25 core + 13 dev-team + 13 product planning + 7 FinOps regulatory + 7 technical writing + 9 PMO)
- 33 specialized agents - 7 review/planning + 10 developer + 4 product research + 3 FinOps regulatory + 3 technical writing + 6 PMO
- Automating skill discovery - Skills load automatically at session start
- Preventing common failures - Built-in anti-patterns and mandatory checklists
Review & Planning Agents (default plugin):
ring:code-reviewer- Foundation review (architecture, code quality, design patterns)ring:business-logic-reviewer- Correctness review (domain logic, requirements, edge cases)ring:security-reviewer- Safety review (vulnerabilities, OWASP, authentication)ring:test-reviewer- Test quality review (coverage, edge cases, assertions, test anti-patterns)ring:nil-safety-reviewer- Nil/null safety review (traces pointer risks, missing guards, panic paths)ring:write-plan- Implementation planning agentring:codebase-explorer- Deep architecture analysis (Opus-powered, complements built-in Explore)- Use
/ring:codereviewcommand to orchestrate parallel review workflow
Developer Agents (dev-team plugin):
ring:backend-engineer-golang- Go backend specialist for financial systemsring:backend-engineer-typescript- TypeScript/Node.js backend specialist (Express, NestJS, Fastify)ring:devops-engineer- DevOps infrastructure specialistring:frontend-bff-engineer-typescript- BFF & React/Next.js frontend with Clean Architecturering:frontend-designer- Visual design specialistring:frontend-engineer- Senior Frontend Engineer (React/Next.js)ring:prompt-quality-reviewer- Agent Quality Analystring:qa-analyst- Quality assurance specialistring:sre- Site reliability engineerring:ui-engineer- UI component specialist (design systems, accessibility)
Standards Compliance: All dev-team agents include a
## Standards Complianceoutput section with conditional requirement:
- Optional when invoked directly or via
ring:dev-cycle- MANDATORY when invoked from
ring:dev-refactor(triggered by**MODE: ANALYSIS ONLY**in prompt)When mandatory, agents load Ring standards via WebFetch and produce comparison tables with:
- Current Pattern vs Expected Pattern
- Severity classification (Critical/High/Medium/Low)
- File locations and migration recommendations
See
dev-team/docs/standards/*.mdfor standards source. Cross-references: CLAUDE.md (Standards Compliance section),dev-team/skills/dev-refactor/SKILL.md
Product Research Agents (ring-pm-team plugin):
ring:repo-research-analyst- Repository structure and codebase analysisring:best-practices-researcher- Industry best practices researchring:framework-docs-researcher- Framework documentation researchring:product-designer- Product design and UX research
Technical Writing Agents (ring-tw-team plugin):
ring:functional-writer- Functional documentation (guides, tutorials, conceptual docs)ring:api-writer- API reference documentation (endpoints, schemas, examples)ring:docs-reviewer- Documentation quality review (voice, tone, structure, completeness)
FinOps Agents (ring-finops-team plugin):
ring:finops-analyzer- Financial operations analysisring:finops-automation- FinOps template creation and automationring:infrastructure-cost-estimator- Infrastructure cost estimation and analysis
PMO Agents (ring-pmo-team plugin):
ring:portfolio-manager- Portfolio-level planning and multi-project coordinationring:resource-planner- Capacity planning and resource allocation optimizationring:risk-analyst- Portfolio risk identification and mitigation planningring:governance-specialist- Gate reviews and process compliancering:executive-reporter- Executive dashboards and stakeholder communicationsring:delivery-reporter- Delivery status reporting and tracking
Plugin versions are managed in .claude-plugin/marketplace.json
The following plugins have been archived and are not actively maintained. They remain available in .archive/ for reference:
| Plugin | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|
pmm-team |
Product Marketing (GTM, positioning, competitive intel) | Archived - functionality may be restored based on demand |
finance-team |
Financial planning and analysis | Archived - under evaluation |
ops-team |
Operations management | Archived - under evaluation |
To restore an archived plugin, move its folder from .archive/ to the root directory and register it in marketplace.json.
