Reviews an API, SDK, CLI or library from the consuming developer's side: time to first success, typing, actionable errors, copy-paste quickstart. Use when asked for a \"DevEx review\", \"is this API easy to use?\", \"improve these error messages\" or \"review the SDK ergonomics\".
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---
name: plan-devex-review
description: "Reviews an API, SDK, CLI or library from the consuming developer's side: time to first success, typing, actionable errors, copy-paste quickstart. Use when asked for a \"DevEx review\", \"is this API easy to use?\", \"improve these error messages\" or \"review the SDK ergonomics\"."
---
# Plan DevEx Review (Developer Experience & Ergonomics)
## Overview
When building developer tools, public APIs, SDKs, or shared internal libraries, developer experience (DevEx) dictates adoption. If an API is cumbersome, confusing, or poorly typed, developers abandon it.
`plan-devex-review` reviews code interfaces from the consumer developer's perspective, optimizing for minimal time-to-first-hello-world and intuitive ergonomics.
## When to Use
- When designing public or internal REST/GraphQL APIs, MCP tools, or SDKs.
- When creating CLI tools or automation scripts.
- When drafting developer documentation and code examples.
## Key Principles of Elite DevEx
1. **Zero-Config Defaults, Infinite Customizability**:
- Simple tasks must take 3 lines of code; complex tasks should remain possible.
2. **Predictable Naming & Typing**:
- Strict TypeScript/Pydantic types with informative IDE autocomplete and inline docstrings.
3. **Actionable Error Messages**:
- Never return generic `Error: Invalid argument`.
- Always return: `Error: Missing 'apiKey'. Set the ANTHROPIC_API_KEY environment variable or pass { apiKey: '...' } in config.`
4. **Copy-Paste Ready Examples**:
- Every API endpoint or method must have a working, copy-pasteable snippet.
## Output Format
Save in `brain/<conversation-id>/devex_review.md`:
```markdown
# DevEx Review: [Tool/API Name]
## 1. Ergonomics & Interface Assessment
- **Time to First Success**: [< 2 minutes target]
- **Type Safety**: [Strict TypeScript types / Pydantic models]
## 2. Error Message Quality Audit
- Example Error: `[Descriptive error with fix suggestion]`
## 3. Quickstart Snippet
```typescript
// Verified minimal example
```
```
