secret-scanner
Secret Scanner - Auto-activating skill for Security Fundamentals. Triggers on: secret scanner, secret scanner Part of the Security Fundamentals skill category.
34
0%
Does it follow best practices?
Impact
99%
0.99xAverage score across 3 eval scenarios
Passed
No known issues
Optimize this skill with Tessl
npx tessl skill review --optimize ./planned-skills/generated/03-security-fundamentals/secret-scanner/SKILL.mdQuality
Discovery
0%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 description is extremely weak across all dimensions. It reads as an auto-generated boilerplate with no concrete actions, no natural trigger terms, no 'Use when' guidance, and a duplicated trigger phrase. It would be nearly impossible for Claude to correctly select this skill from a pool of available skills.
Suggestions
Add concrete actions describing what the skill does, e.g., 'Scans code and configuration files for hardcoded secrets, API keys, passwords, tokens, and credentials.'
Add an explicit 'Use when...' clause with natural trigger terms, e.g., 'Use when the user asks about detecting leaked secrets, scanning for API keys, finding hardcoded passwords, checking for exposed credentials, or reviewing .env files.'
Remove the duplicated trigger term and replace with diverse, natural keywords users would actually say, such as 'API key leak', 'hardcoded password', 'credential exposure', 'secret detection', 'sensitive data scan'.
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Specificity | The description provides no concrete actions. It says 'Secret Scanner' and mentions 'Security Fundamentals' but never describes what the skill actually does — no mention of scanning, detecting, removing, or alerting on secrets/credentials/API keys. | 1 / 3 |
Completeness | Neither 'what does this do' nor 'when should Claude use it' is meaningfully answered. There is no explanation of capabilities and no explicit 'Use when...' clause — only a vague category label and a duplicated trigger phrase. | 1 / 3 |
Trigger Term Quality | The only trigger terms listed are 'secret scanner, secret scanner' (duplicated). It lacks natural user terms like 'API key', 'credentials', 'leaked secrets', 'hardcoded passwords', '.env file', or 'sensitive data' that users would actually say. | 1 / 3 |
Distinctiveness Conflict Risk | The description is so vague that it could overlap with any security-related skill. 'Security Fundamentals' is a broad category label, and without specific actions or triggers, it provides no clear niche to distinguish it from other security skills. | 1 / 3 |
Total | 4 / 12 Passed |
Implementation
0%Reviews the quality of instructions and guidance provided to agents. Good implementation is clear, handles edge cases, and produces reliable results.
This skill is an empty template/placeholder with no substantive content about secret scanning. It contains no executable code, no concrete patterns (e.g., regex for API keys, tokens, passwords), no tool recommendations (e.g., truffleHog, gitleaks, detect-secrets), and no actionable workflow. It fails on every dimension because it describes a skill rather than being one.
Suggestions
Add concrete, executable examples: include regex patterns for common secrets (AWS keys, GitHub tokens, private keys), or show how to invoke a specific tool like `detect-secrets scan --all-files`.
Define a clear workflow: e.g., 1) Scan files with a specific tool/command, 2) Review findings, 3) Classify true vs false positives, 4) Remediate by rotating exposed secrets, 5) Verify remediation.
Remove all boilerplate sections ('Purpose', 'When to Use', 'Example Triggers') that add no technical value and replace them with actionable content like pattern libraries, tool configurations, and .pre-commit-config.yaml examples.
Add validation steps: how to verify secrets are actually revoked, how to confirm scanning coverage, and how to handle false positives.
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Conciseness | The content is entirely filler and boilerplate. It explains nothing Claude doesn't already know, provides no specific technical content about secret scanning, and wastes tokens on generic placeholder text like 'Provides step-by-step guidance' without actually providing any. | 1 / 3 |
Actionability | There is zero actionable content—no code, no commands, no concrete steps, no regex patterns for detecting secrets, no tool references, no configuration examples. The skill describes what it could do rather than instructing Claude how to do anything. | 1 / 3 |
Workflow Clarity | No workflow is defined at all. There are no steps, no sequence, no validation checkpoints. The skill merely lists vague capabilities without any process for executing secret scanning tasks. | 1 / 3 |
Progressive Disclosure | There is no meaningful structure—just a series of generic sections with no depth. No references to supporting files, no layered content, and no bundle files exist to support the skill. The content is a shallow template with nothing to disclose progressively. | 1 / 3 |
Total | 4 / 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
13d35b8
- Reviewed
Table of Contents
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