When to use

Use this skill whenever you are dealing with Node.js code to obtain domain-specific knowledge for building robust, performant, and maintainable Node.js applications.

TypeScript with Type Stripping

When writing TypeScript for Node.js, use

type stripping

(Node.js 22.6+) instead of build tools like ts-node or tsx. Type stripping runs TypeScript directly by removing type annotations at runtime without transpilation.

Key requirements for type stripping compatibility:

Use

import type

for type-only imports

Use const objects instead of enums

Avoid namespaces and parameter properties

Use

.ts

extensions in imports

Minimal example

— a valid type-stripped TypeScript file:

// greet.ts

import

type

{

IncomingMessage

}

from

'node:http'

;

const

greet

=

(

name

:

string

)

:

string

=>

`

Hello,

${

name

}

!

`

;

console

.

log

(

greet

(

'world'

)

)

;

Run directly with:

node

greet.ts

See

rules/typescript.md

for complete configuration and examples.

Common Workflows

For multi-step processes, follow these high-level sequences before consulting the relevant rule file:

Graceful shutdown

Register signal handlers (SIGTERM/SIGINT) → stop accepting new work → drain in-flight requests → close external connections (DB, cache) → exit with appropriate code. See

rules/graceful-shutdown.md

.

Error handling

Define a shared error base class → classify errors (operational vs programmer) → add async boundary handlers (

process.on('unhandledRejection')

) → propagate typed errors through the call stack → log with context before responding or crashing. See

rules/error-handling.md

.

Diagnosing flaky tests

Isolate the test with

--test-only

→ check for shared state or timer dependencies → inspect async teardown order → add retry logic as a temporary diagnostic step → fix root cause. See

rules/flaky-tests.md

.

Profiling a slow path

Reproduce under realistic load → capture a CPU profile with --cpu-prof → identify hot functions → check for stream backpressure or unnecessary serialisation → validate improvement with a benchmark. See rules/profiling.md and rules/performance.md . High-priority activation checklist (streams + caching) When the task mentions CSV , ETL , ingestion pipelines , large file processing , backpressure , repeated lookups , or deduplicating concurrent async calls , explicitly apply this checklist: Use await pipeline(...) from node:stream/promises (prefer this over chained .pipe() in guidance/code). Include at least one explicit async function transform when data is being transformed in-stream. Choose a cache strategy when repeated work appears: lru-cache for bounded in-memory reuse in a single process. async-cache-dedupe for async request deduplication / stale-while-revalidate behavior. Show where backpressure is handled (implicitly via pipeline() or explicitly via drain ). Integrated example pattern (CSV/ETL) For CSV/ETL-style prompts, prefer an answer structure like: createReadStream(input) async function parser/transform optional cached enrichment lookup ( async-cache-dedupe or lru-cache ) await pipeline(...) to a writable destination Link relevant rules directly in explanations so models can retrieve details: rules/streams.md rules/caching.md How to use Read individual rule files for detailed explanations and code examples: rules/error-handling.md - Error handling patterns in Node.js rules/async-patterns.md - Async/await and Promise patterns rules/streams.md - Working with Node.js streams rules/modules.md - ES Modules and CommonJS patterns rules/testing.md - Testing strategies for Node.js applications rules/flaky-tests.md - Identifying and diagnosing flaky tests with node:test rules/node-modules-exploration.md - Navigating and analyzing node_modules directories rules/performance.md - Performance optimization techniques rules/caching.md - Caching patterns and libraries rules/profiling.md - Profiling and benchmarking tools rules/logging.md - Logging and debugging patterns rules/environment.md - Environment configuration and secrets management rules/graceful-shutdown.md - Graceful shutdown and signal handling rules/typescript.md - TypeScript configuration and type stripping in Node.js