CtrlK
BlogDocsLog inGet started
Tessl Logo

skill-status

Show where you are in the workflow and what to do next — use for progress checks and orientation

50

Quality

55%

Does it follow best practices?

Run evals on this skill

Adds up to 20 points to the overall score

View guide

SecuritybySnyk

Passed

No findings from the security scan

Fix and improve this skill with Tessl

tessl review fix ./.claude/skills/skill-status/SKILL.md
SKILL.md
Quality
Evals
Security

Quality

Content

52%Weight 40%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's process is well-sequenced and mostly actionable, with concrete commands, expected output formats, and clear status-routing tables. It is let down by heavy redundancy (roughly a third of the file restates earlier content) and by a progressive-disclosure failure: the workflow's key step invokes ./scripts/octo-state.sh, which is not present in the bundle, and no detail content is split into reference files.

Suggestions

Ship scripts/octo-state.sh in the bundle (or replace the reference with the actual state-reading commands) so the central Phase 2 step is executable as delivered.

Cut the duplication: delete Example 1 (verbatim repeat of Phase 1's output), fold the Best Practices/Red Flags/Bottom Line sections into the phases they restate, and drop the Quick Reference table that repeats When to Use.

Move the three Example Outputs and the phase-specific routing tables into a references/ file (e.g., references/examples.md), keeping SKILL.md as a concise overview with one-level-deep, clearly signaled references.

DimensionReasoningScore

Conciseness

The ~500-line body has substantial duplication: 'Example 1: Project Not Initialized' repeats Phase 1's not-initialized output verbatim; the Best Practices 'Good/Poor' code pairs re-show commands already given in Phases 1-2; the Red Flags table, Quick Reference table, and 'The Bottom Line' all restate the When to Use and routing content a third and fourth time. This fits 'Noticeably verbose; several unnecessary explanations or padded sections'; not score 3 because the duplication is pervasive rather than incidental, and not score 1 because there is no educational padding explaining concepts Claude already knows.

2 / 5

Actionability

The body gives concrete, executable commands (`if [[ ! -d ".octo" ]]`, `./scripts/octo-state.sh read_state`, `git log --oneline --since="7 days ago"`), an expected state-output format, and complete routing tables. This matches 'Mostly executable guidance; concrete code or commands with minor gaps'; the gaps are that blocker extraction is never operationalized (the read_state output format shown has no blockers field, yet the dashboard template expects `{blockers or "None"}`) and `.octo/ISSUES.md`, `phase{N}/` directories are referenced without read steps.

4 / 5

Workflow Clarity

The phases are clearly sequenced (check initialization → read state → read roadmap → display dashboard → route → optional activity summary) with an explicit 'Stop here - do not proceed to Phase 2' checkpoint and exit-1 handling for missing .octo/. This matches 'Clear sequence with most checkpoints present; minor validation gaps'; not score 5 because there is no instruction for handling malformed or unexpected read_state output, and the blockers that drive the 'blocked' routing are never given a source. The read-only nature of the skill means the destructive/batch validation cap does not apply.

4 / 5

Progressive Disclosure

The bundle contains no references/, scripts/, or assets/ directories, yet the body's central step depends on `./scripts/octo-state.sh read_state` — a referenced path that does not exist in the skill bundle, so the instruction is unrunnable as shipped. The remaining ~500 lines are entirely inline monolith (examples, routing tables, and the activity-summary section all in SKILL.md), matching 'Minimal structure; content that clearly belongs in separate files is inlined; or references are buried'. Not score 1 because the file itself is well sectioned with headers and tables; not score 3 because the broken script reference plus the monolithic inlining are structural problems, not just organization gaps.

2 / 5

Total

12

/

20

Passed

Description

58%Weight 40%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.

The description correctly uses third-person imperative voice, pairs a clear what with an explicit when-clause, and is appropriately concise. Its main weaknesses are thin trigger-term coverage (missing the most common user phrasings like "status" and "what's next") and a generic framing that undersells the skill's distinct capabilities (dashboard, blockers, routing).

Suggestions

Include the natural trigger phrases users actually say — e.g., "Use when the user asks 'what's the status', 'where am I', or 'what's next'" — instead of the abstract "progress checks and orientation".

Enumerate the concrete outputs the skill produces (status dashboard, roadmap progress, blockers, suggested next action) to lift specificity above 1-2 actions.

Anchor distinctiveness by naming the distinguishing context, e.g., "Reads .octo/ project state and ROADMAP.md" so it cannot be confused with generic task or planning skills.

DimensionReasoningScore

Specificity

The description names the domain and two concrete actions ("Show where you are in the workflow and what to do next") but stops there — it does not mention the dashboard, roadmap progress, blockers, or cross-session activity summary the skill actually produces. This matches the anchor 'Names domain and 1-2 concrete actions, but not comprehensive'; it is not score 4 because no additional specific actions are listed, and not score 2 because the two actions it gives are genuinely concrete rather than generic.

3 / 5

Completeness

Both parts are present: the 'what' is "Show where you are in the workflow and what to do next" and the 'when' is "use for progress checks and orientation". The 'when' clause is explicit but could name concrete trigger phrases ("status", "what's next", "where am I"), matching the anchor 'Has both what and when; when could be more explicit or specific'; it is not score 5 for that reason and not score 3 because the when-clause is explicit, not merely implied.

4 / 5

Trigger Term Quality

"use for progress checks and orientation" supplies some relevant keywords, but it misses the most natural phrases users would actually say — "status", "what's next", "where am I" — which appear only in the separate trigger field, not the description. This fits 'Some relevant keywords but missing common variations or synonyms'; not score 4 because the highest-frequency natural terms are absent, and not score 2 because at least two plausible user phrasings ('progress checks', 'orientation') are present.

3 / 5

Distinctiveness Conflict Risk

"workflow" is a generic word that many skills (planning, task-management, code-review workflow skills) could claim, so overlap risk with adjacent skills is real; however the status/orientation framing is somewhat specific. This matches 'Somewhat specific but could still overlap with similar skills'; not score 4 because nothing in the description ties it to a unique context (e.g., .octo/ projects, Double Diamond phases) that would set it apart.

3 / 5

Total

13

/

20

Passed

Validation

87%

Checks the skill against the spec for correct structure and formatting. All validation checks must pass before discovery and implementation can be scored.

Validation — 14 / 16 Passed

Validation for skill structure

CriteriaDescriptionResult

skill_md_line_count

SKILL.md is long (504 lines); consider splitting into references/ and linking

Warning

frontmatter_unknown_keys

Unknown frontmatter key(s) found; consider removing or moving to metadata

Warning

Total

14

/

16

Passed

Repository
nyldn/claude-octopus
Reviewed

Table of Contents

Is this your skill?

If you maintain this skill, you can claim it as your own. Once claimed, you can manage eval scenarios, bundle related skills, attach documentation or rules, and ensure cross-agent compatibility.