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using-agent-skills

Discovers and invokes agent skills. Use when starting a session or when you need to discover which skill applies to the current task. This is the meta-skill that governs how all other skills are discovered and invoked.

52

Quality

57%

Does it follow best practices?

Impact

No eval scenarios have been run

SecuritybySnyk

Passed

No known issues

Optimize this skill with Tessl

npx tessl skill review --optimize ./skills/using-agent-skills/SKILL.md
SKILL.md
Quality
Evals
Security

Quality

Discovery

52%

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 description clearly communicates its meta-skill role and includes an explicit 'Use when' clause, but suffers from overly broad trigger conditions that could conflict with virtually any other skill. The trigger terms are technical/internal rather than user-facing, and the description's broad scope ('when starting a session' or 'when you need to discover which skill applies') means it could inappropriately activate for any task.

Suggestions

Replace generic trigger terms with more specific conditions, e.g., 'Use when the user asks what skills or capabilities are available, or when no other skill clearly matches the request'

Add concrete examples of what 'discovers and invokes' means in practice, such as 'Lists available skills, matches user requests to appropriate skills, and delegates tasks to the correct skill handler'

DimensionReasoningScore

Specificity

It names the domain ('agent skills') and some actions ('discovers and invokes'), but the actions are abstract meta-operations rather than concrete, tangible tasks. It doesn't list specific capabilities beyond discovery and invocation.

2 / 3

Completeness

It answers both 'what' (discovers and invokes agent skills, governs how other skills are discovered) and 'when' (when starting a session or when needing to discover which skill applies). The 'Use when...' clause is explicit.

3 / 3

Trigger Term Quality

The terms 'discovers', 'invokes', 'meta-skill', and 'session' are internal/technical jargon that users would almost never naturally say. Users don't ask to 'discover skills' or 'invoke agent skills' — they ask for help with specific tasks.

1 / 3

Distinctiveness Conflict Risk

As a meta-skill about skill discovery, it has a somewhat unique niche. However, the trigger 'when you need to discover which skill applies to the current task' is extremely broad and could potentially fire for nearly any user request, creating conflict with all other skills.

2 / 3

Total

8

/

12

Passed

Implementation

62%

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

This meta-skill provides a solid routing framework with a clear decision tree and lifecycle sequence, but suffers from redundancy (three overlapping representations of the same skill catalog) and verbose behavioral guidance that Claude likely doesn't need spelled out at this length. The lack of actual links or file paths to referenced skills weakens its utility as a discovery mechanism.

Suggestions

Add actual file paths or links to each referenced skill (e.g., `[spec-driven-development](./skills/spec-driven-development/SKILL.md)`) so the discovery tree is navigable, not just descriptive.

Consolidate the three overlapping skill listings (decision tree, lifecycle sequence, quick reference table) into one or two complementary views — the decision tree for routing and the table for reference, removing the lifecycle sequence or making it a brief note.

Trim the Core Operating Behaviors section significantly — these are general agent behaviors Claude already understands; reduce each to 1-2 sentences max and remove the Failure Modes section which duplicates them.

Consider moving the Core Operating Behaviors to a separate referenced file (e.g., BEHAVIORS.md) to keep this meta-skill focused on skill discovery and routing.

DimensionReasoningScore

Conciseness

The skill is reasonably well-structured but contains some verbosity, particularly in the 'Core Operating Behaviors' section which explains concepts Claude already understands (e.g., don't be sycophantic, manage confusion). The 'Failure Modes to Avoid' section largely duplicates the Core Operating Behaviors. The quick reference table and lifecycle sequence also overlap with the discovery tree.

2 / 3

Actionability

The skill discovery decision tree is concrete and actionable for routing tasks to skills. However, the core operating behaviors are more philosophical guidance than executable steps — they describe mindsets rather than providing specific commands or code. The skill names are referenced but no concrete invocation mechanism (file paths, commands) is provided.

2 / 3

Workflow Clarity

The decision tree provides a clear routing workflow, the lifecycle sequence shows explicit ordering for complete features, and the skill rules establish clear precedence (check for skill first, follow steps in order, don't skip verification). The note that not every task needs every skill with a concrete bug-fix example adds practical clarity.

3 / 3

Progressive Disclosure

The skill references many sub-skills by name (e.g., 'interview-me', 'spec-driven-development') but provides no links or file paths to them, making navigation unclear. The content also includes substantial inline material (Core Operating Behaviors, Failure Modes) that could be split out, while the discovery tree, lifecycle sequence, and quick reference table present overlapping information three different ways.

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.

Validation11 / 11 Passed

Validation for skill structure

No warnings or errors.

Repository
addyosmani/agent-skills
Reviewed

Table of Contents

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