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skill-authoring

Creates and structures SKILL.md files for AI coding agents, including YAML frontmatter, trigger phrases, directive instructions, decision trees, code examples, and verification checklists. Use when the user asks to write a new skill, create a skill file, author agent capabilities, generate skill documentation, or define a skill template for Claude Code agents.

65

Quality

78%

Does it follow best practices?

Impact

No eval scenarios have been run

SecuritybySnyk

Passed

No known issues

Optimize this skill with Tessl

npx tessl skill review --optimize ./packages/core/src/methodology/packs/meta/skill-authoring/SKILL.md
SKILL.md
Quality
Evals
Security

Quality

Content

57%

Reviews the quality of instructions and guidance provided to agents. Good implementation is clear, handles edge cases, and produces reliable results.

This is a competent meta-skill for authoring SKILL.md files with good structural organization and appropriate progressive disclosure to external references. Its main weaknesses are moderate verbosity (explaining concepts Claude already understands like voice/tone conventions) and a lack of a single complete, executable example of a finished skill that could serve as a concrete template. The workflow could benefit from explicit step numbering and feedback loops for the authoring process itself.

Suggestions

Add one complete, minimal SKILL.md example (frontmatter + body) for a simple real skill, so Claude has a concrete reference to adapt rather than assembling from scattered template fragments.

Trim sections that explain concepts Claude already knows—remove the voice/tone examples (second person, active voice) and the semantic versioning explanation, replacing them with terse reminders or just the rules.

Add an explicit numbered workflow for the authoring process itself (e.g., 1. Define triggers → 2. Write frontmatter → 3. Draft body → 4. Validate with checklist → 5. If issues found, revise and re-check) with a clear feedback loop.

DimensionReasoningScore

Conciseness

The skill is reasonably well-organized but includes some unnecessary explanations that Claude already knows (e.g., explaining what second person/active voice is, explaining what semantic versioning means). The anti-patterns table and some structural guidance could be tightened. However, it's not egregiously verbose—most sections earn their place.

2 / 3

Actionability

The skill provides structural templates and examples of good/bad patterns, but much of the guidance is meta-instructional rather than executable. The code examples are illustrative rather than copy-paste ready for actual skill creation. There's no concrete example of a complete, minimal SKILL.md that Claude could directly adapt—the structure template uses placeholders throughout.

2 / 3

Workflow Clarity

There is a clear sequence implied (write frontmatter → write content → test → publish), and the publication checklist provides verification. However, the workflow is spread across multiple sections without explicit sequencing or feedback loops. The testing section lists what to verify but doesn't specify how to recover from failures or iterate.

2 / 3

Progressive Disclosure

The skill appropriately references external files (PACKS.md for pack organization, MAINTENANCE.md for versioning policy) with clear one-level-deep signaling. The main content stays focused on the core skill authoring process while deferring detailed subtopics to separate documents. Sections are well-organized with clear headers for navigation.

3 / 3

Total

9

/

12

Passed

Description

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 an excellent skill description that clearly defines what the skill does (creates SKILL.md files with specific structural components), when to use it (explicit trigger clause with multiple natural phrasings), and occupies a distinct niche unlikely to conflict with other skills. It uses proper third-person voice and is concise without being vague.

DimensionReasoningScore

Specificity

Lists multiple specific concrete actions: 'Creates and structures SKILL.md files', 'YAML frontmatter', 'trigger phrases', 'directive instructions', 'decision trees', 'code examples', and 'verification checklists'. These are all concrete, specific deliverables.

3 / 3

Completeness

Clearly answers both 'what' (creates and structures SKILL.md files with specific components) and 'when' (explicit 'Use when...' clause listing five distinct trigger scenarios). Both halves are well-articulated.

3 / 3

Trigger Term Quality

Includes strong natural trigger terms: 'write a new skill', 'create a skill file', 'author agent capabilities', 'generate skill documentation', 'define a skill template', 'Claude Code agents', 'SKILL.md'. These cover multiple natural phrasings a user might use.

3 / 3

Distinctiveness Conflict Risk

Highly distinctive niche — SKILL.md files for AI coding agents is a very specific domain. The mention of 'SKILL.md', 'Claude Code agents', 'YAML frontmatter', and 'skill template' makes it unlikely to conflict with general documentation or coding skills.

3 / 3

Total

12

/

12

Passed

Validation

90%

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

Validation10 / 11 Passed

Validation for skill structure

CriteriaDescriptionResult

frontmatter_unknown_keys

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

Warning

Total

10

/

11

Passed

Repository
rohitg00/skillkit
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.