Skills

Skill 11 of 15

GraphQL Operations

Guide for writing GraphQL operations (queries, mutations, fragments) following best practices.

1 minute · 265 words · 18 sections

Install

$ npx skills add apollographql/skills --skill graphql-operations

$ npx skills add apollographql/skills

» /plugin marketplace add apollographql/skills

The first command installs just this skill, by the name in its SKILL.md; the second installs the whole repository.

GraphQL Operations Guide

This guide covers best practices for writing GraphQL operations (queries, mutations, subscriptions) as a client developer. Well-written operations are efficient, type-safe, and maintainable.

Start From the Schema

Write every operation against the project’s schema, not against the examples in this guide.

Find the schema before you write anything. Check the schema entry in codegen.ts, graphql.config.*, or apollo.config.*, then look for *.graphql SDL files.
Use only the fields, arguments, and enum values that the schema defines. Field names in this guide, such as updatedAt or orderBy: { field: CREATED_AT, direction: DESC }, are illustrations.
Save the operation as a document next to the client’s existing operations. Leave the server schema unchanged unless the user asks for a schema change.

Operation Basics

Query Structure

query GetUser($id: ID!) {
  user(id: $id) {
    id
    name
    email
  }
}

Mutation Structure

mutation CreatePost($input: CreatePostInput!) {
  createPost(input: $input) {
    id
    title
    createdAt
  }
}

Subscription Structure

subscription OnMessageReceived($channelId: ID!) {
  messageReceived(channelId: $channelId) {
    id
    content
    sender {
      id
      name
    }
  }
}

Quick Reference

Operation Naming

Pattern	Example
Query	`GetUser`, `ListPosts`, `SearchProducts`
Mutation	`CreateUser`, `UpdatePost`, `DeleteComment`
Subscription	`OnMessageReceived`, `OnUserStatusChanged`

Variable Syntax

# Required variable
query GetUser($id: ID!) { ... }

# Optional variable with default
query ListPosts($first: Int = 20) { ... }

# Multiple variables
query SearchPosts($query: String!, $status: PostStatus, $first: Int = 10) { ... }

Fragment Syntax

# Define fragment
fragment UserBasicInfo on User {
  id
  name
  avatarUrl
}

# Use fragment
query GetUser($id: ID!) {
  user(id: $id) {
    ...UserBasicInfo
    email
  }
}

Directives

query GetUser($id: ID!, $includeEmail: Boolean!) {
  user(id: $id) {
    id
    name
    email @include(if: $includeEmail)
  }
}

query GetPosts($skipDrafts: Boolean!) {
  posts {
    id
    title
    draft @skip(if: $skipDrafts)
  }
}

Key Principles

1. Request Only What You Need

# Good: Specific fields
query GetUserName($id: ID!) {
  user(id: $id) {
    id
    name
  }
}

# Avoid: Over-fetching
query GetUser($id: ID!) {
  user(id: $id) {
    id
    name
    email
    bio
    posts {
      id
      title
      content
      comments {
        id
      }
    }
    followers {
      id
      name
    }
    # ... many unused fields
  }
}

2. Name All Operations

# Good: Named operation
query GetUserPosts($userId: ID!) {
  user(id: $userId) {
    posts {
      id
      title
    }
  }
}

# Avoid: Anonymous operation
query {
  user(id: "123") {
    posts {
      id
      title
    }
  }
}

3. Use Variables, Not Inline Values

# Good: Variables
query GetUser($id: ID!) {
  user(id: $id) {
    id
    name
  }
}

# Avoid: Hardcoded values
query {
  user(id: "123") {
    id
    name
  }
}

4. Colocate Fragments with Components

// UserAvatar.tsx
export const USER_AVATAR_FRAGMENT = gql`
  fragment UserAvatar on User {
    id
    name
    avatarUrl
  }
`;

function UserAvatar({ user }) {
  return <img src={user.avatarUrl} alt={user.name} />;
}

Reference Files

Detailed documentation for specific topics:

Queries (opens in a new tab) - Query patterns and optimization
Mutations (opens in a new tab) - Mutation patterns and error handling
Fragments (opens in a new tab) - Fragment organization and reuse
Variables (opens in a new tab) - Variable usage and types
Tooling (opens in a new tab) - Code generation and linting

Ground Rules

ALWAYS read the project’s schema first, and use only the fields, arguments, and enum values it defines
ALWAYS name your operations (no anonymous queries/mutations)
ALWAYS use variables for dynamic values
ALWAYS request only the fields you need
ALWAYS include id field for cacheable types
NEVER hardcode values in operations
NEVER duplicate field selections across files
PREFER fragments for reusable field selections
PREFER colocating fragments with components
USE descriptive operation names that reflect purpose
USE @include/@skip for conditional fields

About this skill

Trigger

Guide for writing GraphQL operations (queries, mutations, fragments) following best practices. Use this skill when: (1) writing GraphQL queries or mutations, (2) organizing operations with fragments, (3) optimizing data fetching patterns, (4) setting up type generation or linting, (5) reviewing operations for efficiency.

The verbatim description from this skill’s front matter — the string an agent matches on to decide whether to load it.

Allowed tools: Bash(npm:*)Bash(npx:*)ReadWriteEditGlobGrep
Compatibility: Any GraphQL client (Apollo Client, urql, Relay, etc.)
Licence: MIT
Source: skills/graphql-operations/SKILL.md

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How this issue was made

Source

github.com/apollographql/skills, branch main, last pushed 6 November 2026.

Licence

MIT — the text of every skill is reproduced unmodified, frontmatter included, under the upstream licence.

Discovery

15 skills found by walking the repository tree for SKILL.md, not by matching a directory convention. One layout observed: skills/*/SKILL.md.

