cat
Concatenate and display file contents. Use when viewing files, combining files, or creating files from stdin.
64
76%
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 ./.flox/pkgs/skill-coreutils/skills/cat/SKILL.mdQuality
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 is functional with a clear 'Use when' clause that covers the basics, but it lacks the natural trigger terms users would commonly use (like 'cat', 'print', 'read file') and is somewhat generic in its file-viewing language. It adequately communicates the skill's purpose but could be more distinctive and keyword-rich.
Suggestions
Add natural trigger terms users would actually say, such as 'cat command', 'print file contents', 'read file', 'show file', or 'output to stdout'.
Increase distinctiveness by specifying this is about the Unix 'cat' utility or command-line file concatenation to differentiate from general file viewing/editing skills.
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Specificity | Names the domain (file contents) and some actions (concatenate, display), but doesn't list comprehensive specific actions. 'Creating files from stdin' adds some specificity but overall it's moderate. | 2 / 3 |
Completeness | Clearly answers both 'what' (concatenate and display file contents) and 'when' (explicit 'Use when' clause covering viewing files, combining files, or creating files from stdin). | 3 / 3 |
Trigger Term Quality | Includes some relevant terms like 'viewing files', 'combining files', and 'stdin', but misses common natural terms users would say such as 'cat', 'print file', 'show file contents', 'read file', or 'output file'. | 2 / 3 |
Distinctiveness Conflict Risk | 'Viewing files' and 'display file contents' are fairly generic and could overlap with other file-related skills (e.g., a file reader, text editor, or file management skill). The 'concatenate' and 'stdin' terms add some distinctiveness but 'viewing files' is broad. | 2 / 3 |
Total | 9 / 12 Passed |
Implementation
85%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 command reference skill with strong actionability and clear organization. The examples are executable and the gotchas section adds genuine value beyond what Claude might know by default. The main weakness is moderate verbosity in the flags table, which documents information Claude likely already has internalized about a fundamental Unix command.
Suggestions
Consider trimming the flags table to only the most commonly useful or surprising flags, since Claude already knows basic cat options.
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Conciseness | The content is mostly efficient but includes some information Claude already knows well, such as the complete flag table for a basic Unix command. The UUOC gotcha and the destructive redirect warning add genuine value, but the exhaustive flag listing is arguably unnecessary for Claude. | 2 / 3 |
Actionability | All examples are concrete, executable bash commands with clear comments. The gotchas section provides specific correct/incorrect patterns with copy-paste ready alternatives. | 3 / 3 |
Workflow Clarity | For a simple, single-purpose command reference skill, the workflow is unambiguous. The examples progress logically from basic to advanced usage, and the gotchas section explicitly warns about destructive operations (overwriting files) with correct alternatives. | 3 / 3 |
Progressive Disclosure | For a simple skill under 50 lines of substantive content with no need for external references, the content is well-organized into clear sections (Synopsis, Flags, Examples, Gotchas) that are easy to navigate. | 3 / 3 |
Total | 11 / 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.
- Repository
- flox/floxenvs
- Commit
bb1f07d
- Reviewed
Table of Contents
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