126-java-exception-handling

Use when you need to apply Java exception handling best practices — including using specific exception types, managing resources with try-with-resources, securing exception messages, preserving error context via exception chaining, validating inputs early with fail-fast principles, handling thread interruption correctly, documenting exceptions with @throws, enforcing logging policy, translating exceptions at API boundaries, managing retries and idempotency, enforcing timeouts, attaching suppressed exceptions, and propagating failures in async/reactive code. This should trigger for requests such as Exception handling; Use try-with-resources in Java code; Create exception chaining in Java code; Apply fail-fast validation in Java code; Review Java exception taxonomy and propagation. Part of Plinth Toolkit

Quality

74%

Does it follow best practices?

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tessl review fix ./skills/126-java-exception-handling/SKILL.md

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 is well-structured as an overview document with clear workflow steps and appropriate safety constraints (compile-before, verify-after). Its main weakness is the near-total lack of actionable code examples — everything concrete is deferred to the reference file, leaving the SKILL.md itself as essentially a pointer with a checklist. The topic bullet list adds moderate bulk without adding actionable value.

Suggestions

Add at least 2-3 inline code examples showing the most common patterns (e.g., try-with-resources, exception chaining, fail-fast validation) so Claude has immediately actionable guidance without needing to read the reference file.

Add an explicit feedback loop for post-change verification failure: 'If verify fails, review errors, fix, and re-run verify before proceeding.'

Remove or condense the 'What is covered' bullet list — it largely duplicates the reference file's table of contents and the description metadata. A single sentence like 'Covers 15 exception handling patterns; see reference for full catalog' would be more token-efficient.

Dimension	Reasoning	Score
Conciseness	The 'What is covered' bullet list is essentially a table of contents that restates what the reference file covers — this is moderately useful for discoverability but adds bulk. The 'When to use this skill' section duplicates the YAML description triggers. Some tightening is possible, but it's not severely padded.	3 / 5
Actionability	The skill provides no concrete code examples, no executable snippets, and no specific commands beyond compile/verify. All actual guidance is deferred to the reference file. The workflow steps are high-level instructions ('Refactor to specific exceptions...') without showing how.	2 / 5
Workflow Clarity	The workflow has a clear 4-step sequence with explicit compile-first and verify-after checkpoints, plus a stop-if-fails gate. However, there's no explicit feedback loop for what to do if verification fails after changes (only the pre-change compilation has a stop instruction), which is a minor gap.	4 / 5
Progressive Disclosure	The skill appropriately keeps the overview concise and points to a single reference file for detailed examples and patterns — a clean one-level-deep reference. However, since no bundle files were provided, we cannot verify the reference exists or is well-structured. The inline bullet list of topics partially duplicates what should be discoverable in the reference.	4 / 5
	Total	13 / 20 Passed

Description

96%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 comprehensively lists specific Java exception handling practices, includes abundant natural trigger terms, and explicitly addresses both what the skill does and when it should be used. The only minor weakness is potential overlap with broader Java development skills, though the depth of exception-handling specificity mitigates this. The description is somewhat verbose but the detail serves the purpose of disambiguation.

Dimension	Reasoning	Score
Specificity	The description lists numerous specific concrete actions: using specific exception types, managing resources with try-with-resources, securing exception messages, exception chaining, fail-fast validation, thread interruption handling, documenting with @throws, logging policy, exception translation at API boundaries, retries/idempotency, timeouts, suppressed exceptions, and async/reactive propagation. This is comprehensive coverage.	5 / 5
Completeness	Clearly answers both 'what' (apply Java exception handling best practices with a comprehensive list of specific practices) and 'when' ('Use when you need to apply Java exception handling best practices' plus explicit trigger phrases like 'This should trigger for requests such as...'). Both dimensions are explicit and concrete.	5 / 5
Trigger Term Quality	Includes extensive natural keywords users would say: 'exception handling', 'try-with-resources', 'exception chaining', 'fail-fast validation', 'Java exception taxonomy', '@throws', 'retries', 'timeouts', 'async/reactive code'. The explicit trigger examples ('Exception handling; Use try-with-resources in Java code') further reinforce natural user phrases.	5 / 5
Distinctiveness Conflict Risk	The skill is clearly scoped to Java exception handling best practices, which is a well-defined niche. The mention of 'Plinth Toolkit' adds context. Minor overlap risk exists with a general Java coding skill or a broader error handling skill, but the specificity of the practices listed (try-with-resources, @throws, exception chaining) makes it mostly distinct.	4 / 5
	Total	19 / 20 Passed

Validation

100%

Warnings & errors only

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: jabrena/plinth
Path: skills/126-java-exception-handling/SKILL.md
Commit: 9a3dc29

Reviewed: 20 hours ago

Table of Contents

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