bash-defensive-patterns

Master defensive Bash programming techniques for production-grade scripts. Use when writing robust shell scripts, CI/CD pipelines, or system utilities requiring fault tolerance and safety.

Quality

55%

Does it follow best practices?

Run evals on this skill

Adds up to 20 points to the overall score

View guide

Securityby

Passed

No findings from the security scan

Fix and improve this skill with Tessl

tessl review fix ./.agent/skills/bash-defensive-patterns/SKILL.md

Quality

Content

35%

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

This skill is essentially a thin routing document that defers all substantive content to a referenced playbook that isn't provided. The SKILL.md itself lacks any concrete code examples, specific Bash patterns (like `set -euo pipefail`), or executable guidance, making it nearly useless on its own. The structure shows awareness of progressive disclosure but fails to provide enough actionable content at the top level.

Suggestions

Add a Quick Start section with concrete, executable examples such as a strict-mode header (`set -euo pipefail`), a trap pattern for cleanup, and a variable quoting example.

Replace the vague 4-step instructions with specific commands and code snippets — e.g., show exactly what 'Enable strict mode' means with a code block.

Include at least one complete, copy-paste-ready script template demonstrating the core defensive patterns (strict mode, error trap, input validation, logging).

Add a validation/verification step in the workflow, such as running shellcheck on the output script before execution.

Dimension	Reasoning	Score
Conciseness	The 'Use this skill when' and 'Do not use this skill when' sections are somewhat verbose and list items Claude could infer. The intro paragraph explains what defensive programming is, which is unnecessary. However, the instructions section is reasonably lean.	2 / 3
Actionability	The skill provides no concrete code examples, no executable commands, and no specific patterns. Instructions like 'Enable strict mode and safe defaults' and 'Validate inputs, quote variables' are vague directions without showing how. All substantive content is deferred to a referenced playbook.	1 / 3
Workflow Clarity	There is a 4-step numbered sequence in the Instructions section, which provides some ordering. However, the steps are high-level and lack validation checkpoints or feedback loops, which are important for scripts involving destructive or batch operations.	2 / 3
Progressive Disclosure	The skill references `resources/implementation-playbook.md` and a sub-skill, which is good structure in principle. However, no bundle files were provided, so we cannot verify the references exist. The SKILL.md itself is too thin — it defers almost everything to the playbook without providing a useful quick-start overview, making the top-level file feel like a stub rather than a functional overview.	2 / 3
	Total	7 / 12 Passed

Description

75%

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

The description has good structure with an explicit 'Use when' clause and a distinctive niche focus on defensive Bash programming. However, it lacks specific concrete actions (e.g., error trapping, input validation, strict mode) and could include more natural trigger terms that users would actually say when seeking this kind of help.

Suggestions

Add specific concrete actions such as 'set error traps, validate inputs, use strict mode (set -euo pipefail), handle signals' to improve specificity.

Include additional natural trigger terms users might say, such as 'error handling', 'bash best practices', 'script safety', 'shellcheck', or 'bash debugging'.

Dimension	Reasoning	Score
Specificity	Names the domain ('defensive Bash programming') and mentions some contexts ('production-grade scripts', 'CI/CD pipelines', 'system utilities') but does not list specific concrete actions like 'set error traps', 'validate inputs', 'handle signals', or 'use strict mode'.	2 / 3
Completeness	Clearly answers both 'what' (master defensive Bash programming techniques for production-grade scripts) and 'when' (Use when writing robust shell scripts, CI/CD pipelines, or system utilities requiring fault tolerance and safety) with an explicit 'Use when' clause.	3 / 3
Trigger Term Quality	Includes some relevant keywords like 'Bash', 'shell scripts', 'CI/CD pipelines', 'fault tolerance', and 'safety', but misses common natural terms users might say such as 'error handling', 'set -e', 'trap', 'shellcheck', 'bash best practices', or 'script debugging'.	2 / 3
Distinctiveness Conflict Risk	The focus on 'defensive Bash programming' with 'fault tolerance and safety' is a clear niche that is unlikely to conflict with general scripting skills or other language-specific skills. The combination of Bash + defensive/production-grade is quite distinctive.	3 / 3
	Total	10 / 12 Passed

Validation

90%

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 — 10 / 11 Passed

Validation for skill structure

Criteria	Description	Result
frontmatter_unknown_keys	Unknown frontmatter key(s) found; consider removing or moving to metadata	Warning

	Total	10 / 11 Passed

Repository: Dokhacgiakhoa/antigravity-ide
Path: .agent/skills/bash-defensive-patterns/SKILL.md
Commit: c4a059b

Reviewed: 2 days ago

Table of Contents

Discovery Implementation Validation

Is this your skill?

If you maintain this skill, you can claim it as your own. Once claimed, you can manage eval scenarios, bundle related skills, attach documentation or rules, and ensure cross-agent compatibility.