writing-skills - SKILL.md Agent Skill

name: writing-skills description: "Use when creating, updating, or improving agent skills."

Writing Skills (Excellence)

Dispatcher for skill creation excellence. Use the decision tree below to find the right template and standards.

Quick Decision Tree

What do you need to do?

Create a NEW skill:
- Is it simple (single file, <200 lines)? -> Tier 1 Architecture
- Is it complex (multi-concept, 200-1000 lines)? -> Tier 2 Architecture
- Is it a massive platform (10+ products, AWS, Convex)? -> Tier 3 Architecture
Improve an EXISTING skill:
- Fix "it's too long" -> Modularize (Tier 3)
- Fix "AI ignores rules" -> Anti-Rationalization
- Fix "users can't find it" -> CSO (Search Optimization)
Verify Compliance:
- Check metadata/naming -> Standards
- Add tests -> Testing Guide

Component Index

Component	Purpose
CSO	"SEO for LLMs". How to write descriptions that trigger.
Standards	File naming, YAML frontmatter, directory structure.
Anti-Rationalization	How to write rules that agents won't ignore.
Testing	How to ensure your skill actually works.

Templates

Technique Skill (How-to)
Reference Skill (Docs)
Discipline Skill (Rules)
Pattern Skill (Design Patterns)

When to Use

Creating a NEW skill from scratch
Improving an EXISTING skill that agents ignore
Debugging why a skill isn't being triggered
Standardizing skills across a team

How It Works

Identify goal -> Use decision tree above
Select template -> From references/templates/
Apply CSO -> Optimize description for discovery
Add anti-rationalization -> For discipline skills
Test -> RED-GREEN-REFACTOR cycle

Quick Example

---
name: my-technique
description: Use when [specific symptom occurs].
metadata:
  category: technique
  triggers: error-text, symptom, tool-name
---

# My Technique

## When to Use
- [Symptom A]
- [Error message]

Common Mistakes

Mistake	Fix
Description summarizes workflow	Use "Use when..." triggers only
No `metadata.triggers`	Add 3+ keywords
Generic name ("helper")	Use gerund (`creating-skills`)
Long monolithic SKILL.md	Split into `references/`

See gotchas.md for more.

Pre-Deploy Checklist

Before deploying any skill:

name field matches directory name exactly
SKILL.md filename is ALL CAPS
Description starts with "Use when..."
metadata.triggers has 3+ keywords
Total lines < 500 (use references/ for more)
No @ force-loading in cross-references
Tested with real scenarios