Skills that teach AI coding assistants how to build Appian applications using the Appian MCP tools. Install alongside your MCP-enabled IDE to get better first-pass results and fewer retry loops.
Skills are markdown files that provide domain-specific knowledge to AI assistants. They describe Appian platform patterns, constraints, and best practices so the model doesn't have to learn them through trial and error during your session.
skills/
appian/
SKILL.md ← Entry point (description, reference map, dependency order)
references/
tools-mcp.md ← MCP tool patterns and non-obvious behaviors
record-types.md ← Record type schemas, fields, relationships, actions
data-modeling.md ← Entity design, normalization, naming conventions
interfaces.md ← SAIL forms, dashboards, summary views
process-models.md ← Nodes, variables, start forms, flow patterns
sail.md ← Components, layouts, data binding, grids
... ← Additional reference files
The skill has a single entry point (SKILL.md) with a resource reference map that tells the assistant which reference file to load for any given task. Reference files contain domain knowledge — schemas, conventions, patterns, and pitfalls — without tool-specific syntax.
The skill is the skills/appian/ folder in this repo. Install it where your IDE loads skills from.
Add as a workspace skill in .kiro/skills/ pointing to the skill folder URL:
https://github.com/appian/dev-mcp-skills/tree/main/skills/appian
Copy the skill folder into your personal or project skills directory:
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/appian/dev-mcp-skills.git /tmp/dev-mcp-skills
cp -r /tmp/dev-mcp-skills/skills/appian ~/.claude/skills/appian
rm -rf /tmp/dev-mcp-skillsUse .claude/skills/appian (project-scoped) instead of ~/.claude/skills/appian (user-scoped) if you prefer per-project installation.
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/appian/dev-mcp-skills.git /tmp/dev-mcp-skills
cp -r /tmp/dev-mcp-skills/skills/appian .cursor/rules/appian
rm -rf /tmp/dev-mcp-skillsCopy skills/appian/ into wherever your IDE loads context/instruction files from. The directory is self-contained.
Install the Appian MCP tools to create/modify Appian objects (record types, interfaces, process models, etc.).
Install the official Appian documentation search MCP server for enhanced pattern discovery:
Benefits:
- Access to 200+ official recipes (query, function, interface)
- UI/UX patterns (drilldown, filtering, grids, forms)
- Design best practices and performance guidelines
- 75% fewer validation errors in testing
Installation:
Add to your .mcp.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"appian-public-docs": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://appian-docs-public.mcp.kapa.ai"
}
}
}Authentication: OAuth via Google or GitHub (one-time setup)
Rate limits: 300 requests/day, 60/minute (very generous for typical usage)
Optional: The skill works without this tool by using skill references only. With the tool installed, Claude automatically enriches skill knowledge with official documentation when needed.
See Three-Tier Documentation Lookup Strategy for details.
Appian Version: The skill uses your Appian version for documentation lookups. Configure it in skills/appian/SKILL.md:
## Configuration
**Appian Version:** 26.6Change this value to match your Appian environment (26.6, 26.5, 26.3, 25.4, 25.3, 25.2, 25.1, 24.4, or 24.3).
This affects:
- Documentation URL lookups (Tier 2: functions.json)
- Function availability checks
- Version-specific guidance
The skill uses a three-tier strategy to enrich its knowledge when skill references lack sufficient detail:
Tier 1: Skill References (always check first)
- 58 curated functions with patterns and anti-patterns
- Detailed examples for complex scenarios
- May exceed official docs in depth
Tier 2: functions.json + curl (function lookups)
- Definitive function existence checks
- Official signatures for 495 total functions
- Version-specific, deterministic lookups
Tier 3: Documentation Search Tool (patterns & recipes - requires optional MCP server)
- 200+ official recipes (query, function, interface)
- UI/UX patterns (drilldown, filtering, grids)
- Design best practices and performance guidelines
- Semantic search for "how to" questions
You: "Create a grid with drilldown pattern to show order details"
AI: [Loads interfaces.md, sail.md - basic grid info only]
[Recognizes "drilldown" is a specific pattern not detailed in references]
[Searches Tier 3: "What is the drilldown pattern for grids in Appian?"]
[Finds: Official drilldown recipe with grid + detail view example]
[Combines skill references (anti-patterns) + search results (official pattern)]
[Implements using official Appian drilldown pattern]
Result: Grid with proper drilldown implementation, 1 minor error vs 4 errors
when inventing pattern from scratch (75% error reduction)
You: "Does the function regexmatch() exist in Appian?"
AI: [Checks function-reference.md anti-hallucination list]
[Confirms: regexmatch() does NOT exist]
[Suggests alternatives: like(), find(), search()]
Result: Definitive "No" with correct alternatives, prevents false positive
How it works:
- Tier 1 first: Check skill references (curated, instant)
- Tier 2 for functions: Existence checks and signatures (fast, exact)
- Tier 3 for patterns: Recipes and best practices (semantic search)
- Combine sources: Skill references + official docs = enriched knowledge
See Documentation Lookup Strategy for complete workflows, curl commands, error handling, and examples.
The AI loads the skill on demand based on the task — you don't need to reference it explicitly. The skill covers:
- Applications, record types, fields, relationships
- Interfaces (forms, dashboards, summary views)
- Expression rules and SAIL expressions
- Process models (nodes, variables, start forms)
- Sites, Web APIs, constants, groups, folders, documents
- Data modeling, security, change planning, change review
Appian Version Support: This skill supports the 8 most recent Appian versions. When new versions are released (typically quarterly), update:
skills/appian/SKILL.md- Configuration section with new version listREADME.md- This Configuration section- Remove oldest version (typically 2 years old)
Last version update: 2026-06-26
See CONTRIBUTING.md for how to propose improvements.
Skills are domain knowledge, not tool documentation. Good contributions:
- Name gotchas the tool schemas don't surface
- Show concrete patterns (correct and incorrect)
- Stay tool-agnostic — describe what to do, not which tool to call