Electron Architect

What it does

This skill assists in designing Electron desktop application architectures, focusing on security best practices and efficient communication between processes. It guides users through a structured process of analyzing application requirements, designing a secure Main/Renderer architecture, and establishing safe Inter-Process Communication (IPC). The goal is to create robust and secure Electron applications by carefully considering resource access, user interaction patterns, data sensitivity, and IPC design.

When to use it

• When starting a new Electron desktop application project.
• To review the security of an existing Electron application's architecture.
• For designing complex IPC communication between the Main and Renderer processes.
• When needing guidance on how to handle file system access, network requests, or native dialogs within an Electron app.
• To ensure adherence to security principles like least privilege and defense in depth.

Key capabilities

• Application Requirements Analysis: Identifies core functionality, resource needs, target platforms, offline requirements, and data sensitivity levels.
• Architecture Design (Security First): Provides a framework for designing secure Main/Renderer architectures based on security principles.
• IPC Design: Guides the selection of appropriate IPC patterns (invoke/handle, send, webContents.send, MessagePort) and emphasizes input validation and explicit communication channels.
• Decision Point Guidance: Provides structured questions to guide architectural decisions regarding process access and IPC surface area.

Example prompts

• "I'm building an Electron app that needs file system access. How should I handle this securely?"
• "What are the best practices for designing IPC communication between the Main and Renderer processes in my Electron application?"
• "My Electron app requires network requests; where should these be handled, and how can I avoid CORS issues?"

Tips & gotchas

• The skill follows a structured three-step process (Requirements Analysis -> Architecture Design -> IPC Design). Follow the steps sequentially for best results.
• Security is paramount: The skill prioritizes security principles like least privilege throughout the design process.
• Pay close attention to the "Architecture Decision Matrix" and "IPC Security Checklist" for guidance on specific features and communication patterns.