Setup and use ActionCable for real-time features in Rails applications using WebSockets. Use when implementing real-time updates, live notifications, broadcasting changes, or when the user mentions WebSockets, ActionCable, channels, broadcasting, or Turbo Streams over cable.
65
77%
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 ./skills/action-cable/SKILL.mdQuality
Discovery
89%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 with excellent trigger term coverage and a clear 'Use when...' clause that makes it easy for Claude to select appropriately. The main weakness is that the 'what' portion could be more specific about concrete actions beyond 'setup and use'. Overall, it performs well across all dimensions.
Suggestions
Expand the capability description with more specific actions, e.g., 'Setup and use ActionCable for real-time features: create channels, configure subscriptions, broadcast messages, integrate Turbo Streams over cable.'
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Specificity | Names the domain (ActionCable, Rails, WebSockets) and mentions some actions ('setup and use', 'real-time features'), but doesn't list multiple specific concrete actions like 'create channels, configure subscriptions, broadcast messages, set up Turbo Streams'. | 2 / 3 |
Completeness | Clearly answers both 'what' (setup and use ActionCable for real-time features in Rails) and 'when' (explicit 'Use when...' clause listing multiple trigger scenarios and terms). | 3 / 3 |
Trigger Term Quality | Excellent coverage of natural terms users would say: 'real-time updates', 'live notifications', 'broadcasting', 'WebSockets', 'ActionCable', 'channels', 'Turbo Streams over cable'. These are all terms a developer would naturally use when seeking this functionality. | 3 / 3 |
Distinctiveness Conflict Risk | Highly distinctive with specific technology references (ActionCable, WebSockets, Turbo Streams over cable, channels, broadcasting) that clearly carve out a niche unlikely to conflict with other skills. | 3 / 3 |
Total | 11 / 12 Passed |
Implementation
64%Reviews the quality of instructions and guidance provided to agents. Good implementation is clear, handles edge cases, and produces reliable results.
This is a solid, actionable skill with good executable code examples covering the key ActionCable patterns including Turbo Streams integration. Its main weaknesses are the lack of explicit setup workflow sequencing with validation checkpoints, and some minor verbosity in explaining concepts Claude already understands. The content would benefit from a clearer step-by-step setup flow and trimming of obvious explanations.
Suggestions
Add an explicit numbered setup workflow (e.g., 1. Configure cable.yml, 2. Set up connection auth, 3. Verify connection in browser console, 4. Create channels, 5. Test broadcasting) with validation checkpoints at each step.
Remove explanatory text Claude already knows, such as 'ActionCable integrates WebSockets with Rails' and 'Base channel class for all application channels', and the empty Channel base class example.
Add a troubleshooting section or validation step for common failures (e.g., 'If connection rejected, check Warden/Devise session availability in WebSocket context').
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Conciseness | The content is mostly efficient with good code examples, but includes some unnecessary explanations Claude would already know (e.g., 'ActionCable integrates WebSockets with Rails to enable real-time features', 'Base channel class for all application channels'). The empty base Channel class example adds little value. | 2 / 3 |
Actionability | Provides fully executable, copy-paste ready code examples across Ruby and JavaScript for connection setup, broadcasting with Turbo Streams, configuration files, and debugging. The organization-scoped notifications example is a concrete, complete end-to-end pattern. | 3 / 3 |
Workflow Clarity | The content is organized into logical sections (Connection → Channel → JS Setup → Broadcasting → Config → Debugging), but lacks explicit sequencing for the setup process. There are no validation checkpoints—e.g., no step to verify the WebSocket connection works before proceeding to broadcasting, or how to diagnose common failures. | 2 / 3 |
Progressive Disclosure | The content is reasonably well-structured with clear headers, but it's somewhat monolithic for its length. The security considerations and debugging sections could be separate references, and there are no links to external detailed docs for advanced topics like custom channels, subscription lifecycle, or scaling considerations. | 2 / 3 |
Total | 9 / 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.
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Table of Contents
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