/database-design

What it is

Schema design conventions, forward-only migrations, index optimization, and ORM patterns including N+1 prevention.

Called by

• /gaia-dev-story (when implementing database changes)
• Java and Python stack dev agents (primary), any stack dev agent touching schema or ORM code

What it does

Defines naming conventions: snake_case for tables and columns, plural table names, standard prefixes for indexes and constraints.

Documents normalization guidelines (normalize to 3NF by default, denormalize with measured justification).

Provides migration best practices: forward-only, reversible, tested in staging.

Covers ORM patterns with specific N+1 query prevention techniques.

When you will see it surface

• When database schema changes are part of a story, these conventions guide the implementation.

Technical notes

• Every table should include id, created_at, and updated_at columns.
• Denormalize only with measured justification -- not as a default.