Rules for writing concise, token-efficient workflow and skill files. Prevents over-building that requires costly optimization passes. Use when creating or editing workflow files, SKILL.md files, or new skill definitions.
60
72%
Does it follow best practices?
Impact
—
No eval scenarios have been run
Passed
No known issues
Optimize this skill with Tessl
npx tessl skill review --optimize ./.github/skills/common/common-workflow-writing/SKILL.mdQuality
Discovery
67%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 is functional with a clear 'Use when' clause that explicitly lists trigger scenarios, which is its strongest aspect. However, it could be more specific about the concrete actions it performs (e.g., enforcing length limits, structuring frontmatter, trimming redundancy) and could include more natural trigger terms users might use when seeking this skill.
Suggestions
Add more specific concrete actions, e.g., 'Enforces token budgets, trims redundant sections, structures YAML frontmatter, and validates skill file format.'
Expand trigger terms to include variations like 'skill template', 'skill authoring', 'writing a new skill', '.md files', or 'token budget' to improve matching.
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Specificity | Names the domain (workflow and skill files) and a general action (writing concise, token-efficient files, preventing over-building), but doesn't list multiple specific concrete actions like 'enforce line limits, remove redundant sections, validate frontmatter'. | 2 / 3 |
Completeness | Clearly answers both 'what' (rules for writing concise, token-efficient workflow and skill files; prevents over-building) and 'when' (Use when creating or editing workflow files, SKILL.md files, or new skill definitions) with an explicit 'Use when' clause. | 3 / 3 |
Trigger Term Quality | Includes relevant terms like 'workflow files', 'SKILL.md files', 'skill definitions', but misses common variations users might say such as 'skill template', 'skill authoring', '.md skill', 'token budget', or 'skill optimization'. | 2 / 3 |
Distinctiveness Conflict Risk | Fairly specific to skill/workflow file authoring, but could overlap with general writing style guides, documentation skills, or markdown editing skills. The mention of 'token-efficient' and 'SKILL.md' helps but 'workflow files' is somewhat broad. | 2 / 3 |
Total | 9 / 12 Passed |
Implementation
77%Reviews the quality of instructions and guidance provided to agents. Good implementation is clear, handles edge cases, and produces reliable results.
This is a well-crafted meta-skill that efficiently communicates workflow writing standards. Its greatest strength is practicing what it preaches — it's concise, structured, and avoids the anti-patterns it warns against. The main weaknesses are slightly incomplete actionability (some rules could use clearer before→after transformations) and references to a `references/` directory that doesn't exist in the bundle.
Suggestions
Add concrete before→after examples for the 'Merge sequential steps' rule to make it more actionable
Either provide the `references/` directory structure that the size limits table points to, or clarify that it's a convention for the user's own project
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Conciseness | The skill practices what it preaches — it's lean, uses bullet points and tables instead of prose, and every line adds value. No unnecessary explanations of concepts Claude already knows. | 3 / 3 |
Actionability | The rules are concrete and specific (e.g., size limits, anti-patterns with before/after examples), but some guidance is slightly vague — 'Merge sequential steps' and the self-check items could be more precise. The anti-patterns section shows what to delete but doesn't always show the correct replacement. | 2 / 3 |
Workflow Clarity | For a single-purpose instructional skill, the workflow is clear: core rules → size limits → required structure → anti-patterns → self-check. The self-check checklist at the end serves as a validation checkpoint before saving, which is appropriate for this type of skill. | 3 / 3 |
Progressive Disclosure | The skill references extracting content to `references/` multiple times in the size limits table, but no bundle files or reference documents are provided. The content itself is well-organized with clear sections, but the referenced paths don't resolve to anything. | 2 / 3 |
Total | 10 / 12 Passed |
Validation
81%Checks the skill against the spec for correct structure and formatting. All validation checks must pass before discovery and implementation can be scored.
Validation — 9 / 11 Passed
Validation for skill structure
| Criteria | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|
metadata_version | 'metadata.version' is missing | Warning |
metadata_field | 'metadata' should map string keys to string values | Warning |
Total | 9 / 11 Passed | |
3df717f
Table of Contents
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.