Use when building Django web applications or REST APIs with Django REST Framework. Invoke when working with settings.py, models.py, manage.py, or any Django project file. Creates Django models with proper indexes, optimizes ORM queries using select_related/prefetch_related, builds DRF serializers and viewsets, and configures JWT authentication. Trigger terms: Django, DRF, Django REST Framework, Django ORM, Django model, serializer, viewset, Python web.
npx skills add https://github.com/Jeffallan/claude-skills --skill django-expert
Senior Django specialist with deep expertise in Django 5.0, Django REST Framework, and production-grade web applications.
manage.py makemigrations and manage.py migrate; verify schema before proceedingAPITestCase or curl check before adding authLoad detailed guidance based on context:
| Topic | Reference | Load When |
|-------|-----------|-----------|
| Models | references/models-orm.md | Creating models, ORM queries, optimization |
| Serializers | references/drf-serializers.md | DRF serializers, validation |
| ViewSets | references/viewsets-views.md | Views, viewsets, async views |
| Authentication | references/authentication.md | JWT, permissions, SimpleJWT |
| Testing | references/testing-django.md | APITestCase, fixtures, factories |
The snippet below demonstrates the core MUST DO constraints: indexed fields, select_related, serializer validation, and endpoint permissions.
# models.py
from django.db import models
class Article(models.Model):
title = models.CharField(max_length=255, db_index=True)
author = models.ForeignKey(
"auth.User", on_delete=models.CASCADE, related_name="articles"
)
published_at = models.DateTimeField(auto_now_add=True, db_index=True)
class Meta:
ordering = ["-published_at"]
indexes = [models.Index(fields=["author", "published_at"])]
def __str__(self):
return self.title
# serializers.py
from rest_framework import serializers
from .models import Article
class ArticleSerializer(serializers.ModelSerializer):
author_username = serializers.CharField(source="author.username", read_only=True)
class Meta:
model = Article
fields = ["id", "title", "author_username", "published_at"]
def validate_title(self, value):
if len(value.strip()) < 3:
raise serializers.ValidationError("Title must be at least 3 characters.")
return value.strip()
# views.py
from rest_framework import viewsets, permissions
from .models import Article
from .serializers import ArticleSerializer
class ArticleViewSet(viewsets.ModelViewSet):
"""
Uses select_related to avoid N+1 on author lookups.
IsAuthenticatedOrReadOnly: safe methods are public, writes require auth.
"""
serializer_class = ArticleSerializer
permission_classes = [permissions.IsAuthenticatedOrReadOnly]
def get_queryset(self):
return Article.objects.select_related("author").all()
def perform_create(self, serializer):
serializer.save(author=self.request.user)
# tests.py
from rest_framework.test import APITestCase
from rest_framework import status
from django.contrib.auth.models import User
class ArticleAPITest(APITestCase):
def setUp(self):
self.user = User.objects.create_user("alice", password="pass")
def test_list_public(self):
res = self.client.get("/api/articles/")
self.assertEqual(res.status_code, status.HTTP_200_OK)
def test_create_requires_auth(self):
res = self.client.post("/api/articles/", {"title": "Test"})
self.assertEqual(res.status_code, status.HTTP_403_FORBIDDEN)
def test_create_authenticated(self):
self.client.force_authenticate(self.user)
res = self.client.post("/api/articles/", {"title": "Hello Django"})
self.assertEqual(res.status_code, status.HTTP_201_CREATED)
select_related/prefetch_related for related objectsWhen implementing Django features, provide:
Django 5.0, DRF, async views, ORM, QuerySet, select_related, prefetch_related, SimpleJWT, django-filter, drf-spectacular, pytest-django
Guide for creating high-quality MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers that enable LLMs to interact with external services through well-designed tools. Use when building MCP servers to integrate external APIs or services, whether in Python (FastMCP) or Node/TypeScript (MCP SDK).
Automatically creates user-facing changelogs from git commits by analyzing commit history, categorizing changes, and transforming technical commits into clear, customer-friendly release notes. Turns hours of manual changelog writing into minutes of automated generation.
Use when implementation is complete, all tests pass, and you need to decide how to integrate the work - guides completion of development work by presenting structured options for merge, PR, or cleanup
Guide for creating high-quality MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers that enable LLMs to interact with external services through well-designed tools. Use when building MCP servers to integrate external APIs or services, whether in Python (FastMCP) or Node/TypeScript (MCP SDK).
React Native and Expo best practices for building performant mobile apps. Use when building React Native components, optimizing list performance, implementing animations, or working with native modules. Triggers on tasks involving React Native, Expo, mobile performance, or native platform APIs.
React and Next.js performance optimization guidelines from Vercel Engineering. This skill should be used when writing, reviewing, or refactoring React/Next.js code to ensure optimal performance patterns. Triggers on tasks involving React components, Next.js pages, data fetching, bundle optimization, or performance improvements.
Next.js best practices - file conventions, RSC boundaries, data patterns, async APIs, metadata, error handling, route handlers, image/font optimization, bundling
Use when starting feature work that needs isolation from current workspace or before executing implementation plans - creates isolated git worktrees with smart directory selection and safety verification
Take jeffallan/django-expert from the repository into ~/.claude/skills for personal
use, or into .claude/skills inside a project.
The agent identifies a skill by the name field in its header. Two skills with the
same name cannot sit side by side — one of them will be ignored.