clerk-core-workflow-b
Implement session management and middleware with Clerk. Use when managing user sessions, configuring route protection, or implementing token refresh and custom JWT templates. Trigger with phrases like "clerk session", "clerk middleware", "clerk route protection", "clerk token", "clerk JWT".
84
82%
Does it follow best practices?
Impact
Pending
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 a well-crafted skill description that clearly defines its scope around Clerk session management and middleware. It excels in all dimensions by listing concrete actions, providing explicit trigger guidance with natural keywords, and maintaining a distinct niche. The description uses proper third-person voice and is concise without unnecessary padding.
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Specificity | Lists multiple specific concrete actions: session management, middleware configuration, route protection, token refresh, and custom JWT templates. These are distinct, actionable capabilities. | 3 / 3 |
Completeness | Clearly answers both 'what' (implement session management and middleware with Clerk) and 'when' (explicit 'Use when' clause covering sessions, route protection, token refresh, JWT templates, plus a 'Trigger with phrases' section). | 3 / 3 |
Trigger Term Quality | Includes natural trigger terms users would actually say: 'clerk session', 'clerk middleware', 'clerk route protection', 'clerk token', 'clerk JWT'. These cover the main variations a user would use when seeking this functionality. | 3 / 3 |
Distinctiveness Conflict Risk | Highly specific to Clerk's session and middleware domain. The 'clerk' prefix on all trigger terms and the focus on sessions/middleware/JWT creates a clear niche unlikely to conflict with other authentication or general middleware skills. | 3 / 3 |
Total | 12 / 12 Passed |
Implementation
64%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, highly actionable skill with excellent executable code examples covering the full breadth of Clerk session management and middleware. Its main weaknesses are the lack of inline validation checkpoints in the workflow (especially important for middleware configuration which can cause redirect loops) and the monolithic structure that could benefit from splitting advanced topics into separate files. The content is slightly verbose in places but generally well-organized.
Suggestions
Add explicit validation checkpoints after Steps 1-2, e.g., 'Verify: visit a protected route while logged out — you should be redirected to /sign-in' to catch middleware misconfigurations early.
Consider splitting Steps 5-6 (JWT Templates, Organization-Scoped Sessions) into separate referenced files to reduce the main skill's length and improve progressive disclosure.
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Conciseness | The skill is mostly efficient with good code examples, but includes some unnecessary explanations (e.g., 'This is a design decision to avoid over-blocking', explaining what auth() vs currentUser() costs). Some inline comments are helpful but the overall content is quite long for what could be more tightly expressed. The enterprise considerations section adds useful but somewhat verbose context. | 2 / 3 |
Actionability | Every step includes fully executable, copy-paste-ready TypeScript code with proper file paths, imports, and realistic patterns. The code covers middleware configuration, API routes, server components, custom claims with type declarations, JWT templates, org switching, and server actions — all concrete and immediately usable. | 3 / 3 |
Workflow Clarity | Steps are clearly sequenced and logically ordered (middleware → API routes → server components → claims → JWT → orgs → server actions), but there are no explicit validation checkpoints or feedback loops. For middleware configuration — which can easily cause redirect loops — there's no 'verify it works' step between configurations. The error handling table partially compensates but is reactive rather than integrated into the workflow. | 2 / 3 |
Progressive Disclosure | The skill has good section structure and a resources section with external links, but the content is quite long (~200+ lines of code) and could benefit from splitting detailed patterns (e.g., JWT templates, org-scoped sessions) into separate reference files. With no bundle files, everything is inline, making this a somewhat monolithic document despite good heading organization. | 2 / 3 |
Total | 9 / 12 Passed |
Validation
81%Checks the skill against the spec for correct structure and formatting. All validation checks must pass before discovery and implementation can be scored.
Validation — 9 / 11 Passed
Validation for skill structure
| Criteria | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|
allowed_tools_field | 'allowed-tools' contains unusual tool name(s) | Warning |
frontmatter_unknown_keys | Unknown frontmatter key(s) found; consider removing or moving to metadata | Warning |
Total | 9 / 11 Passed | |
- Commit
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