Effect

Effect

Use this skill when work touches Effect v4 beta usage, service/layer architecture, runtime entrypoints, Schema v4, platform modules, testing, or migrations from Effect v3.

Workflow

1. Inspect the local Effect surface before changing code:

• Package versions for effect, @effect/*, TypeScript, runtime platform packages, test libraries, and adapters.
• Imports: root effect, direct modules like effect/Effect, effect/Schema, effect/unstable/*, platform packages, or old v3 packages.
• Runtime boundary: CLI, HTTP handler, worker, server, browser, test, library, or framework-managed entrypoint.
• Dependency shape: services, layers, config providers, platform layers, managed runtimes, and scope ownership.

1. Refresh current docs whenever the task asks for latest behavior or the local beta version is different. Start from [source-map.md](references/source-map.md).
2. For install/version, core Effect usage, generator style, typed errors, async interop, config, and runtime boundaries, use [setup-core.md](references/setup-core.md).
3. For services, Context.Service, references, layers, memoization, scopes, and ManagedRuntime, use [services-layers-runtime.md](references/services-layers-runtime.md).
4. For Schema v4 shapes, validation, classes, tagged errors, transformations, codecs, serialization, and JSON Schema generation, use [schema-v4.md](references/schema-v4.md).
5. For v3 to v4 migration, unstable modules, HTTP/platform packages, and @effect/vitest, use [migration-platform-testing.md](references/migration-platform-testing.md).
6. Implement in the existing project style:

• Match the installed beta version and local import style.
• Prefer explicit service and layer composition over hidden globals.
• Keep framework/process edges thin; push business logic into Effects, services, and layers.
• Treat effect/unstable/* APIs as beta-plus-unstable. Check installed declarations before using or recommending them.

Effect Judgment

• Effect v4 is beta. Be honest about API drift and verify local declarations before making broad changes.
• Use Context.Service for v4 services. Do not introduce v3 Context.Tag, Context.GenericTag, Effect.Tag, or Effect.Service patterns in v4 code.
• Prefer yield* Service inside Effect.gen for service access. Use Service.use and useSync only for small, local one-liners.
• Define layers explicitly with Layer.succeed, Layer.effect, or Layer.effectDiscard; wire dependencies with Layer.provide and Layer.provideMerge.
• Compose and provide layers once when possible. Use Layer.fresh or Effect.provide(..., { local: true }) only for intentional isolation.
• Use ManagedRuntime.make(layer) for repeated JS entrypoint runs against shared services, and dispose it when done.
• Use Effect.runPromise, runPromiseExit, runFork, or their With variants only at application edges.
• Inside Effect.gen, yield* works with Yieldable values. Outside generators, convert non-Effect Yieldables explicitly or use module functions such as Ref.get, Deferred.await, and Fiber.join.
• Prefer typed failures and tagged error classes over throwing. Use defects only for unrecoverable programmer errors.
• Keep Schema v4 encode/decode direction visible at boundaries; do not assume decoded Type and encoded input are the same.

Verification

Prefer the repo's existing checks. For meaningful Effect v4 work, include the relevant subset:

• Typecheck for Effect requirements, service availability, layer composition, Schema encoded/type sides, and beta API names.
• Focused tests with @effect/vitest for service behavior, layer isolation, test clocks, scoped resources, and typed failures.
• Runtime smoke at JS/framework edges where Effects are run or managed runtimes are disposed.
• Schema decode/encode tests for valid input, invalid input, defaults, excess properties, transformations, classes, tagged errors, and generated JSON Schema.
• Migration scans for v3-only APIs, old package imports, old catch/fork names, old runtime patterns, FiberRef, Either, and removed Schema APIs.

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: DobroslavRadosavljevic
• Source: DobroslavRadosavljevic/skills
• License: MIT
• Homepage: https://dobroslav.dev

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.