Think Center for Managing API Contracts

Here's a concrete workflow showing how think-center perspectives enhance API development when using Claude Desktop + Claude Code. This isn't theoretical - it's how I actually build APIs.

The Setup

Tools:

• Claude Desktop with think-center boot.md loaded
• Claude Code for implementation
• Git for version control
• OpenAPI/Swagger for contracts

The Challenge: Design and implement a payment processing API that multiple teams will consume.

Phase 1: Contract Design (Claude Desktop)

Start with Weaver for Pattern Recognition

You: "Weaver, we're building a payment API. What patterns should we consider for the contract?"

Weaver: "Key patterns to consider:
- Idempotency for payment operations
- Event sourcing for audit trails  
- State machines for payment lifecycle
- Webhook callbacks for async operations
- Version negotiation strategies"

Switch to O/G for User Psychology

You: "O/G, what anxieties will developers have when integrating our payment API?"

O/G: "Developer anxieties center on:
- Fear of double-charging customers
- Uncertainty about failure scenarios
- Confusion about payment states
- Worry about PCI compliance
- Stress about debugging production issues"

Bring in E/E for Trade-offs

You: "E/E, how do we balance comprehensive error codes with API simplicity?"

E/E: "Two strategies:
Explore: Rich error taxonomy with subcodes
- Pro: Precise error handling
- Con: Steep learning curve

Exploit: Simple categories with detail in message
- Pro: Easy to start
- Con: Harder to program against

Recommendation: Simple categories with optional detail object"

Phase 2: Contract Creation (Still Claude Desktop)

Maker Drafts the OpenAPI Spec

You: "Maker, create an OpenAPI spec incorporating these insights"

Maker: "Here's the payment endpoint:

```yaml
/payments:
  post:
    summary: Create a payment
    requestBody:
      required: true
      content:
        application/json:
          schema:
            type: object
            required: [amount, currency, idempotency_key]
            properties:
              amount:
                type: integer
                description: Amount in cents
              currency:
                type: string
                pattern: '^[A-Z]{3}$'
              idempotency_key:
                type: string
                format: uuid
```"

Checker Reviews for Completeness

You: "Checker, review this contract for blind spots"

Checker: "Issues found:
- No rate limiting headers defined
- Missing webhook signature verification
- No explicit timeout expectations
- Unclear refund partial amount handling
- No pagination for list endpoints"

Phase 3: Implementation (Claude Code)

Now switch to Claude Code with the contract ready:

Maker Implements with Context

# In Claude Code
You: "Implement the payment creation endpoint based on our OpenAPI spec. 
Remember: idempotency is critical, we need event sourcing, and clear error messages."

Claude Code generates:
```python
@app.post("/payments")
async def create_payment(
    payment: PaymentRequest,
    idempotency_key: str = Header(...),
    db: Database = Depends(get_db)
):
    # Check idempotency
    existing = await db.get_payment_by_idempotency_key(idempotency_key)
    if existing:
        return existing
    
    # Create payment with state machine
    payment_id = str(uuid.uuid4())
    await db.create_payment_event(
        payment_id=payment_id,
        event_type="payment.created",
        data=payment.dict()
    )
    
    # Process payment...
```

Phase 4: Testing Strategy (Back to Claude Desktop)

Deep Thought for Edge Cases

You: "Deep Thought, what edge cases might we miss in payment processing?"

Deep Thought: "Consider temporal edge cases:
- Payment initiated at day boundary (timezone issues)
- Currency conversion during rate changes
- Idempotency key expiration scenarios
- Concurrent requests with same idempotency key
- State transitions during system updates"

Phase 5: Documentation (Claude Desktop)

Weaver Creates the Narrative

You: "Weaver, write developer docs that address O/G's identified anxieties"

Weaver: "# Payment API Quick Start

Don't worry about double-charging. Every request requires an 
idempotency key - use the same key, get the same result.

## Your First Payment
Start simple. You only need three fields..."

The Workflow Rhythm

1. Design Phase (Claude Desktop + think-center)
   • Weaver: Patterns and architecture
   • O/G: User needs and concerns
   • E/E: Trade-off analysis
2. Specification Phase (Claude Desktop)
   • Maker: Draft contracts
   • Checker: Find gaps
3. Implementation Phase (Claude Code)
   • Focused coding with context from design
   • Quick iterations with immediate feedback
4. Verification Phase (Claude Desktop)
   • Deep Thought: Edge case analysis
   • Checker: Contract compliance
5. Documentation Phase (Claude Desktop)
   • Weaver: Narrative structure
   • Maker: Code examples
   • O/G: Addressing developer emotions

Pro Tips

• Keep contracts in Git - Version them alongside code
• Use perspectives for reviews - "Checker, review this PR for API contract violations"
• Context handoff - Copy key decisions from Claude Desktop to Claude Code
• Iterative refinement - Implementation reveals contract issues, feed back to design

The key is using each tool for what it's best at: Claude Desktop + think-center for thinking, Claude Code for building, and disciplined handoffs between them.