secret-scanner
Secret Scanner - Auto-activating skill for Security Fundamentals. Triggers on: secret scanner, secret scanner Part of the Security Fundamentals skill category.
36
Quality
3%
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
7%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 severely underdeveloped, functioning more as a placeholder than a useful skill description. It provides no information about what the skill actually does, what types of secrets it detects, or meaningful trigger scenarios. The redundant trigger terms and boilerplate category reference offer no value for skill selection.
Suggestions
Add specific capabilities: describe what the scanner detects (e.g., 'Scans code for exposed API keys, passwords, tokens, and credentials in source files')
Add a 'Use when...' clause with natural trigger terms like 'find secrets', 'check for credentials', 'detect API keys', 'security scan', 'hardcoded passwords'
Remove redundant trigger terms and replace with varied natural language users would actually say when needing this functionality
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Specificity | The description provides no concrete actions - it only states it's an 'auto-activating skill for Security Fundamentals' without explaining what it actually does (e.g., scan for API keys, detect credentials, find hardcoded secrets). | 1 / 3 |
Completeness | The description fails to answer 'what does this do' (no actions described) and 'when should Claude use it' (only mentions the skill name as a trigger, not actual use cases or scenarios). | 1 / 3 |
Trigger Term Quality | The 'Triggers on' field redundantly lists 'secret scanner' twice, providing no natural keyword variations users might say like 'find secrets', 'detect credentials', 'API keys', 'hardcoded passwords', or 'sensitive data'. | 1 / 3 |
Distinctiveness Conflict Risk | While 'secret scanner' is somewhat specific to security scanning, the lack of detail about what secrets it scans for or how it differs from other security tools creates potential overlap with general security skills. | 2 / 3 |
Total | 5 / 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 entirely meta-content describing what the skill should do rather than providing any actual guidance on secret scanning. It contains no executable code, no specific patterns to detect secrets, no tool recommendations, and no actionable workflows. The content is essentially a placeholder template that would provide zero value to Claude when performing secret scanning tasks.
Suggestions
Add concrete examples of secret patterns to detect (API keys, tokens, passwords) with regex patterns or detection rules
Include executable code showing how to scan files/repositories for secrets using specific tools (e.g., truffleHog, gitleaks, or custom scripts)
Define a clear workflow: 1) Scan target, 2) Review findings, 3) Validate true positives, 4) Remediate with specific steps
Remove all meta-description content ('This skill provides...', 'When to Use...') and replace with actual secret scanning instructions
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Conciseness | The content is padded with generic boilerplate that explains nothing specific about secret scanning. Phrases like 'provides automated assistance' and 'follows industry best practices' are filler that Claude already understands. | 1 / 3 |
Actionability | No concrete code, commands, or specific guidance is provided. The skill describes what it does abstractly ('provides step-by-step guidance') but never actually provides any guidance, patterns, or executable examples for secret scanning. | 1 / 3 |
Workflow Clarity | No workflow is defined. There are no steps, no validation checkpoints, and no actual process for performing secret scanning tasks. The content only describes when the skill activates, not how to use it. | 1 / 3 |
Progressive Disclosure | The content is a monolithic block of meta-description with no actual instructional content to organize. There are no references to detailed materials, examples, or related documentation that would help Claude perform secret scanning. | 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 | |
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