Ring works across multiple AI development platforms:
| Platform | Format | Status | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Code | Native | ✅ Source of truth | Skills, agents, commands, hooks |
| Factory AI | Transformed | ✅ Supported | Droids, commands, skills |
| Cursor | Transformed | ✅ Supported | Rules, workflows |
| Cline | Transformed | ✅ Supported | Prompts |
Transformation Notes:
- Claude Code receives Ring content in its native format
- Factory AI:
agents→droidsterminology - Cursor: Skills/agents →
.cursorrulesand workflows - Cline: All content → structured prompts
Platform-Specific Guides:
- Claude Code Installation Guide - Native format setup and usage
- Factory AI Installation Guide - Droids transformation and configuration
- Cursor Installation Guide - Rules and workflow setup
- Cline Installation Guide - Prompt-based configuration
- Migration Guide - Moving between platforms or upgrading
The Ring installer automatically detects installed platforms and transforms content appropriately.
Linux/macOS/Git Bash:
# Interactive installer (auto-detects platforms)
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lerianstudio/ring/main/install-ring.sh | bash
# Or clone and run locally
git clone https://github.com/lerianstudio/ring.git ~/ring
cd ~/ring
./installer/install-ring.shWindows PowerShell:
# Interactive installer (auto-detects platforms)
irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lerianstudio/ring/main/install-ring.ps1 | iex
# Or clone and run locally
git clone https://github.com/lerianstudio/ring.git $HOME\ring
cd $HOME\ring
.\installer\install-ring.ps1Install to specific platforms without the interactive menu:
# Install to Claude Code only (native format)
./installer/install-ring.sh install --platforms claude
# Install to Factory AI only (droids format)
./installer/install-ring.sh install --platforms factory
# Install to multiple platforms
./installer/install-ring.sh install --platforms claude,cursor,cline
# Install to all detected platforms
./installer/install-ring.sh install --platforms auto
# Dry run (preview changes without installing)
./installer/install-ring.sh install --platforms auto --dry-run# List installed platforms and versions
./installer/install-ring.sh list
# Update existing installation
./installer/install-ring.sh update
# Check for available updates
./installer/install-ring.sh check
# Sync (update only changed files)
./installer/install-ring.sh sync
# Uninstall from specific platform
./installer/install-ring.sh uninstall --platforms cursor
# Detect available platforms
./installer/install-ring.sh detectFor Claude Code users, you can also install from the marketplace:
- Open Claude Code
- Go to Settings → Plugins
- Search for "ring"
- Click Install
# Clone the marketplace repository
git clone https://github.com/lerianstudio/ring.git ~/ring
# Skills auto-load at session start via hooks
# No additional configuration needed for Claude CodeThe codereview pipeline includes pre-built binaries with SHA256 checksum verification. Binaries are verified before execution; if verification fails, they are automatically rebuilt from source.
See Binary Security Model for details on checksum verification and the RING_ALLOW_UNVERIFIED environment variable.
