Capabilities

$ arqzero --docs-capabilities

ArqZero has 42 structured engineering capabilities organized into 6 categories. Capabilities are injected into the system prompt automatically based on your task.

How Capabilities Work

1. Keyword Matching

When you send a message, ArqZero scans it for keywords that map to capabilities. Saying "write tests for" triggers tdd, "review this PR" triggers code-review.

2. Verification Gates

Each capability defines a verification step. For tdd, the gate is "all tests pass". For security-review, the gate is "no critical findings". The agent checks these before marking work complete.

3. Dependency Chains

Capabilities can depend on others. phased-deploy pulls in ci-cd and testing-standards. The full chain is resolved and injected automatically.

Methodology

planningBreak down tasks into structured implementation plans with dependencies.

tddTest-driven development — write tests first, then make them pass.

debuggingSystematic root-cause analysis with bisect and trace strategies.

refactoringRestructure code without changing behavior. Extract, inline, rename.

code-reviewAutomated review with style, correctness, and security checks.

migrationUpgrade frameworks, languages, or APIs across the codebase.

scaffoldingGenerate project structure, boilerplate, and config from templates.

incident-responseDiagnose production issues with logs, metrics, and rollback plans.

Architecture

backend-patternsREST, GraphQL, middleware chains, service layers, auth flows.

frontend-architectureComponent composition, state management, routing, SSR/SSG.

database-designSchema modeling, migrations, indexing, query optimization.

event-drivenMessage queues, pub/sub, event sourcing, CQRS patterns.

microservicesService decomposition, API gateways, circuit breakers, discovery.

data-pipelineETL workflows, streaming, batch processing, data lakes.

cli-designCommand parsing, flag handling, interactive prompts, help generation.

Domain

typescriptType-safe patterns, generics, declaration files, strict config.

nodeStreams, worker threads, native addons, package management.

pythonVirtual environments, type hints, async/await, packaging.

reactHooks, context, suspense, server components, performance.

css-stylingTailwind, CSS modules, responsive design, animations.

dockerDockerfiles, compose, multi-stage builds, volume management.

git-opsBranching strategies, rebasing, cherry-pick, conflict resolution.

ci-cdGitHub Actions, pipelines, matrix builds, deployment gates.

cloud-infraAWS, GCP, Azure provisioning, IaC with Terraform/Pulumi.

documentationAPI docs, READMEs, architecture decision records, JSDoc.

shell-scriptingBash, PowerShell, cross-platform scripts, automation.

Guardrail

security-reviewAudit for injection, XSS, CSRF, auth bypass, secrets exposure.

performance-auditProfile bottlenecks, memory leaks, bundle size, lazy loading.

accessibility-checkARIA roles, keyboard nav, screen reader compat, contrast.

error-handlingStructured errors, boundaries, retry logic, graceful degradation.

input-validationSchema validation, sanitization, type coercion, edge cases.

testing-standardsCoverage targets, test isolation, mocking strategies, CI gates.

Orchestration

parallel-qualityRun lint, test, typecheck in parallel via Dispatch.

parallel-implementationSplit implementation across sub-agents by module.

phased-deployStaged rollout: build, test, deploy, verify in sequence.

review-sweepFan-out code review across multiple files simultaneously.

multi-stackCoordinate changes across frontend, backend, and infra.

Tool

file-operationsRead, write, edit, glob, and list files and directories.

searchRegex search with grep, file pattern matching with glob.

shellExecute commands, manage processes, read output streams.

web-researchSearch the web and fetch URL content for context.

notebookRead and edit Jupyter notebooks with cell-level precision.

42 capabilities across 6 categories