skill-creator
Guide for creating effective skills. This skill should be used when users want to create a new skill (or update an existing skill) that extends Claude's capabilities with specialized knowledge, workflows, or tool integrations.
Install with Tessl CLI
npx tessl i github:davepoon/buildwithclaude --skill skill-creator77
Does it follow best practices?
If you maintain this skill, you can automatically optimize it using the tessl CLI to improve its score:
npx tessl skill review --optimize ./path/to/skillValidation for skill structure
Discovery
67%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 adequately explains its purpose and includes explicit trigger guidance, which is a strength. However, it lacks concrete specific actions that would help Claude understand exactly what this skill teaches, and the trigger terms could be more comprehensive to capture natural user language variations.
Suggestions
Add specific concrete actions like 'write YAML frontmatter', 'define description fields', 'structure skill content sections', or 'set up trigger conditions'
Expand trigger terms to include variations users might naturally say: 'write a skill', 'skill file', 'SKILL.md', 'teach Claude', 'new capability'
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Specificity | Names the domain (creating skills) and mentions some actions ('create a new skill', 'update an existing skill'), but lacks concrete specific actions like 'write YAML frontmatter', 'define trigger conditions', or 'structure skill content'. | 2 / 3 |
Completeness | Clearly answers both what ('Guide for creating effective skills') and when ('when users want to create a new skill or update an existing skill'), with explicit trigger guidance using 'This skill should be used when...' clause. | 3 / 3 |
Trigger Term Quality | Includes relevant keywords like 'skill', 'create', 'update', but misses common variations users might say such as 'write a skill', 'new capability', 'skill file', 'SKILL.md', or 'extend Claude'. | 2 / 3 |
Distinctiveness Conflict Risk | Reasonably specific to skill creation, but 'extends Claude's capabilities with specialized knowledge, workflows, or tool integrations' is broad and could overlap with documentation or configuration skills. | 2 / 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 well-structured, actionable skill with clear workflows and validation checkpoints. Its main weakness is verbosity in the introductory sections that explain concepts Claude already understands (what skills are, what they provide). The procedural guidance in Steps 1-6 is excellent and highly actionable.
Suggestions
Trim or remove the 'About Skills' and 'What Skills Provide' sections - Claude understands these concepts; jump directly to 'Anatomy of a Skill' or the creation process
Consider moving the detailed 'Anatomy of a Skill' section to a references/anatomy.md file, keeping only a brief summary in SKILL.md
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Conciseness | The skill contains some unnecessary explanation (e.g., explaining what skills are to Claude, the 'About Skills' section with conceptual framing). While mostly efficient, sections like 'What Skills Provide' and the anatomy explanation could be tightened since Claude understands these concepts. | 2 / 3 |
Actionability | Provides concrete, executable commands (init_skill.py, package_skill.py with exact usage), specific directory structures, and clear examples of what to include in each resource type. The step-by-step process is copy-paste ready. | 3 / 3 |
Workflow Clarity | Clear 6-step sequential process with explicit validation built into Step 5 (packaging validates automatically). Each step has clear entry/exit criteria, and Step 6 provides an iteration feedback loop for error recovery. | 3 / 3 |
Progressive Disclosure | Content is well-structured with clear sections, but the skill is somewhat monolithic. The detailed anatomy section and examples could potentially be moved to reference files. However, for a meta-skill about creating skills, keeping guidance inline is reasonable. | 2 / 3 |
Total | 10 / 12 Passed |
Validation
90%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 | |
- Reviewed
Table of Contents
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