OpenAPI Patterns

When This Skill Applies

•Defining API schemas for new domains
•Adding OpenAPI metadata to routes
•Creating request/response types
•Working with Scalar UI documentation
•Adding shared components

OpenAPI 3.1 Alignment

OpenAPI 3.1 aligns with JSON Schema Draft 2020-12. Schema Objects are used everywhere - properties within an object schema are themselves Schema Objects.

Schema Object Fields

Field	Type	Description
`type`	string	Data type (string, number, integer, boolean, array, object)
`format`	string	Extended format (uuid, date-time, int64, binary, etc.)
`description`	string	Human-readable description
`properties`	map[string]*Schema	Object properties (each is a Schema)
`required`	[]string	Required property names
`items`	*Schema	Array item schema
`$ref`	string	JSON Reference to another schema
`example`	any	Example value
`default`	any	Default value
`enum`	[]any	Enumerated values
`minimum/maximum`	*float64	Numeric constraints
`minLength/maxLength`	*int	String length constraints
`pattern`	string	Regex pattern for strings

Principles

1. Schema Ownership

Infrastructure (pkg/openapi/components.go):

•Shared responses: BadRequest, NotFound, Conflict
•Shared schemas: PageRequest

Domains (internal/<domain>/openapi.go):

•Domain-specific schemas
•Operation definitions

2. Domain OpenAPI File Structure

// internal/providers/openapi.go
package providers

import "github.com/JaimeStill/agent-lab/pkg/openapi"

var Spec = spec{
    Create: &openapi.Operation{
        Summary:     "Create provider",
        Description: "Validates and stores a new provider configuration",
        RequestBody: openapi.RequestBodyJSON("CreateProviderCommand", true),
        Responses: map[int]*openapi.Response{
            201: openapi.ResponseJSON("Provider created", "Provider"),
            400: openapi.ResponseRef("BadRequest"),
            409: openapi.ResponseRef("Conflict"),
        },
    },
    List: &openapi.Operation{
        Summary:     "List providers",
        Description: "Returns paginated list of providers",
        Parameters: []openapi.Parameter{
            openapi.QueryParam("page", "integer", "Page number", false),
            openapi.QueryParam("page_size", "integer", "Items per page", false),
            openapi.QueryParam("search", "string", "Search term", false),
        },
        Responses: map[int]*openapi.Response{
            200: openapi.ResponseJSON("Providers list", "ProviderPageResult"),
        },
    },
    Find: &openapi.Operation{
        Summary: "Get provider by ID",
        Parameters: []openapi.Parameter{
            openapi.PathParam("id", "Provider UUID"),
        },
        Responses: map[int]*openapi.Response{
            200: openapi.ResponseJSON("Provider details", "Provider"),
            404: openapi.ResponseRef("NotFound"),
        },
    },
}

type spec struct {
    Create *openapi.Operation
    List   *openapi.Operation
    Find   *openapi.Operation
    Update *openapi.Operation
    Delete *openapi.Operation
}

func (spec) Schemas() map[string]*openapi.Schema {
    return map[string]*openapi.Schema{
        "Provider": {
            Type: "object",
            Properties: map[string]*openapi.Schema{
                "id":         {Type: "string", Format: "uuid"},
                "name":       {Type: "string"},
                "config":     {Type: "object"},
                "created_at": {Type: "string", Format: "date-time"},
                "updated_at": {Type: "string", Format: "date-time"},
            },
        },
        "CreateProviderCommand": {
            Type:     "object",
            Required: []string{"name", "config"},
            Properties: map[string]*openapi.Schema{
                "name":   {Type: "string"},
                "config": {Type: "object"},
            },
        },
        "ProviderPageResult": {
            Type: "object",
            Properties: map[string]*openapi.Schema{
                "data":        {Type: "array", Items: openapi.SchemaRef("Provider")},
                "total":       {Type: "integer"},
                "page":        {Type: "integer"},
                "page_size":   {Type: "integer"},
                "total_pages": {Type: "integer"},
            },
        },
    }
}

