basecamp-automation

Automate Basecamp project management, to-dos, messages, people, and to-do list organization via Rube MCP (Composio). Always search tools first for current schemas.

1.22x

Quality

42%

Does it follow best practices?

Impact

94%

1.22x

Average score across 3 eval scenarios

Securityby

Advisory

Suggest reviewing before use

Optimize this skill with Tessl

npx tessl skill review --optimize ./plugins/all-skills/skills/basecamp-automation/SKILL.md

Quality

Discovery

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 identifies a clear niche (Basecamp via Rube MCP/Composio) which makes it distinctive, but it lacks specificity in the concrete actions it can perform and is missing an explicit 'Use when...' clause. The operational instruction about searching tools first, while useful, doesn't serve the purpose of helping Claude select this skill appropriately.

Suggestions

Add an explicit 'Use when...' clause, e.g., 'Use when the user asks about Basecamp projects, creating or managing to-dos, sending Basecamp messages, or organizing project teams.'

List more specific concrete actions, e.g., 'Create and manage to-dos and to-do lists, post and reply to messages, add or remove people from projects, check project status.'

Dimension	Reasoning	Score
Specificity	Names the domain (Basecamp project management) and lists some actions/entities (to-dos, messages, people, to-do list organization), but doesn't describe specific concrete actions like 'create to-dos', 'send messages', or 'assign people'. The word 'Automate' is somewhat vague.	2 / 3
Completeness	The 'what' is partially addressed (automate Basecamp project management tasks), but there is no explicit 'Use when...' clause or equivalent trigger guidance. The instruction to 'always search tools first' is operational guidance rather than a trigger condition. Per rubric, missing 'Use when' caps completeness at 2.	2 / 3
Trigger Term Quality	Includes relevant keywords like 'Basecamp', 'to-dos', 'messages', 'people', and 'project management' which users might naturally say. However, it misses common variations like 'tasks', 'comments', 'campfire', 'schedule', or specific Basecamp terminology users might use.	2 / 3
Distinctiveness Conflict Risk	The mention of 'Basecamp' and 'Rube MCP (Composio)' makes this highly distinctive. It's unlikely to conflict with other skills since Basecamp is a specific product, and the tooling context (Composio) further narrows the niche.	3 / 3
	Total	9 / 12 Passed

Implementation

27%

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

The skill is comprehensive in coverage of Basecamp operations but suffers from significant verbosity and redundancy — pitfalls are repeated across sections, alternative tools are exhaustively listed, and the quick reference table duplicates inline content. It lacks executable examples (no actual tool call payloads or response samples) and validation/error-recovery steps in workflows. The monolithic structure would benefit greatly from splitting detailed parameter docs and the reference table into separate files.

Suggestions

Reduce redundancy by consolidating pitfalls into a single section and removing duplicate tool listings (e.g., don't list both CREATE_MESSAGE and POST_BUCKETS_MESSAGE_BOARDS_MESSAGES with full parameter docs — just note the alternative exists)

Add concrete executable examples showing actual tool call inputs and expected response snippets for at least the most common workflows (e.g., creating a to-do list)

Split the detailed parameter documentation and quick reference table into a separate REFERENCE.md file, keeping SKILL.md as a concise overview with workflow sequences and key pitfalls only

Add explicit validation checkpoints and error recovery steps to workflows — e.g., 'If POST returns 400, verify bucket_id and todoset_id belong to the same project by re-checking GET_PROJECT dock array'

Dimension	Reasoning	Score
Conciseness	The skill is extremely verbose at ~250+ lines. It lists near-duplicate tools (e.g., CREATE_MESSAGE vs POST_BUCKETS_MESSAGE_BOARDS_MESSAGES, multiple alternative tools for the same action) with repetitive parameter documentation. The 'Known Pitfalls' section largely repeats pitfalls already stated in each workflow section. The quick reference table duplicates information already covered above. Claude doesn't need this level of hand-holding for API tool usage, especially when the skill already instructs to call RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS for current schemas.	1 / 3
Actionability	The skill provides specific tool names, parameter names with types, and clear tool sequences, which is good. However, there are no executable code examples or concrete request/response payloads — everything is described abstractly rather than shown. For instance, no example of what a RUBE_SEARCH_TOOLS call looks like or what a successful to-do creation response contains.	2 / 3
Workflow Clarity	Tool sequences are clearly numbered with prerequisite/required/optional labels, which is helpful. However, there are no explicit validation checkpoints or error recovery loops — the skill says 'check existing to-do lists before creating' but doesn't specify what to do if a duplicate is found. The setup section has a basic verification flow but core workflows lack feedback loops for failures.	2 / 3
Progressive Disclosure	The entire skill is a monolithic wall of text with no bundle files or references to separate documents. All parameter details, pitfalls, and the large quick reference table are inline. The parameter documentation and per-workflow pitfalls could easily be split into separate reference files, with the main SKILL.md serving as a concise overview with pointers.	1 / 3
	Total	6 / 12 Passed

Validation

90%

Warnings & errors only

Checks the skill against the spec for correct structure and formatting. All validation checks must pass before discovery and implementation can be scored.

Validation — 10 / 11 Passed

Validation for skill structure

Criteria	Description	Result
frontmatter_unknown_keys	Unknown frontmatter key(s) found; consider removing or moving to metadata	Warning

	Total	10 / 11 Passed

Repository: davepoon/buildwithclaude
Commit: 364c6b2

Reviewed: 2 days ago

Table of Contents

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