home / skills / prowler-cloud / prowler / jsonapi
This skill enforces strict JSON:API v1.1 compliance for API endpoints, responses, and validation, guiding must/must-not rules and error structure.
npx playbooks add skill prowler-cloud/prowler --skill jsonapiReview the files below or copy the command above to add this skill to your agents.
---
name: jsonapi
description: >
Strict JSON:API v1.1 specification compliance.
Trigger: When creating or modifying API endpoints, reviewing API responses, or validating JSON:API compliance.
license: Apache-2.0
metadata:
author: prowler-cloud
version: "1.0.0"
scope: [root, api]
auto_invoke:
- "Creating API endpoints"
- "Modifying API responses"
- "Reviewing JSON:API compliance"
---
## Use With django-drf
This skill focuses on **spec compliance**. For **implementation patterns** (ViewSets, Serializers, Filters), use `django-drf` skill together with this one.
| Skill | Focus |
|-------|-------|
| `jsonapi` | What the spec requires (MUST/MUST NOT rules) |
| `django-drf` | How to implement it in DRF (code patterns) |
**When creating/modifying endpoints, invoke BOTH skills.**
---
## Before Implementing/Reviewing
**ALWAYS validate against the latest spec** before creating or modifying endpoints:
### Option 1: Context7 MCP (Preferred)
If Context7 MCP is available, query the JSON:API spec directly:
```
mcp_context7_resolve-library-id(query="jsonapi specification")
mcp_context7_query-docs(libraryId="<resolved-id>", query="[specific topic: relationships, errors, etc.]")
```
### Option 2: WebFetch (Fallback)
If Context7 is not available, fetch from the official spec:
```
WebFetch(url="https://jsonapi.org/format/", prompt="Extract rules for [specific topic]")
```
This ensures compliance with the latest JSON:API version, even after spec updates.
---
## Critical Rules (NEVER Break)
### Document Structure
- NEVER include both `data` and `errors` in the same response
- ALWAYS include at least one of: `data`, `errors`, `meta`
- ALWAYS use `type` and `id` (string) in resource objects
- NEVER include `id` when creating resources (server generates it)
### Content-Type
- ALWAYS use `Content-Type: application/vnd.api+json`
- ALWAYS use `Accept: application/vnd.api+json`
- NEVER add parameters to media type without `ext`/`profile`
### Resource Objects
- ALWAYS use **string** for `id` (even if UUID)
- ALWAYS use **lowercase kebab-case** for `type`
- NEVER put `id` or `type` inside `attributes`
- NEVER include foreign keys in `attributes` - use `relationships`
### Relationships
- ALWAYS include at least one of: `links`, `data`, or `meta`
- ALWAYS use resource linkage format: `{"type": "...", "id": "..."}`
- NEVER use raw IDs in relationships - always use linkage objects
### Error Objects
- ALWAYS return errors as array: `{"errors": [...]}`
- ALWAYS include `status` as **string** (e.g., `"400"`, not `400`)
- ALWAYS include `source.pointer` for field-specific errors
---
## HTTP Status Codes (Mandatory)
| Operation | Success | Async | Conflict | Not Found | Forbidden | Bad Request |
|-----------|---------|-------|----------|-----------|-----------|-------------|
| **GET** | `200` | - | - | `404` | `403` | `400` |
| **POST** | `201` | `202` | `409` | `404` | `403` | `400` |
| **PATCH** | `200` | `202` | `409` | `404` | `403` | `400` |
| **DELETE** | `200`/`204` | `202` | - | `404` | `403` | - |
### When to Use Each
| Code | Use When |
|------|----------|
| `200 OK` | Successful GET, PATCH with response body, DELETE with response |
| `201 Created` | POST created resource (MUST include `Location` header) |
| `202 Accepted` | Async operation started (return task reference) |
| `204 No Content` | Successful DELETE, PATCH with no response body |
| `400 Bad Request` | Invalid query params, malformed request, unknown fields |
| `403 Forbidden` | Authentication ok but no permission, client-generated ID rejected |
| `404 Not Found` | Resource doesn't exist OR RLS hides it (never reveal which) |
| `409 Conflict` | Duplicate ID, type mismatch, relationship conflict |
| `415 Unsupported` | Wrong Content-Type header |
---
## Document Structure
### Success Response (Single)
```json
{
"data": {
"type": "providers",
"id": "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000",
"attributes": {
"alias": "Production",
"connected": true
},
"relationships": {
"tenant": {
"data": {"type": "tenants", "id": "..."}
}
},
"links": {
"self": "/api/v1/providers/550e8400-..."
}
},
"links": {
"self": "/api/v1/providers/550e8400-..."
