Use when creating new agents, editing existing agents, or defining specialized subagent roles for the Task tool
Install with Tessl CLI
npx tessl i github:aaddrick/claude-desktop-debian --skill writing-agents78
Quality
67%
Does it follow best practices?
Impact
97%
1.14xAverage score across 3 eval scenarios
Optimize this skill with Tessl
npx tessl skill review --optimize ./.claude/skills/writing-agents/SKILL.mdDiscovery
57%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 provides clear trigger conditions with its 'Use when...' structure and targets a distinct niche (agent/subagent creation for Task tool). However, it lacks specificity about what the skill actually does - it tells when to use it but not what capabilities or outputs it provides. The description would benefit from concrete actions like 'defines agent configurations, sets up communication patterns, specifies agent capabilities'.
Suggestions
Add concrete actions describing what the skill does, e.g., 'Defines agent configurations, capabilities, and communication patterns for the Task tool'
Include additional trigger terms users might naturally say, such as 'spawn agent', 'multi-agent workflow', 'delegate', or 'orchestrate'
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Specificity | Names the domain (agents/subagents) and some actions (creating, editing, defining roles), but lacks concrete details about what these actions entail or what capabilities the skill provides. | 2 / 3 |
Completeness | Has a 'Use when...' clause addressing when to use it, but the 'what does this do' portion is weak - it only implies actions without explaining what the skill actually provides or produces. | 2 / 3 |
Trigger Term Quality | Includes relevant terms like 'agents', 'subagent', and 'Task tool', but missing common variations users might say such as 'spawn agent', 'multi-agent', 'orchestration', or 'delegate tasks'. | 2 / 3 |
Distinctiveness Conflict Risk | The focus on 'Task tool' and 'subagent roles' creates a clear niche that is unlikely to conflict with other skills; the terminology is specific to agent orchestration contexts. | 3 / 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 strong, actionable skill with excellent workflow clarity and concrete examples. The TDD framing is effective and the agent patterns are well-documented with good/bad comparisons. Main weaknesses are verbosity (could be 30% shorter) and keeping all detailed content inline rather than splitting reference material (patterns, checklists) into separate files.
Suggestions
Extract the 'Common Agent Patterns' section and detailed checklist into separate reference files (e.g., AGENT-PATTERNS.md, AGENT-CHECKLIST.md) to reduce main file length
Tighten the 'Anatomy of an Effective Agent' section by removing explanatory sentences like 'The persona is the agent's DNA' - the examples speak for themselves
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Conciseness | The skill is comprehensive but includes some redundancy and explanations that could be tightened. The comparison table, multiple examples, and extensive checklists add value but the overall length (~400 lines) could be reduced while preserving clarity. | 2 / 3 |
Actionability | Provides concrete, executable guidance throughout: specific file paths, YAML frontmatter examples, bash commands, directory structures, and copy-paste ready templates. The workflow steps are explicit and the examples are directly usable. | 3 / 3 |
Workflow Clarity | Clear 4-step workflow (Research → Context → Write → Restart) with explicit validation checkpoints. The RED-GREEN-REFACTOR cycle is well-defined with specific actions at each phase. The checklist provides comprehensive verification steps. | 3 / 3 |
Progressive Disclosure | Content is well-structured with clear sections and headers, but it's largely monolithic. References to external skills (test-driven-development, writing-skills) are mentioned but the bulk of detailed content is inline rather than appropriately split into reference files. | 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.
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.