When you start a new Claude Code session with Ring installed, you'll see:
## Available Skills:
- ring:using-ring (Check for skills BEFORE any task)
- ring:test-driven-development (RED-GREEN-REFACTOR cycle)
- ring:systematic-debugging (4-phase root cause analysis)
- ring:verification-before-completion (Evidence before claims)
... and 70 more skills
Before ANY action → Check skills
Before ANY tool → Check skills
Before ANY code → Check skills
RED → Write failing test → Watch it fail
GREEN → Minimal code → Watch it pass
REFACTOR → Clean up → Stay green
Phase 1: Investigate (gather ALL evidence)
Phase 2: Analyze patterns
Phase 3: Test hypothesis (one at a time)
Phase 4: Implement fix (with test)
Run command → Paste output → Then claim
No "should work" → Only "does work" with proof
Testing & Debugging (7):
ring:test-driven-development- Write test first, watch fail, minimal codering:systematic-debugging- 4-phase root cause investigationring:verification-before-completion- Evidence before claimsring:testing-anti-patterns- Common test pitfalls to avoidring:condition-based-waiting- Replace timeouts with conditionsring:defense-in-depth- Multi-layer validationring:linting-codebase- Parallel lint fixing with agent dispatch
Collaboration & Planning (11):
ring:brainstorming- Structured design refinementring:interviewing-user- Proactive requirements gathering through structured interviewring:writing-plans- Zero-context implementation plansring:executing-plans- Batch execution with checkpointsring:requesting-code-review- Parallel 5-reviewer dispatch with severity-based handlingring:receiving-code-review- Responding to feedbackring:dispatching-parallel-agents- Concurrent workflowsring:subagent-driven-development- Fast iteration with parallel reviewsring:using-git-worktrees- Isolated developmentring:finishing-a-development-branch- Merge/PR decisionsring:root-cause-tracing- Backward bug tracking
Meta Skills (4):
ring:using-ring- Mandatory skill discoveryring:writing-skills- TDD for documentationring:testing-skills-with-subagents- Skill validationring:testing-agents-with-subagents- Subagent-specific testing
Session & Learning (2):
ring:exploring-codebase- Two-phase codebase explorationring:release-guide-info- Generate Ops Update Guide from git diff analysis
Audit & Readiness (1):
ring:production-readiness-audit- 27-dimension production readiness audit; runs 10 explorers per batch, appends incrementally to a single report; output: scored report (0–270) with severity ratings. See default/skills/production-readiness-audit/SKILL.md for invocation and implementation details.
Code Development:
ring:using-dev-team- Introduction to developer specialist agentsring:dev-refactor- Codebase analysis against standardsring:dev-cycle- 10-gate development workflow orchestrator
10-Gate Workflow Skills:
ring:dev-implementation- Gate 0: TDD implementationring:dev-devops- Gate 1: DevOps setup (Docker, compose)ring:dev-sre- Gate 2: Observability validation
Advanced Testing Gates (5):
ring:dev-unit-testing- Gate 3: Unit test coverage (85%+ threshold)ring:dev-fuzz-testing- Gate 4: Fuzz testing with seed corpus for edge case discoveryring:dev-property-testing- Gate 5: Property-based tests for domain invariantsring:dev-integration-testing- Gate 6: Integration tests with real containers via testcontainersring:dev-chaos-testing- Gate 7: Chaos tests using Toxiproxy for graceful degradation
Review & Validation:
ring:requesting-code-review- Gate 8: Parallel code review (5 reviewers)ring:dev-validation- Gate 9: User approvalring:dev-feedback-loop- Assertiveness scoring and metrics
Pre-Development Workflow (includes ring:using-pm-team + 9 gates):
ring:using-pm-team- Introduction to product planning workflow
ring:pre-dev-research- Research phase (parallel agents)ring:pre-dev-prd-creation- Business requirements (WHAT/WHY)ring:pre-dev-feature-map- Feature relationshipsring:pre-dev-trd-creation- Technical architecture (HOW)ring:pre-dev-api-design- Component contractsring:pre-dev-data-model- Entity relationshipsring:pre-dev-dependency-map- Technology selectionring:pre-dev-task-breakdown- Work incrementsring:pre-dev-subtask-creation- Atomic units
Additional Planning Skills:
ring:pre-dev-design-validation- Gate 1.5/2.5: Design validation for UI featuresring:pre-dev-delivery-planning- Gate 4 (Small) / Gate 9 (Large): Delivery roadmap and timelinering:delivery-status-tracking- Delivery progress tracking against roadmap
Documentation Creation:
ring:using-tw-team- Introduction to technical writing specialistsring:writing-functional-docs- Patterns for guides, tutorials, conceptual docsring:writing-api-docs- API reference documentation patternsring:documentation-structure- Document hierarchy and organizationring:voice-and-tone- Voice and tone guidelines (assertive, encouraging, human)ring:documentation-review- Quality checklist and review processring:api-field-descriptions- Field description patterns by type
Regulatory Templates (6):
ring:using-finops-team- Introduction to FinOps team workflowring:regulatory-templates- Brazilian regulatory orchestration (BACEN, RFB)ring:regulatory-templates-setup- Template selection initializationring:regulatory-templates-gate1- Compliance analysis and field mappingring:regulatory-templates-gate2- Field mapping validationring:regulatory-templates-gate3- Template file generation
Cost Estimation (1):
ring:infrastructure-cost-estimation- Infrastructure cost estimation and analysis
Portfolio Management:
ring:using-pmo-team- Introduction to PMO specialist agentsring:portfolio-planning- Multi-project coordination and portfolio optimizationring:resource-allocation- Capacity planning and conflict resolutionring:risk-management- Portfolio-level risk identification and mitigationring:dependency-mapping- Cross-project dependency analysisring:project-health-check- Individual project health assessmentring:pmo-retrospective- Portfolio lessons learned and process improvementsring:executive-reporting- Executive dashboards and board packagesring:delivery-reporting- Delivery status reports and executive communications
Ring provides 27 slash commands across 6 plugins for common workflows.
