Master of defensive Bash scripting for production automation, CI/CD pipelines, and system utilities. Expert in safe, portable, and testable shell scripts.
34
18%
Does it follow best practices?
Impact
Pending
No eval scenarios have been run
Passed
No known issues
Optimize this skill with Tessl
npx tessl skill review --optimize ./skills/bash-pro/SKILL.mdQuality
Discovery
22%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 reads more like a resume headline than a functional skill description. It relies on self-aggrandizing language ('Master of', 'Expert in') rather than specifying concrete actions, and completely lacks trigger guidance for when Claude should select this skill. The domain keywords provide some signal but are insufficient for reliable skill selection among a large pool.
Suggestions
Replace vague expertise claims with concrete actions, e.g., 'Writes defensive Bash scripts, creates CI/CD pipeline configurations, builds portable shell utilities, adds error handling and logging to existing scripts.'
Add an explicit 'Use when...' clause with natural trigger terms, e.g., 'Use when the user asks to write, debug, or review Bash/shell scripts, create CI/CD pipelines, automate system tasks, or mentions .sh files, cron jobs, or shell portability.'
Remove first-person-adjacent phrasing like 'Master of' and 'Expert in' and use third-person action verbs (e.g., 'Generates', 'Validates', 'Refactors').
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Specificity | The description uses vague, self-congratulatory language like 'Master of' and 'Expert in' without listing any concrete actions. It mentions broad domains (production automation, CI/CD pipelines, system utilities) but never specifies what the skill actually does (e.g., 'writes shell scripts', 'lints bash code', 'generates CI pipeline configs'). | 1 / 3 |
Completeness | The description partially addresses 'what' (Bash scripting for automation/CI/CD) but only in vague terms, and completely lacks any 'when' guidance. There is no 'Use when...' clause or equivalent explicit trigger guidance, which per the rubric should cap completeness at 2, but the 'what' is also weak enough to warrant a 1. | 1 / 3 |
Trigger Term Quality | Contains some relevant keywords users might say: 'Bash', 'CI/CD', 'shell scripts', 'pipelines', 'automation'. However, it misses common variations like 'sh', '.sh files', 'cron jobs', 'deploy scripts', 'shellcheck', and the terms are embedded in fluffy phrasing rather than presented as clear triggers. | 2 / 3 |
Distinctiveness Conflict Risk | The mention of 'Bash scripting' and 'CI/CD pipelines' provides some specificity, but 'production automation' and 'system utilities' are broad enough to overlap with general DevOps, infrastructure, or scripting skills. Without concrete actions or file types, it could easily conflict with other automation-related skills. | 2 / 3 |
Total | 6 / 12 Passed |
Implementation
14%Reviews the quality of instructions and guidance provided to agents. Good implementation is clear, handles edge cases, and produces reliable results.
This skill reads like a comprehensive Bash reference manual rather than a focused, actionable skill file. It is extremely verbose, repeating well-known Bash best practices that Claude already understands, while lacking a clear workflow with validation steps. The content would benefit enormously from being condensed to essential, novel guidance with detailed sections split into separate referenced files.
Suggestions
Reduce the main SKILL.md to under 80 lines focusing on the most critical, non-obvious patterns (strict mode template, safe temp handling, testing workflow) and move detailed sections (Advanced Techniques, Modern Bash Features, Tools, References) into separate referenced files.
Replace the vague 4-step Instructions with a concrete workflow including validation checkpoints, e.g.: write script → run ShellCheck → run shfmt → run Bats tests → verify on target platforms, with explicit pass/fail gates.
Remove bullet points that state things Claude already knows (e.g., 'use consistent indentation', 'add inline comments for non-obvious logic', 'prefer printf over echo') and keep only project-specific or genuinely non-obvious guidance.
Provide 1-2 complete, executable script templates (e.g., a production-ready script skeleton with strict mode, argument parsing, logging, and cleanup) rather than dozens of isolated one-liner examples.
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Conciseness | Extremely verbose at 300+ lines. Most content is bullet-point lists of general Bash best practices that Claude already knows (quoting variables, using printf over echo, snake_case naming, etc.). Sections like 'Readability & Maintainability', 'Performance Optimization', and 'Advanced Techniques' are essentially a Bash textbook rather than novel, project-specific guidance. | 1 / 3 |
Actionability | Contains some concrete code snippets and specific commands (e.g., strict mode setup, find with NUL separators, version checking), but most guidance is bullet-point advice rather than executable, copy-paste-ready patterns. Many items are descriptive ('Implement structured logging with timestamps') without providing the actual implementation. | 2 / 3 |
Workflow Clarity | The 'Instructions' section lists 4 vague steps ('Define script inputs, outputs, and failure modes', 'Apply strict mode') without concrete sequencing, validation checkpoints, or feedback loops. For a skill involving potentially destructive operations (file manipulation, CI/CD pipelines), there are no explicit validation or verification steps in the workflow. | 1 / 3 |
Progressive Disclosure | Monolithic wall of text with 15+ sections all inline. No content is split into separate reference files despite having extensive sections on tools, advanced techniques, CI/CD, security scanning, etc. that would benefit greatly from being referenced rather than inlined. The References section at the end links to external resources but the skill's own content is not organized for progressive discovery. | 1 / 3 |
Total | 5 / 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.
Validation — 10 / 11 Passed
Validation for skill structure
| Criteria | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|
frontmatter_unknown_keys | Unknown frontmatter key(s) found; consider removing or moving to metadata | Warning |
Total | 10 / 11 Passed | |
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Table of Contents
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