create-template
Generate Harness v0 Template YAML for reusable pipeline components (Step, Stage, Pipeline, StepGroup) and create them via MCP. Use when asked to create a template, build a step template, stage template, pipeline template, or reusable step. Do NOT use for checking template usage or references (use template-usage instead). Trigger phrases: create template, step template, stage template, pipeline template, reusable step, template YAML.
72
88%
Does it follow best practices?
Impact
—
No eval scenarios have been run
Passed
No known issues
Quality
Discovery
100%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 is an excellent skill description that hits all the key criteria. It provides specific actions, comprehensive trigger terms, explicit 'Use when' and 'Do NOT use' clauses, and clear disambiguation from a related skill. The description is concise yet thorough, making it easy for Claude to select the right skill from a large pool.
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Specificity | Lists multiple specific concrete actions: 'Generate Harness v0 Template YAML for reusable pipeline components (Step, Stage, Pipeline, StepGroup) and create them via MCP.' It names the exact component types and the creation mechanism. | 3 / 3 |
Completeness | Clearly answers both 'what' (generate Harness v0 Template YAML for reusable pipeline components and create them via MCP) and 'when' (explicit 'Use when...' clause plus trigger phrases). Also includes a helpful negative boundary ('Do NOT use for checking template usage or references'). | 3 / 3 |
Trigger Term Quality | Excellent coverage of natural trigger terms users would say: 'create template', 'step template', 'stage template', 'pipeline template', 'reusable step', 'template YAML'. These are natural phrases a user would use when requesting this functionality. | 3 / 3 |
Distinctiveness Conflict Risk | Highly distinctive with a clear niche (Harness v0 Template YAML generation), and explicitly disambiguates from a related skill ('use template-usage instead' for checking references). This negative boundary significantly reduces conflict risk. | 3 / 3 |
Total | 12 / 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 solid, actionable skill with complete YAML examples for all template types and clear MCP tool usage. The workflow is well-sequenced with verification steps. The main weakness is that the content is somewhat long for a single SKILL.md—the four full template YAML examples could be split into referenced files—and the file appears truncated at the end (identifier regex pattern is cut off mid-line).
Suggestions
Consider moving the detailed YAML examples for each template type into a separate TEMPLATES_REFERENCE.md file, keeping only one example inline in SKILL.md
Fix the truncated content at the end—the identifier regex pattern appears cut off mid-line, which could cause confusion
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Conciseness | The content is mostly efficient with good YAML examples, but it's quite long with some redundancy (e.g., the template types are listed as bullets AND each gets a full section). The 'Performance Notes' and 'Examples' sections add marginal value. Some inline comments like '# User selects connector' are unnecessary for Claude. | 2 / 3 |
Actionability | Provides complete, copy-paste-ready YAML for all four template types, concrete MCP tool invocations with exact parameter names, and specific examples of how to reference templates in pipelines. The runtime input pattern with `<+input>` is clearly demonstrated. | 3 / 3 |
Workflow Clarity | The 5-step workflow in Instructions is clearly sequenced with a verification step (step 5: verify creation using harness_list). Troubleshooting section provides error recovery guidance for common failures like DUPLICATE_IDENTIFIER. The create-then-verify pattern is explicit. | 3 / 3 |
Progressive Disclosure | The content is well-organized with clear section headers, but it's a monolithic file with ~180 lines of inline YAML examples that could benefit from being split into separate reference files per template type. No bundle files are provided to offload the detailed examples. The content appears truncated at the end (regex pattern cut off). | 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.
- Repository
- harness/harness-ai
- Commit
a000afa
- Reviewed
Table of Contents
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