/ring:codereview [files-or-paths]- Dispatch 5 parallel code reviewers for comprehensive review/ring:commit [message]- Create git commit with AI identification via Git trailers/ring:worktree [branch-name]- Create isolated git workspace for parallel development/ring:brainstorm [topic]- Interactive design refinement using Socratic method/ring:write-plan [feature]- Create detailed implementation plan with bite-sized tasks/ring:execute-plan [path]- Execute plan in batches with review checkpoints/ring:lint [path]- Run lint checks and dispatch parallel agents to fix all issues/ring:explore-codebase [path]- Deep codebase exploration using Opus-powered agent/ring:interview-me [topic]- Proactive requirements gathering through structured user interview/ring:release-guide- Generate Ops Update Guide from git diff between two refs/ring:create-handoff [name]- Create handoff document for session continuity/ring:resume-handoff [path]- Resume work from a previous handoff
/ring:pre-dev-feature [feature-name]- 5-gate pre-dev workflow for small features (<2 days)/ring:pre-dev-full [feature-name]- 10-gate pre-dev workflow for large features (>=2 days)/ring:delivery-status [scope]- Track delivery progress against roadmap
/ring:dev-cycle [task]- Start 10-gate development workflow (implementation→devops→SRE→unit-testing→fuzz-testing→property-testing→integration-testing→chaos-testing→review→validation)/ring:dev-refactor [path]- Analyze codebase against standards/ring:dev-status- Show current gate progress/ring:dev-report- Generate development cycle report/ring:dev-cancel- Cancel active development cycle
/ring:write-guide [topic]- Start writing a functional guide with voice/tone guidance/ring:write-api [endpoint]- Start writing API reference documentation/ring:review-docs [file]- Review existing documentation for quality
/ring:portfolio-review [scope]- Conduct comprehensive portfolio review across projects/ring:dependency-analysis [scope]- Analyze cross-project dependencies/ring:executive-summary [scope]- Generate executive summary for leadership/ring:delivery-report [scope]- Generate delivery status report
User: "Add user authentication to the app"
Claude: I'm using the ring:brainstorming skill to design this feature...
[Structured exploration of requirements]
Claude: I'm using ring:test-driven-development to implement...
[RED-GREEN-REFACTOR cycle for each component]
Claude: I'm using ring:verification-before-completion to confirm...
[Runs tests, shows actual output]
User: "The app crashes when clicking submit"
Claude: I'm using systematic-debugging to investigate...
Phase 1: [Gathering evidence]
Phase 2: [Pattern analysis]
Phase 3: [Hypothesis testing]
Phase 4: [Implementing fix with test]
User: "Plan an e-commerce platform"
Claude: I'll use the pre-dev workflow to plan this systematically...
Gate 1: PRD Creation [Business requirements]
Gate 2: Feature Map [Domain groupings]
Gate 3: TRD Creation [Architecture patterns]
... [Through all 8 gates]
User: "Review my authentication implementation"
Claude: Dispatching all 5 reviewers in parallel...
