How to use the Entity Framework Core Best Practices agent skill

What the ef-core skill makes the agent do

A skill is a set of written instructions that an AI agent can load when a task matches it. The ef-core skill holds a checklist covering six areas: data context design, entity design, performance, migrations, querying, change tracking and saving, security, and testing.

When you ask the agent to review your Entity Framework Core code, it uses this checklist to identify issues and suggest improvements that follow these practices. The skill is guidance only. It does not run anything on your machine.

• Data context design: keeping DbContext classes focused, using IEntityTypeConfiguration, and considering DbContextFactory for console apps or tests.
• Performance: AsNoTracking() for read-only queries, pagination with Skip() and Take(), and avoiding N+1 query problems.
• Migrations: small, descriptively named migrations, and verifying migration SQL before applying it to production.
• Security: parameterized queries to avoid SQL injection, and care with raw SQL.

Install the ef-core skill

Download the ZIP file from this page. The skill is distributed as a folder containing SKILL.md.

Option A, personal install: unzip the file into ~/.claude/skills/ so the skill is available across your projects.

Option B, project install: unzip the file into the .claude/skills/ folder inside a specific project so it is available only to that project and can be shared with your team through the repository.

Option C, Claude apps: upload the skill in the Claude apps under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.

Trigger the skill with natural requests

You do not need a special command. Ask for a review of your Entity Framework Core code in plain language, and mention EF Core so the agent knows which checklist applies. The skill description is 'Get best practices for Entity Framework Core', so requests that mention those topics are the most likely to match.

Good requests name the code and the concern. The more specific you are, the more useful the review.

• Review this DbContext and its OnModelCreating method against Entity Framework Core best practices.
• Check this repository method for N+1 queries and missing AsNoTracking.
• Look at my EF Core migrations and suggest improvements before I apply them to production.
• Review how I save changes and handle concurrency in this EF Core service.

Examples of what a review looks like

Paste or point the agent at a file. The agent reads the code in front of it, compares it with the checklist, and reports where the code departs from a listed practice, with a suggested change. For example, a read-only list query that returns tracked entities could be flagged for AsNoTracking(), and a loop that loads related data one row at a time could be flagged as an N+1 problem with a suggestion to use Include() or a projection.

Treat the output as a list of questions to check, not as final decisions. Confirm each suggestion against your own design and the EF Core documentation for your version.

What you need before you start

The skill has no dependencies of its own, but it assumes you know Entity Framework Core or that the agent has project context. The skill is a short general list. It has no code examples and no version-specific details, so the agent needs your code and your EF Core knowledge to make the advice concrete.

The skill runs no scripts and uses no network access.

Safety notes and limits

Because the skill is only written advice, installing it does not execute code, change files, or contact external services. Nothing in it checks whether your code is correct. A review can miss problems and can suggest changes that do not fit your application, so run your own tests and checks before merging changes.

The skill is not suited to projects that do not use Entity Framework Core, and experienced EF Core maintainers may want more detailed, version-specific guidance than a short checklist provides.

Tips for better reviews

Give the agent a focused scope, such as one DbContext or one feature, rather than a whole solution. Ask for the reasoning behind each suggestion so you can judge it. Teams can commit the skill into a project's .claude/skills/ folder so every reviewer gets the same conventions.

• Start with a single query or context class to see the style of feedback.
• Ask the agent to explain each suggestion in terms of the checklist item it follows.
• Use the review alongside your existing tests and code review process.