Issue colours

Resolved from a deterministic hash of the owner name. Two accent tones are generated per issue and each is proven against its own ground before it ships: a single accent that passes AA on both light and dark paper is arithmetically impossible.

Heading repairs

1 repair applied to this skill so the document has one h1 and no skipped levels:

Shifted “18 headings” from h1 to h2 so the skill title is the only h1.

Spec compliance

Every skill satisfies the Agent Skills specification’s frontmatter rules.

Images

Images inside a skill come from the upstream repository. Where the author gave no alternative text we mark the image decorative rather than inventing a description — a plausible caption we made up is worse than none for the reader who depends on it.

Marketplace

A plugin manifest is published at .claude-plugin/marketplace.json by Apollo GraphQL, declaring 1 plugin. It is read for editorial metadata only — never as the skill index, which is always the repository tree.

Signal

Install counts come from skills.sh. They measure downloads, not quality, and an unranked repository is not an unread one.

Agent surfaces

The whole issue is available as one markdown document at /apollographql/skills.md, and each skill at its own .md URL.

Publication

Set by Skills Docs from the source repository. Body text is Literata at the reader’s chosen size and measure; code is Geist Mono. Nothing on this page was written by us except this paragraph.

GraphQL Operations Guide

This guide covers best practices for writing GraphQL operations (queries, mutations, subscriptions) as a client developer. Well-written operations are efficient, type-safe, and maintainable.

Start From the Schema

Write every operation against the project’s schema, not against the examples in this guide.

Find the schema before you write anything. Check the schema entry in codegen.ts, graphql.config.*, or apollo.config.*, then look for *.graphql SDL files.
Use only the fields, arguments, and enum values that the schema defines. Field names in this guide, such as updatedAt or orderBy: { field: CREATED_AT, direction: DESC }, are illustrations.
Save the operation as a document next to the client’s existing operations. Leave the server schema unchanged unless the user asks for a schema change.

Operation Basics

Query Structure

query GetUser($id: ID!) {
  user(id: $id) {
    id
    name
    email
  }
}

Mutation Structure

mutation CreatePost($input: CreatePostInput!) {
  createPost(input: $input) {
    id
    title
    createdAt
  }
}

Subscription Structure

subscription OnMessageReceived($channelId: ID!) {
  messageReceived(channelId: $channelId) {
    id
    content
    sender {
      id
      name
    }
  }
}

Quick Reference

Operation Naming

Pattern	Example
Query	`GetUser`, `ListPosts`, `SearchProducts`
Mutation	`CreateUser`, `UpdatePost`, `DeleteComment`
Subscription	`OnMessageReceived`, `OnUserStatusChanged`

Variable Syntax

# Required variable
query GetUser($id: ID!) { ... }

# Optional variable with default
query ListPosts($first: Int = 20) { ... }

# Multiple variables
query SearchPosts($query: String!, $status: PostStatus, $first: Int = 10) { ... }

Fragment Syntax

# Define fragment
fragment UserBasicInfo on User {
  id
  name
  avatarUrl
}

# Use fragment
query GetUser($id: ID!) {
  user(id: $id) {
    ...UserBasicInfo
    email
  }
}

Directives

query GetUser($id: ID!, $includeEmail: Boolean!) {
  user(id: $id) {
    id
    name
    email @include(if: $includeEmail)
  }
}

query GetPosts($skipDrafts: Boolean!) {
  posts {
    id
    title
    draft @skip(if: $skipDrafts)
  }
}

Key Principles

1. Request Only What You Need

# Good: Specific fields
query GetUserName($id: ID!) {
  user(id: $id) {
    id
    name
  }
}

# Avoid: Over-fetching
query GetUser($id: ID!) {
  user(id: $id) {
    id
    name
    email
    bio
    posts {
      id
      title
      content
      comments {
        id
      }
    }
    followers {
      id
      name
    }
    # ... many unused fields
  }
}

2. Name All Operations

# Good: Named operation
query GetUserPosts($userId: ID!) {
  user(id: $userId) {
    posts {
      id
      title
    }
  }
}

# Avoid: Anonymous operation
query {
  user(id: "123") {
    posts {
      id
      title
    }
  }
}

3. Use Variables, Not Inline Values

# Good: Variables
query GetUser($id: ID!) {
  user(id: $id) {
    id
    name
  }
}

# Avoid: Hardcoded values
query {
  user(id: "123") {
    id
    name
  }
}

4. Colocate Fragments with Components

// UserAvatar.tsx
export const USER_AVATAR_FRAGMENT = gql`
  fragment UserAvatar on User {
    id
    name
    avatarUrl
  }
`;

function UserAvatar({ user }) {
  return <img src={user.avatarUrl} alt={user.name} />;
}

Reference Files

Detailed documentation for specific topics:

Queries (opens in a new tab) - Query patterns and optimization
Mutations (opens in a new tab) - Mutation patterns and error handling
Fragments (opens in a new tab) - Fragment organization and reuse
Variables (opens in a new tab) - Variable usage and types
Tooling (opens in a new tab) - Code generation and linting

Ground Rules

ALWAYS read the project’s schema first, and use only the fields, arguments, and enum values it defines
ALWAYS name your operations (no anonymous queries/mutations)
ALWAYS use variables for dynamic values
ALWAYS request only the fields you need
ALWAYS include id field for cacheable types
NEVER hardcode values in operations
NEVER duplicate field selections across files
PREFER fragments for reusable field selections
PREFER colocating fragments with components
USE descriptive operation names that reflect purpose
USE @include/@skip for conditional fields

About this skill

Trigger

Colophon

Appendix 11.1–11.5

ReferencesMarkdown · 5 files

About this skill

Trigger

Colophon

Appendix 11.1–11.5

ReferencesMarkdown · 5 files