linkerd-patterns

Implement Linkerd service mesh patterns for lightweight, security-focused service mesh deployments. Use when setting up Linkerd, configuring traffic policies, or implementing zero-trust networking with minimal overhead.

1.35x

Quality

83%

Does it follow best practices?

Impact

100%

1.35x

Average score across 3 eval scenarios

Securityby

Passed

No findings from the security scan

The canonical home for this skill is linkerd-patterns in wshobson/agents

Quality

Content

78%Weight 40%Scale 1-5

Reviews the quality of instructions and guidance provided to agents. Good implementation is clear, handles edge cases, and produces reliable results.

A highly actionable catalog of executable Linkerd templates with a solid, validated install workflow. The main weaknesses are the single-file monolithic structure with no progressive disclosure into reference files and inconsistent validation guidance outside the install sequence.

Suggestions

Split advanced material (multi-cluster setup, HTTPRoute routing, authorization policy details) into reference files under references/ and keep SKILL.md as a concise overview with clearly signaled one-level-deep pointers.

Add explicit verification steps after risky changes — e.g., run `linkerd check` and `linkerd viz routes` after applying a TrafficSplit, and `linkerd authz` after applying ServerAuthorization policies.

Trim token cost by removing the ASCII architecture diagram and the duplicated namespace/deployment injection annotation, keeping one representative example.

Dimension	Reasoning	Score
Conciseness	The body is dominated by lean, copy-paste templates and commands, but includes trimmable material: the ASCII architecture diagram, a duplicated injection annotation in Template 2, and the tagline "the lightweight, security-first service mesh for Kubernetes" which Claude already knows. Mostly efficient with minor over-explanation, matching anchor 4 rather than anchor 5's every-token-earns-its-place.	4 / 5
Actionability	Every template is fully executable — complete bash install sequence, full YAML for injection, ServiceProfile, TrafficSplit, Server/ServerAuthorization, HTTPRoute, and multicluster, plus monitoring and debugging commands. Copy-paste ready and covering the common cases, matching anchor 5; not anchor 4 since there are no significant gaps.	5 / 5
Workflow Clarity	The install template shows a clear sequence with explicit validation checkpoints ("linkerd check --pre", "linkerd check"), but the remaining templates are presented as unordered patterns with no verification steps or error-recovery guidance (e.g., nothing to run after applying a TrafficSplit or policy). This sits between anchor 4 and anchor 3 — checkpoints exist in the primary workflow but are missing elsewhere.	4 / 5
Progressive Disclosure	Sections are well-labeled, but the entire ~300-line skill is inlined in a single file with no references directory or pointer files — multi-cluster setup, HTTPRoute routing, and debugging sections are natural candidates for separate reference files. This matches anchor 3 (content that should be separate is inline) rather than anchor 4, which expects references to be present and mostly clear.	3 / 5
	Total	16 / 20 Passed

Description

87%Weight 40%Scale 1-5

Based on the skill's description, can an agent find and select it at the right time? Clear, specific descriptions lead to better discovery.

A strong description that clearly states both capability and trigger conditions using natural language and a named tool. Minor improvement is possible by enumerating a few more concrete capabilities (mTLS, traffic splits, canary deployments) in the what-clause.

Dimension	Reasoning	Score
Specificity	Names the Linkerd domain and three concrete actions ("setting up Linkerd, configuring traffic policies, or implementing zero-trust networking"), but coverage has minor gaps — traffic splits, mTLS, and multi-cluster capabilities are not mentioned. It exceeds anchor 3 (only 1-2 concrete actions) but falls short of anchor 5's comprehensive coverage.	4 / 5
Completeness	Explicitly answers both what ("Implement Linkerd service mesh patterns for lightweight, security-focused service mesh deployments") and when ("Use when setting up Linkerd, configuring traffic policies, or implementing zero-trust networking with minimal overhead") with concrete trigger phrases. This matches anchor 5; it is not anchor 4 since the when-clause is specific rather than needing more detail.	5 / 5
Trigger Term Quality	Includes natural phrases users would say — "setting up Linkerd", "service mesh", "traffic policies", "zero-trust networking" — but misses common variations like mTLS, canary deployments, retries, or Kubernetes-specific phrasing. Good coverage without being comprehensive, matching anchor 4 rather than anchor 5.	4 / 5
Distinctiveness Conflict Risk	Names the specific tool (Linkerd) with a clear niche (lightweight, security-focused service mesh), so trigger terms would rarely route to a different skill. Only negligible overlap risk with other mesh-related skills; matches anchor 5.	5 / 5
	Total	18 / 20 Passed

Validation

100%

Warnings & errors only

Checks the skill against the spec for correct structure and formatting. All validation checks must pass before discovery and implementation can be scored.

Validation — 16 / 16 Passed

Validation for skill structure

No warnings or errors.

Repository: Dicklesworthstone/pi_agent_rust
Path: tests/ext_conformance/artifacts/agents-wshobson/cloud-infrastructure/skills/linkerd-patterns/SKILL.md
Commit: a65ce00

Reviewed: 6 days ago

Table of Contents

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