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110-java-maven-best-practices

Use when you need to review, improve, or troubleshoot a Maven pom.xml file — including dependency management with BOMs, plugin configuration, version centralization, multi-module project structure, build profiles, or any situation where you want to align your Maven setup with industry best practices. This should trigger for requests such as Review pom.xml to improve it; Apply Maven best practices to pom.xml; Improve Maven POM configuration; Review Maven dependency management and plugin configuration; Modernize Maven build conventions for a Java project. Part of Plinth Toolkit

63

Quality

73%

Does it follow best practices?

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tessl review fix ./skills/110-java-maven-best-practices/SKILL.md
SKILL.md
Quality
Evals
Security

Quality

Content

52%Scale 1-5

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

The skill has a solid structure with a clear validation-first workflow and appropriate delegation to a reference file, but suffers from significant redundancy — the same concepts (multi-module discovery, untrusted POM input, cross-module checks) are repeated verbatim across multiple sections. Actionability is weakened by the complete absence of concrete examples or executable snippets in the main skill file, with all substance deferred to the reference.

Suggestions

Consolidate the repeated multi-module, untrusted-input, and cross-module rules into a single authoritative location (Constraints section) and remove duplicates from the intro bullets and workflow steps.

Add at least one concrete before/after POM snippet or an example xmllint/xpath command to make the skill actionable without requiring the reference file.

Add a post-modification re-validation step (e.g., 'After applying changes, run `./mvnw validate` again to confirm no regressions') to close the feedback loop.

Remove the 'When to use this skill' section since it duplicates the YAML description and adds no new information.

DimensionReasoningScore

Conciseness

Significant redundancy throughout: the multi-module discovery, cross-module scope, and untrusted POM input rules are each stated 2-3 times (in the intro bullets, Constraints section, and Workflow). The 'What is covered' section and 'When to use this skill' section largely duplicate the YAML description. Much of the constraint text could be consolidated.

2 / 5

Actionability

The workflow provides a clear sequence (validate, parse, expand, recommend) and specifies concrete commands (`./mvnw validate`), but lacks executable code examples for XML querying, actual POM transformation patterns, or concrete before/after snippets. The real actionable content is deferred entirely to the reference file.

3 / 5

Workflow Clarity

The 4-step workflow is clearly sequenced with an explicit validation gate (stop if validation fails) and a safety constraint. However, there's no explicit re-validation step after applying changes, which is a minor gap for a destructive/modification workflow. The feedback loop for post-modification validation is missing.

4 / 5

Progressive Disclosure

The skill appropriately defers detailed examples and patterns to a reference file (`references/110-java-maven-best-practices.md`) with a clear one-level-deep reference. However, since no bundle files were provided, we cannot verify the reference exists or is well-structured. The SKILL.md itself is somewhat long for an overview that delegates to a reference.

4 / 5

Total

13

/

20

Passed

Description

95%Scale 1-5

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 a strong skill description that clearly defines its scope around Maven pom.xml review and improvement. It excels at providing explicit trigger guidance with example phrases and covers a comprehensive set of Maven-related topics. The only minor weakness is that the action verbs (review, improve, troubleshoot) are somewhat generic, though the domain specificity compensates well.

DimensionReasoningScore

Specificity

Lists several specific actions and concepts: dependency management with BOMs, plugin configuration, version centralization, multi-module project structure, build profiles. However, it leans more toward listing topics/areas than concrete actions (e.g., 'review', 'improve', 'troubleshoot' are somewhat generic verbs).

4 / 5

Completeness

Explicitly answers both 'what' (review, improve, troubleshoot Maven pom.xml files across multiple dimensions) and 'when' with a clear 'Use when...' clause and concrete trigger phrases. The example requests further clarify when this skill should activate.

5 / 5

Trigger Term Quality

Excellent coverage of natural trigger terms: 'pom.xml', 'Maven', 'dependency management', 'BOMs', 'plugin configuration', 'multi-module', 'build profiles', 'Java project', plus explicit example phrases like 'Review pom.xml to improve it' and 'Modernize Maven build conventions'. These closely match what users would naturally say.

5 / 5

Distinctiveness Conflict Risk

Highly distinctive — narrowly scoped to Maven pom.xml files specifically, with domain-specific terms like BOMs, multi-module, build profiles. Very unlikely to conflict with other skills unless there's another Maven-specific skill.

5 / 5

Total

19

/

20

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.

Validation11 / 11 Passed

Validation for skill structure

No warnings or errors.

Repository
jabrena/plinth
Reviewed

Table of Contents

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