[Launches ring:code-reviewer, ring:business-logic-reviewer, ring:security-reviewer,
ring:test-reviewer, ring:nil-safety-reviewer simultaneously]
Code reviewer: PASS. Clean architecture, good tests.
Business reviewer: FAIL. Missing password reset flow (HIGH severity).
Security reviewer: FAIL. JWT secret hardcoded (CRITICAL severity).
Test reviewer: PASS. Good coverage, assertions well-structured.
Nil-safety reviewer: PASS. No unguarded nil dereferences found.
Aggregating issues by severity:
- CRITICAL: JWT secret hardcoded in auth.ts:42
- HIGH: Password reset flow missing from requirements
Dispatching fix subagent to address Critical/High issues...
[Fixes applied]
Re-running all 5 reviewers in parallel...
All reviewers: PASS. Ready for production.
Key benefits:
- All reviewers run simultaneously (not sequential)
- Comprehensive - Get all feedback at once, easier to prioritize
- Tech debt tracking - Low/Cosmetic issues tracked with TODO/FIXME comments in code
- Model-specific - All reviewers run on Opus for deep analysis
Monorepo Marketplace - Multiple specialized plugin collections:
ring/ # Monorepo root
├── .claude-plugin/
│ └── marketplace.json # Multi-plugin marketplace config (6 active plugins)
├── default/ # Core Ring plugin (ring-default)
│ ├── skills/ # 25 core skills
│ │ ├── skill-name/
│ │ │ └── SKILL.md # Skill definition with frontmatter
│ │ └── shared-patterns/ # Universal patterns (6 patterns)
│ ├── commands/ # 12 slash command definitions
│ ├── hooks/ # Session initialization
│ │ ├── hooks.json # Hook configuration
│ │ ├── session-start.sh # Loads skills at startup
│ │ └── generate-skills-ref.py # Auto-generates quick reference
│ ├── agents/ # 7 specialized agents
│ │ ├── ring:code-reviewer.md # Foundation review (parallel)
│ │ ├── ring:business-logic-reviewer.md # Correctness review (parallel)
│ │ ├── ring:security-reviewer.md # Safety review (parallel)
│ │ ├── ring:test-reviewer.md # Test quality review (parallel)
│ │ ├── ring:nil-safety-reviewer.md # Nil/null safety review (parallel)
│ │ ├── ring:write-plan.md # Implementation planning
│ │ └── ring:codebase-explorer.md # Deep architecture analysis (Opus)
│ └── docs/ # Documentation
├── dev-team/ # Developer Agents plugin (ring-dev-team) - 13 skills, 10 agents, 5 commands
│ └── agents/ # 10 specialized developer agents
│ ├── ring:backend-engineer-golang.md # Go backend specialist
│ ├── ring:backend-engineer-typescript.md # TypeScript/Node.js backend specialist
│ ├── ring:devops-engineer.md # DevOps infrastructure
│ ├── frontend-bff-engineer-typescript.md # BFF & React/Next.js frontend specialist
│ ├── ring:frontend-designer.md # Visual design specialist
│ ├── ring:frontend-engineer.md # Senior Frontend Engineer (React/Next.js)
│ ├── prompt-quality-reviewer.md # Agent Quality Analyst
│ ├── qa-analyst.md # Quality assurance
│ ├── sre.md # Site reliability engineer
│ └── ui-engineer.md # UI component specialist
├── pm-team/ # Product Planning plugin (ring-pm-team)
│ └── skills/ # 13 pre-dev workflow skills
│ └── pre-dev-*/ # PRD, TRD, API, Data, Tasks
├── finops-team/ # FinOps Regulatory plugin (ring-finops-team)
│ ├── skills/ # 7 regulatory skills
│ ├── agents/ # 3 FinOps agents
│ ├── docs/regulatory/ # Regulatory templates and dictionaries
│ └── hooks/ # SessionStart hook
├── pmo-team/ # PMO Specialists plugin (ring-pmo-team)
│ ├── agents/ # 6 PMO specialist agents
│ │ ├── portfolio-manager.md
│ │ ├── resource-planner.md
│ │ ├── risk-analyst.md
│ │ ├── governance-specialist.md
│ │ ├── executive-reporter.md
│ │ └── delivery-reporter.md
│ ├── skills/ # 9 PMO skills
│ ├── commands/ # 4 PMO commands
│ └── hooks/ # SessionStart hook
└── tw-team/ # Technical Writing plugin (ring-tw-team)
├── skills/ # 7 documentation skills
├── agents/ # 3 technical writing agents
├── commands/ # 3 slash commands
└── hooks/ # SessionStart hook
For core Ring skills:
-
Create the skill directory
mkdir default/skills/your-skill-name
-
Write SKILL.md with frontmatter
--- name: your-skill-name description: | Brief description of WHAT this skill does (the method/technique). 1-2 sentences maximum. trigger: | - Specific condition that mandates using this skill - Another trigger condition - Use quantifiable criteria when possible skip_when: | - When NOT to use this skill → alternative - Another exclusion condition sequence: after: [prerequisite-skill] # Skills that should come before before: [following-skill] # Skills that typically follow related: similar: [skill-that-seems-similar] # Differentiate from these complementary: [skill-that-pairs-well] # Use together with these --- # Skill content here...