}
}
```
### Success Response (List)
```json
{
"data": [
{"type": "providers", "id": "...", "attributes": {...}},
{"type": "providers", "id": "...", "attributes": {...}}
],
"links": {
"self": "/api/v1/providers?page[number]=1",
"first": "/api/v1/providers?page[number]=1",
"last": "/api/v1/providers?page[number]=5",
"prev": null,
"next": "/api/v1/providers?page[number]=2"
},
"meta": {
"pagination": {"count": 100, "pages": 5}
}
}
```
### Error Response
```json
{
"errors": [
{
"status": "400",
"code": "invalid",
"title": "Invalid attribute",
"detail": "UID must be 12 digits for AWS accounts",
"source": {"pointer": "/data/attributes/uid"}
}
]
}
```
---
## Query Parameters
| Family | Format | Example |
|--------|--------|---------|
| `page` | `page[number]`, `page[size]` | `?page[number]=2&page[size]=25` |
| `filter` | `filter[field]`, `filter[field__op]` | `?filter[status]=FAIL` |
| `sort` | Comma-separated, `-` for desc | `?sort=-inserted_at,name` |
| `fields` | `fields[type]` | `?fields[providers]=id,alias` |
| `include` | Comma-separated paths | `?include=provider,scan.task` |
### Rules
- MUST return `400` for unsupported query parameters
- MUST return `400` for unsupported `include` paths
- MUST return `400` for unsupported `sort` fields
- MUST NOT include extra fields when `fields[type]` is specified
---
## Common Violations (AVOID)
| Violation | Wrong | Correct |
|-----------|-------|---------|
| ID as integer | `"id": 123` | `"id": "123"` |
| Type as camelCase | `"type": "providerGroup"` | `"type": "provider-groups"` |
| FK in attributes | `"tenant_id": "..."` | `"relationships": {"tenant": {...}}` |
| Errors not array | `{"error": "..."}` | `{"errors": [{"detail": "..."}]}` |
| Status as number | `"status": 400` | `"status": "400"` |
| Data + errors | `{"data": ..., "errors": ...}` | Only one or the other |
| Missing pointer | `{"detail": "Invalid"}` | `{"detail": "...", "source": {"pointer": "..."}}` |
---
## Relationship Updates
### To-One Relationship
```http
PATCH /api/v1/providers/123/relationships/tenant
Content-Type: application/vnd.api+json
{"data": {"type": "tenants", "id": "456"}}
```
To clear: `{"data": null}`
### To-Many Relationship
| Operation | Method | Body |
|-----------|--------|------|
| Replace all | PATCH | `{"data": [{...}, {...}]}` |
| Add members | POST | `{"data": [{...}]}` |
| Remove members | DELETE | `{"data": [{...}]}` |
---
## Compound Documents (`include`)
When using `?include=provider`:
```json
{
"data": {
"type": "scans",
"id": "...",
"relationships": {
"provider": {
"data": {"type": "providers", "id": "prov-123"}
}
}
},
"included": [
{
"type": "providers",
"id": "prov-123",
"attributes": {"alias": "Production"}
}
]
}
```
### Rules
- Every included resource MUST be reachable via relationship chain from primary data
- MUST NOT include orphan resources
- MUST NOT duplicate resources (same type+id)
---
## Spec Reference
- **Full Specification**: https://jsonapi.org/format/
- **Implementation**: Use `django-drf` skill for DRF-specific patterns
- **Testing**: Use `prowler-test-api` skill for test patterns
This skill enforces strict JSON:API v1.1 specification compliance for API design and review. It checks required document structure, headers, resource and relationship formats, status codes, error objects, query parameter rules, and common violations to prevent non-compliant responses. Use it when creating, modifying, or auditing endpoints to guarantee interoperable JSON:API behavior.
The skill inspects request/response documents and endpoint behavior against JSON:API MUST/MUST NOT rules, including Content-Type/Accept headers, presence and types of data/errors/meta, resource object shapes, relationship linkage, included compound documents, and required HTTP status codes. It validates query parameter handling (page, filter, sort, include, fields), relationship update semantics, and error object structure with source pointers. It can be combined with an implementation-focused skill for framework-specific patterns (e.g., Django REST Framework).
What header must clients send?
Clients must send Accept: application/vnd.api+json. Requests with other Accept values must be handled per spec; Content-Type for payloads must be application/vnd.api+json.
Can I include foreign key attributes in attributes?
No. Foreign keys must be represented via relationships using resource linkage objects, never inside attributes.
How should errors for specific fields be represented?
Return errors as an array. Each error should include status as a string and source.pointer pointing to the JSON pointer for the problematic field, e.g., /data/attributes/uid.