orbstack-best-practices
Patterns for OrbStack Linux VMs and Docker on macOS. Covers orbctl/orb commands, machine lifecycle, cloud-init, networking, file sharing, and SSH access. Must use when working with OrbStack, orbctl commands, or Linux VMs on macOS.
93
89%
Does it follow best practices?
Impact
99%
2.10xAverage score across 3 eval scenarios
Advisory
Suggest reviewing before use
Quality
Discovery
100%Based on the skill's description, can an agent find and select it at the right time? Clear, specific descriptions lead to better discovery.
This is a strong skill description that clearly identifies its niche (OrbStack on macOS), lists specific capabilities (orbctl commands, machine lifecycle, cloud-init, networking, file sharing, SSH), and provides explicit trigger guidance with 'Must use when...' clause. The description is concise, uses third person voice, and includes natural keywords users would employ when working with OrbStack.
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Specificity | Lists multiple specific concrete actions and domains: orbctl/orb commands, machine lifecycle, cloud-init, networking, file sharing, and SSH access. These are concrete, identifiable capabilities. | 3 / 3 |
Completeness | Clearly answers both 'what' (patterns for OrbStack Linux VMs and Docker, covering orbctl commands, machine lifecycle, cloud-init, networking, file sharing, SSH) and 'when' ('Must use when working with OrbStack, orbctl commands, or Linux VMs on macOS'). | 3 / 3 |
Trigger Term Quality | Includes strong natural trigger terms users would say: 'OrbStack', 'orbctl', 'orb commands', 'Linux VMs', 'macOS', 'Docker', 'cloud-init', 'SSH access'. Good coverage of terms a user working with OrbStack would naturally use. | 3 / 3 |
Distinctiveness Conflict Risk | Highly distinctive with a clear niche: OrbStack on macOS is a very specific tool. The triggers (orbctl, OrbStack, Linux VMs on macOS) are unlikely to conflict with other skills like generic Docker or VM management skills. | 3 / 3 |
Total | 12 / 12 Passed |
Implementation
79%Reviews the quality of instructions and guidance provided to agents. Good implementation is clear, handles edge cases, and produces reliable results.
This is a high-quality reference skill that excels in conciseness and actionability, providing comprehensive, copy-paste ready OrbStack commands and configurations without unnecessary explanation. Its main weaknesses are the lack of explicit validation/feedback loops in multi-step workflows and the monolithic structure that could benefit from splitting into focused sub-documents for such a broad topic.
Suggestions
Add explicit validation checkpoints to multi-step workflows, e.g., after cloud-init creation: 'Verify: orb -m myvm cloud-init status --long → if not done, check logs → retry if needed'
Split detailed sections (Docker Integration, Kubernetes, Cloud-Init) into separate reference files and link from the main SKILL.md to improve progressive disclosure
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Conciseness | The content is lean and efficient throughout. It avoids explaining what OrbStack is beyond a single introductory sentence, uses tables for reference data, and presents commands without unnecessary commentary. Every section delivers information density without padding. | 3 / 3 |
Actionability | Nearly every section contains copy-paste ready commands and concrete examples. Cloud-init includes a complete YAML example, SSH shows exact connection strings, Docker integration covers specific use cases with executable commands, and troubleshooting provides specific fix commands. | 3 / 3 |
Workflow Clarity | While individual commands are clear, multi-step workflows lack explicit validation checkpoints. For example, cloud-init creation doesn't sequence 'create → verify status → check logs if failed.' The troubleshooting section helps but is separate from the workflows. Machine lifecycle steps are listed but without feedback loops for error recovery. | 2 / 3 |
Progressive Disclosure | The content is well-organized with clear section headers and tables, but it's a monolithic document (~250 lines) that could benefit from splitting detailed sections (Docker integration, Kubernetes, cloud-init) into separate reference files. No external file references are used despite the breadth of topics covered. | 2 / 3 |
Total | 10 / 12 Passed |
Validation
100%Checks the skill against the spec for correct structure and formatting. All validation checks must pass before discovery and implementation can be scored.
Validation — 11 / 11 Passed
Validation for skill structure
No warnings or errors.
- Repository
- NeverSight/skills_feed
- Commit
e437c3c
- Reviewed
Table of Contents
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