Apollo Skills: have a coding Agent handle Client queries and cache by the official skills

Who it's for

If you already use Apollo GraphQL tools and want a coding Agent to write queries, mutations, and cache by the official skills, instead of mixing old APIs from memory, this skill set fits better. It is aimed at AI coding agents already using Apollo-related technology, and it follows the Agent Skills format. Format notes:

https://agentskills.io/

The skills can also be found at

https://skills.sh/

It assumes you accept one interactive install: pick skills first, then pick the target Agent. People who only want to read docs and do not plan to write skills into a local Agent get limited value. The wizard will show several Agent names; those are install-time options, not “only these products can use Apollo”.

First try in 3 minutes

Official install is written on the page as this one:

npx skills add apollographql/skills

The CLI walks you through an interactive install: first choose which skills to add, then choose the target Agent. This changes the local Agent’s skill config; it is not a read-only look. Before you run it, confirm this machine has npx and you know which Agent environment will be written. Review the options, then confirm; do not keep hitting Enter in an unknown environment.

After install, do a read-only check. The page says that after install you can use namespaced slash commands, and /apollo-skills:apollo-client covers Apollo Client 4.x for React queries, mutations, caching, and local state. Send the Agent this command, or clearly ask it to check an existing query by that skill; do not change business code yet. Success signal: the answer talks about queries or cache in terms of Apollo Client 4.x / React, instead of saying the skill is not installed. If it starts rewriting the whole data layer, stop first.

Use cases

Case 1: Check or draft React queries and mutations. The notes for /apollo-skills:apollo-client include queries and mutations. Hand an existing GraphQL operation to the Agent and only ask “how should this be sent in React with Apollo Client 4.x”. The excerpt gives no concrete hook names and writes no comparison with other GraphQL clients. So you can confirm this: the skill covers Client 4.x queries and mutations; concrete APIs must follow the skill body or the 4.x code in your project. Do not let it upgrade the whole client major version on the side.

Case 2: Check cache and local state. The same skill also writes caching and local state. The task should be a read-only diagnosis, for example “is this cache key / local state reasonable by that skill”. It does not write a complete inventory of cache-eviction strategies, and it does not write which store local state must use. So acceptance only sees: the discussion stays on Client 4.x cache or local state; if the Agent suggests changing the schema or adding new link middleware, that is already outside this excerpt.

Boundaries

This is a skill set for Apollo GraphQL tools and technology, not a general GraphQL tutorial. Applying these slash commands outside the Apollo ecosystem is outside what the page writes. Slash commands carry the apollo-skills: prefix; the excerpt fully describes only /apollo-skills:apollo-client. Even if other commands exist, this material does not explain them; do not invent capabilities.

The install path is the npx skills add interactive wizard above. Do not put another installer beside it. The wizard has you pick skills and an Agent; picking the wrong environment means skills are written into the wrong runtime. The page does not write uninstall steps.

The first time, stop at a read-only check. Any change to queries, cache strategy, or an Apollo Client upgrade must first have the Agent restate the files it will change; you confirm, then continue.