windows-builder
Build Windows images with Packer using WinRM communicator and PowerShell provisioners. Use when creating Windows AMIs, Azure images, or VMware templates.
96
93%
Does it follow best practices?
Impact
100%
1.47xAverage score across 3 eval scenarios
Advisory
Suggest reviewing before use
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 marks. It uses third person voice, specifies concrete actions and tools (Packer, WinRM, PowerShell), provides explicit 'Use when' guidance with platform-specific triggers (AMIs, Azure, VMware), and is clearly distinguishable from related skills like Linux image building or general infrastructure provisioning.
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Specificity | Lists multiple specific concrete actions: 'Build Windows images', 'using WinRM communicator', 'PowerShell provisioners'. Also specifies concrete outputs: 'Windows AMIs, Azure images, or VMware templates'. | 3 / 3 |
Completeness | Clearly answers both what ('Build Windows images with Packer using WinRM communicator and PowerShell provisioners') and when ('Use when creating Windows AMIs, Azure images, or VMware templates') with explicit trigger guidance. | 3 / 3 |
Trigger Term Quality | Includes natural keywords users would say: 'Windows images', 'Packer', 'WinRM', 'PowerShell', 'AMIs', 'Azure images', 'VMware templates'. These are terms practitioners naturally use when working with Windows image building. | 3 / 3 |
Distinctiveness Conflict Risk | Highly distinctive with clear niche: Windows-specific Packer builds with WinRM/PowerShell. Unlikely to conflict with Linux image building or other provisioning tools due to explicit Windows, WinRM, and platform-specific triggers. | 3 / 3 |
Total | 12 / 12 Passed |
Implementation
87%Reviews the quality of instructions and guidance provided to agents. Good implementation is clear, handles edge cases, and produces reliable results.
This is a strong, actionable skill with excellent executable examples for Windows image building across AWS and Azure. The content is concise and well-organized, though it would benefit from an explicit build workflow with validation steps, especially given the warning about failed builds leaving resources running.
Suggestions
Add an explicit numbered workflow showing the full build sequence with validation checkpoints (e.g., verify WinRM connectivity, validate build completion, confirm resource cleanup)
Include a verification step or command to check for orphaned resources after failed builds, given the cost/cleanup warning
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Conciseness | The content is lean and efficient, providing only necessary configuration examples without explaining what Packer, WinRM, or PowerShell are. Every section delivers actionable HCL/PowerShell code without padding. | 3 / 3 |
Actionability | Fully executable HCL configurations and PowerShell scripts are provided for AWS, Azure, software installation, Windows Updates, and cleanup. All code is copy-paste ready with realistic values. | 3 / 3 |
Workflow Clarity | While individual provisioner blocks are clear, there's no explicit end-to-end workflow sequence or validation checkpoints. The note about failed builds leaving resources running suggests cleanup verification is important, but no verification steps are provided. | 2 / 3 |
Progressive Disclosure | Content is well-organized with clear sections (WinRM Setup, Provisioners, Cleanup, Common Issues). External references are one level deep and clearly signaled at the end. The skill is appropriately self-contained for its scope. | 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
- hashicorp/agent-skills
- Commit
9f2ede9
- Reviewed
Table of Contents
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