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clean-code

This skill embodies the principles of "Clean Code" by Robert C. Martin (Uncle Bob). Use it to transform "code that works" into "code that is clean."

39

Quality

37%

Does it follow best practices?

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SecuritybySnyk

Passed

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tessl review fix ./skills/clean-code/SKILL.md
SKILL.md
Quality
Evals
Security

Quality

Content

46%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 body is well organized and accurate but largely re-teaches Clean Code material Claude already knows, spending most of its token budget on principle lists rather than an operational review procedure. Its strongest elements — the concrete naming examples and the implementation checklist — are exactly the parts that should be expanded into a step-by-step, verifiable workflow. As written, it functions as a study summary rather than an actionable skill.

Suggestions

Cut the chapter summaries to one-line reminders and spend the reclaimed budget on the operational parts: the naming examples, the checklist, and a worked before/after refactor, which are the only sections adding value beyond Claude's existing knowledge.

Convert the 'When to Use' list and 'Implementation Checklist' into a sequenced review workflow (e.g., 1. identify smells from the checklist, 2. apply the relevant fix, 3. verify behavior with the existing tests) so Claude knows how to move from request to result.

Complete the 'Example' section with an actual input → output demonstration (a small 'dirty' function and its clean counterpart with the checklist applied), and consider moving the full chapter heuristics into a references/ file to shorten SKILL.md below the ~50-line overview ideal.

DimensionReasoningScore

Conciseness

The ~95-line body is a chapter-by-chapter digest of a widely known book (Law of Demeter, F.I.R.S.T., the newspaper metaphor, 'Don't Return Null'), restating concepts Claude already knows at length. The bullets are individually tight, but most tokens teach nothing new, matching anchor 2 ('noticeably verbose; several unnecessary explanations') rather than 3, where extra material would be incidental rather than the bulk of the file.

2 / 5

Actionability

Concrete micro-examples exist ("elapsedTimeInDays instead of d", "isPasswordValid is better than check", the Python benefits check, the 20-line checklist question), but there is no procedure for applying them — the 'Example' section contains only a user request with no demonstrated output or steps. This lands at anchor 3 ('some concrete guidance but incomplete'); not 4 because the guidance cannot be followed as an executable review pass.

3 / 5

Workflow Clarity

'When to Use' enumerates scenarios and the Implementation Checklist supplies implicit checkpoints, but nothing sequences them — there is no stated path from receiving code to delivering a reviewed/refactored result with verification. Anchor 3 fits ('checkpoints missing or implicit'); not 2 because structure and checks do exist, and the destructive/batch cap does not apply to this skill.

3 / 5

Progressive Disclosure

Sections are clearly headed and topical with no nested references, and the body is a single well-organized file (no bundle files exist to mis-link). It does not reach 5: at ~95 lines it exceeds the under-50-line simple-skill exception, and the nine chapter summaries are all inlined where a split into reference files (e.g., a detailed heuristics reference) would serve better.

4 / 5

Total

12

/

20

Passed

Description

28%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 identifies its source material clearly but fails as a trigger: it states no concrete capabilities and gives no guidance on when to invoke it. A user asking to "refactor this function" or "review this PR for readability" would not naturally match this text. It reads as a book blurb rather than an operational skill description.

Suggestions

Add 2-3 concrete capabilities to the description, e.g., 'Reviews code for meaningful names, right-sized functions, unnecessary comments, and error-handling patterns' — this lifts specificity from generic to actionable.

Append an explicit trigger clause: 'Use when refactoring code, reviewing pull requests for readability, or when the user mentions clean code, code smells, or code quality.'

State the 'when' in third person with natural user vocabulary (refactor, code review, naming, code smells) so it is distinguishable from general refactoring and code-review skills.

DimensionReasoningScore

Specificity

The description names the domain ("principles of 'Clean Code' by Robert C. Martin") but offers only the generic transformation "transform 'code that works' into 'code that is clean'" with no concrete actions. It does not reach anchor 3 because even 1-2 specific capabilities (e.g., reviewing naming, shrinking functions, removing redundant comments) are absent.

2 / 5

Completeness

The 'what' is vague and aspirational ("embodies the principles... transform code"), and the 'when' is entirely absent — there is no 'Use when...' clause or equivalent trigger guidance, capping completeness well below the ceiling. This matches anchor 2 (vague 'what', no 'when') rather than 3, which requires a clear 'what'.

2 / 5

Trigger Term Quality

Only one recognizable term ("Clean Code") plus the generic word "code"; the natural phrases a user would actually say — "refactor", "code review", "code smells", "naming", "best practices" — are all missing. It sits at anchor 2 rather than 3 because there is no meaningful set of relevant keywords, just a book title.

2 / 5

Distinctiveness Conflict Risk

Citing "Clean Code by Robert C. Martin (Uncle Bob)" carves out a recognizable niche, but "transform 'code that works' into 'code that is clean'" is broad enough to overlap with generic refactoring, code-review, and linting skills. Anchor 3 fits: somewhat specific but still overlapping; not 4 because the overlap with closely related refactoring/review skills is more than minor.

3 / 5

Total

9

/

20

Passed

Validation

93%

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

Validation — 15 / 16 Passed

Validation for skill structure

CriteriaDescriptionResult

frontmatter_unknown_keys

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

Warning

Total

15

/

16

Passed

Repository
sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills
Reviewed

Table of Contents

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