timeout-handler
Timeout Handler - Auto-activating skill for API Integration. Triggers on: timeout handler, timeout handler Part of the API Integration skill category.
32
Quality
3%
Does it follow best practices?
Impact
80%
1.08xAverage score across 3 eval scenarios
Passed
No known issues
Optimize this skill with Tessl
npx tessl skill review --optimize ./planned-skills/generated/16-api-integration/timeout-handler/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 essentially a placeholder with no substantive content. It names the skill and category but provides zero information about what actions it performs, what problems it solves, or when Claude should select it. The redundant trigger terms and lack of any capability description make this unusable for skill selection.
Suggestions
Add specific actions the skill performs, e.g., 'Implements retry logic for failed API calls, configures timeout thresholds, handles connection failures gracefully'
Add a 'Use when...' clause with natural trigger terms like 'API timeout', 'request failed', 'connection timed out', 'retry logic', 'API not responding'
Remove the redundant trigger term and expand with variations users would actually say when encountering timeout issues
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Specificity | The description only names the skill ('Timeout Handler') and mentions 'API Integration' but provides no concrete actions. There's no indication of what the skill actually does - no verbs describing capabilities like 'retries requests', 'manages connection timeouts', or 'handles failed API calls'. | 1 / 3 |
Completeness | The description fails to answer both 'what does this do' and 'when should Claude use it'. There's no explanation of capabilities and no 'Use when...' clause or equivalent guidance. The 'Triggers on' section is just a label repetition, not meaningful trigger guidance. | 1 / 3 |
Trigger Term Quality | The trigger terms are just 'timeout handler' repeated twice, which is redundant and unlikely to match natural user language. Users would more likely say 'API timeout', 'request timed out', 'connection timeout', or 'retry failed request'. | 1 / 3 |
Distinctiveness Conflict Risk | While 'Timeout Handler' is somewhat specific to a particular concern, the vague 'API Integration' category could overlap with many other API-related skills. Without specific actions or clear triggers, it's unclear how this differs from other error handling or API 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 an empty template with no actual content about timeout handling. It contains only meta-descriptions of what a skill should do without any concrete implementation guidance, code examples, or actionable instructions for handling API timeouts.
Suggestions
Add concrete code examples showing timeout configuration for common HTTP clients (e.g., requests, axios, fetch with AbortController)
Include specific timeout values and patterns (connection timeout vs read timeout, exponential backoff for retries)
Provide a clear workflow: set timeout -> catch timeout error -> implement retry logic -> handle final failure
Add examples of timeout error handling patterns including circuit breaker and fallback strategies
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Conciseness | The content is entirely filler with no actual technical substance. It explains what the skill does in abstract terms without providing any concrete implementation details, wasting tokens on meta-descriptions Claude doesn't need. | 1 / 3 |
Actionability | There is zero executable guidance - no code, no commands, no specific timeout values, no error handling patterns. The content only describes what it could do rather than instructing how to do it. | 1 / 3 |
Workflow Clarity | No workflow is defined. For timeout handling, there should be clear steps for setting timeouts, handling timeout errors, implementing retry logic, and fallback behaviors - none of which are present. | 1 / 3 |
Progressive Disclosure | The content is a shallow placeholder with no actual information to organize. There are no references to detailed materials, no examples, and no structured content beyond boilerplate sections. | 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
0c08951
- Reviewed
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