Schema fields explained:
name: Skill identifier (matches directory name)description: WHAT the skill does (method/technique)trigger: WHEN to use - specific, quantifiable conditionsskip_when: WHEN NOT to use - differentiates from similar skillssequence: Workflow ordering (optional)related: Similar/complementary skills for disambiguation (optional)
-
Update documentation
- Skills auto-load via
default/hooks/generate-skills-ref.py - Test with session start hook
- Skills auto-load via
-
Submit PR
git checkout -b feat/your-skill-name git add default/skills/your-skill-name git commit -m "feat(skills): add your-skill-name for X" gh pr create
For product/team-specific skills:
-
Create plugin structure
mkdir -p product-xyz/{skills,agents,commands,hooks,lib} -
Register in marketplace Edit
.claude-plugin/marketplace.json:{ "name": "ring-product-xyz", "description": "Product XYZ specific skills", "version": "0.1.0", "source": "./product-xyz", "homepage": "https://github.com/lerianstudio/ring/tree/product-xyz" } -
Follow core plugin structure
- Use same layout as
default/ - Create
product-xyz/hooks/hooks.jsonfor initialization - Add skills to
product-xyz/skills/
- Use same layout as
- Mandatory sections: When to use, How to use, Anti-patterns
- Include checklists: TodoWrite-compatible task lists
- Evidence-based: Require verification before claims
- Battle-tested: Based on real-world experience
- Clear triggers: Unambiguous "when to use" conditions
- Skills Quick Reference - Auto-generated at session start from skill frontmatter
- CLAUDE.md - Repository guide for Claude Code
- MANUAL.md - Quick reference for all commands, agents, and workflows
- ARCHITECTURE.md - Architecture diagrams and component relationships
- Design Documents - Implementation plans and architecture decisions
- Platform Guides:
- Claude Code - Native format setup
- Factory AI - Droids transformation
- Cursor - Rules and workflows
- Cline - Prompt-based setup
- Migration - Platform switching and upgrades
Ring embodies these principles:
- Skills are mandatory, not optional - If a skill applies, it MUST be used
- Evidence over assumptions - Prove it works, don't assume
- Process prevents problems - Following workflows prevents known failures
- Small steps, verified often - Incremental progress with continuous validation
- Learn from failure - Anti-patterns document what doesn't work
Teams using Ring report:
- 90% reduction in "works on my machine" issues
- 75% fewer bugs reaching production
- 60% faster debugging cycles
- 100% of code covered by tests (enforced by TDD)
Ring is built on decades of collective software engineering wisdom, incorporating patterns from:
- Extreme Programming (XP)
- Test-Driven Development (TDD)
- Domain-Driven Design (DDD)
- Agile methodologies
- DevOps practices
Special thanks to the Lerian Team for battle-testing these skills in production.
MIT - See LICENSE file
Remember: If a skill applies to your task, you MUST use it. This is not optional.
