/arn-infra-assess

name: arn-infra-assess
description: >-
  This skill should be used when the user says "assess infrastructure",
  "infra assess", "arn infra assess", "infrastructure assessment",
  "analyze infrastructure needs", "what infrastructure do I need",
  "infrastructure audit", "app infrastructure assessment", "full infra assessment",
  "infrastructure review", "assess my app", "un-defer infrastructure",
  "infra backlog", or wants a comprehensive analysis of their application's
  infrastructure needs, including processing deferred infrastructure backlogs,
  to produce a prioritized infrastructure backlog published as issues.
version: 1.0.0

Arness Infra Assess

Perform a comprehensive infrastructure assessment of the application. Read the deferred backlog (if exists), analyze the complete application codebase, ask structured assessment questions, and produce a prioritized infrastructure backlog published as issues to the issue tracker.

This skill serves two primary use cases: 1. **Un-deferring:** When the user deferred infrastructure during `arn-infra-init` and is now ready to plan it 2. **Fresh assessment:** When the user wants a comprehensive infrastructure review of an existing application

Step 0: Ensure Configuration

Read `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/arn-infra-ensure-config/references/step-0-fast-path.md` and follow its instructions. This guarantees a user profile exists and `## Arness` is configured with Arness Infra fields before proceeding.

After Step 0 completes, read `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/arn-infra-ensure-config/references/experience-derivation.md` and derive the user's infrastructure experience level from their profile.

Check for at least one Arness Infra-specific field (`Infra plans directory` or `Infra specs directory`) within `## Arness`. If neither is present, Arness Infra has not been fully configured (the `## Arness` section may exist from ensure-config defaults or another plugin). This is acceptable -- assess can still run with defaults.

Extract:

• **Deferred** -- if `yes`, read the deferred backlog
• **Project topology** -- how to resolve the application project
• **Application path** -- path to the application project root
• **Providers** -- configured providers (may be minimal if deferred)
• **Experience level** -- derived from user profile (see experience-derivation.md). If no profile exists, check for legacy `Experience level` in `## Arness` as fallback.
• **Issue tracker** -- where to publish backlog items
• **Jira site** and **Jira project** -- if Issue tracker is jira

Workflow

Step 1: Check Deferred Status and Load Backlog

**If `Deferred: yes`:** 1. Read `.arness/infra/deferred-backlog.md` if it exists 2. Inform the user: "You previously deferred infrastructure planning. I found [N] accumulated infrastructure observations from your feature development. These will seed the assessment." 3. Present the deferred backlog items for context

**If `Deferred: no` (or missing):** Continue to Step 2 without deferred backlog context.

---

Step 2: Resolve Application Context

Resolve the application project based on topology:

**Monorepo (`Application path: .`):**

• Read codebase patterns from the local code-patterns directory
• Read `architecture.md` for technology stack and dependencies
• Scan the source tree for infrastructure-relevant patterns

**Separate repo:**

• Navigate to `Application path`
• Read the application's `## Arness` config, code patterns, and architecture
• If the path is unreachable, inform the user and ask them to describe the application stack manually

**Infra-only:**

• No application to analyze
• Ask the user to describe the application or provide a list of services and their requirements
• Proceed with user-provided context

---

Step 3: Full Application Analysis

Invoke the `arn-infra-request-analyzer` agent via the Task tool in Mode B (full application analysis), passing the model from `.arness/agent-models/infra.md` as the `model` parameter (see `plugins/arn-infra/skills/arn-infra-ensure-config/references/ensure-config.md` "Dispatch convention" for fallback). Pass the loaded codebase patterns, architecture content, deferred backlog (if any), and infrastructure config fields as structured context.

> Read `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/arn-infra-assess/references/agent-invocation-guide.md` for the exact prompt template and expected return format.

The agent returns a comprehensive analysis covering application components, data layer, external integrations, networking, security, and performance indicators.

---

Step 4: Structured Assessment Questions

Ask the user structured questions to refine the infrastructure requirements. Adapt question depth based on experience level.

> Read `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/arn-infra-assess/references/assessment-questionnaire.md` for the full question set with options, beginner versions, and selection logic.

Select questions using the **Question Selection Logic** from the questionnaire reference:

• **Always ask:** Availability (Q1), Traffic (Q2), Budget (Q4)
• **Conditional:** Traffic patterns (Q3), Compliance (Q5), Geography (Q6), Latency (Q7), Data volume (Q8) -- based on application analysis results

For beginner experience level, use the simplified question versions from the reference and cap at 4-5 questions total.

---

Step 5: Produce Prioritized Infrastructure Backlog

Combine the agent's analysis with the user's answers to produce a prioritized backlog.

Categorize each item into one of three priority levels: **Foundation** (must-do-first, e.g., compute, primary database, networking), **Core** (important for production readiness, e.g., caching, object storage, monitoring), or **Enhancement** (incremental improvements, e.g., CDN, auto-scaling, DR).

For each backlog item, produce structured content following the backlog item template.

> Read `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/arn-infra-assess/references/backlog-item-template.md` for the item format and priorit