3. Route Integration

Routes reference domain operations:

func (h *Handler) Routes() routes.Group {
    return routes.Group{
        Prefix:      "/providers",  // API module adds /api prefix
        Tags:        []string{"Providers"},
        Description: "Provider configuration management",
        Routes: []routes.Route{
            {Method: "POST", Pattern: "", Handler: h.Create, OpenAPI: Spec.Create},
            {Method: "GET", Pattern: "", Handler: h.List, OpenAPI: Spec.List},
            {Method: "GET", Pattern: "/{id}", Handler: h.Find, OpenAPI: Spec.Find},
            {Method: "PUT", Pattern: "/{id}", Handler: h.Update, OpenAPI: Spec.Update},
            {Method: "DELETE", Pattern: "/{id}", Handler: h.Delete, OpenAPI: Spec.Delete},
        },
    }
}

4. Helper Functions

// Reference to component schema
openapi.SchemaRef("Provider")  // "#/components/schemas/Provider"

// Reference to component response
openapi.ResponseRef("NotFound")  // "#/components/responses/NotFound"

// JSON request body
openapi.RequestBodyJSON("CreateProviderCommand", true)

// JSON response
openapi.ResponseJSON("Provider created", "Provider")

// Path parameter (always type string with uuid format)
openapi.PathParam("id", "Provider UUID")

// Query parameter
openapi.QueryParam("page", "integer", "Page number", false)

5. Generation Flow

•Server startup calls registerRoutes()
•Domain handlers registered with optional OpenAPI metadata on routes
•loadOrGenerateSpec() generates spec in memory from route metadata
•Compares with existing file, writes only if changed
•Spec served from memory at /api/openapi.json

6. Environment-Specific Specs

•Output location: web/scalar/openapi.{env}.json
•Environment determined by SERVICE_ENV (default: local)
•Example: web/scalar/openapi.local.json, web/scalar/openapi.prod.json

Patterns

Schema Registration

Schemas are registered during API module initialization:

// In cmd/server/modules.go or similar
components.AddSchemas(providers.Spec.Schemas())
components.AddSchemas(agents.Spec.Schemas())

Multipart File Upload Schema

RequestBody: &openapi.RequestBody{
    Required: true,
    Content: map[string]*openapi.MediaType{
        "multipart/form-data": {
            Schema: &openapi.Schema{
                Type: "object",
                Properties: map[string]*openapi.Schema{
                    "file": {Type: "string", Description: "File to upload"},
                    "name": {Type: "string"},
                },
                Required: []string{"file"},
            },
        },
    },
}

Important: For binary file upload fields, only use Type and Description. Do NOT include Format: "binary" - this causes Scalar UI to display "BINARY" as a placeholder instead of rendering a file upload button.

HTTP multipart naturally supports multiple same-named fields for multi-file uploads.

PageResult Schema

"ProviderPageResult": {
    Type: "object",
    Properties: map[string]*openapi.Schema{
        "data":        {Type: "array", Items: openapi.SchemaRef("Provider")},
        "total":       {Type: "integer"},
        "page":        {Type: "integer"},
        "page_size":   {Type: "integer"},
        "total_pages": {Type: "integer"},
    },
}

Inline vs Referenced Schemas

Use references for:

•Reusable domain entities (Resource, CreateCommand)
•Shared response schemas
•Pagination results

Use inline schemas for:

•Multipart form definitions (specific to single endpoint)
•Simple one-off response structures

Validation Checklist

After API changes:

•Start server - spec auto-generates to web/scalar/openapi.{env}.json
•Visit /scalar/ to verify Scalar UI renders correctly
•Test "Try It" functionality for new endpoints
•Verify schema references resolve correctly

Import Hierarchy

code

pkg/openapi          - Types and helpers only (no internal imports)
internal/<domain>    - Domain-owned schemas and operations
cmd/server           - Generator logic (imports pkg and internal)
web/scalar           - Scalar UI module

Anti-Patterns

Inline Schema Definitions

// Bad: Schema defined inline in operation
Responses: map[int]*openapi.Response{
    200: {
        Description: "Provider",
        Content: map[string]*openapi.MediaType{
            "application/json": {
                Schema: &openapi.Schema{Type: "object", ...},  // Inline
            },
        },
    },
}

// Good: Reference component schema
Responses: map[int]*openapi.Response{
    200: openapi.ResponseJSON("Provider details", "Provider"),
}