terraform-best-practices

Terraform and Infrastructure as Code optimization guidelines from Terramate. This skill should be used when writing, reviewing, or refactoring Terraform/OpenTofu code to ensure optimal patterns for security, maintainability, and reliability. Triggers on tasks involving Terraform modules, infrastructure provisioning, state management, or IaC optimization.

Quality

56%

Does it follow best practices?

Impact

—

No eval scenarios have been run

Securityby

Passed

No known issues

Fix and improve this skill with Tessl

tessl review fix ./skills/terraform-best-practices/SKILL.md

Quality

Content

22%

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

This skill functions as a table of contents for Terraform best practices rather than an actionable skill. It lists 37 rules across 10 categories but provides zero concrete code examples, commands, or workflows. All substantive content is deferred to external rule files that are not included in the bundle, making the skill nearly unusable on its own.

Suggestions

Add concrete, executable Terraform code examples for at least the CRITICAL-priority rules (e.g., remote backend configuration, secret management patterns) directly in the SKILL.md.

Include a workflow section describing the sequence of steps for common tasks like 'reviewing existing Terraform code' or 'writing a new module', with validation checkpoints (e.g., 'run terraform validate', 'run tflint', 'review plan output').

Either include the referenced rule files in the bundle or inline the most important rule content so the skill has standalone value without external dependencies.

Remove the 'When to Apply' section (obvious from context) and the verbose category table; replace with a compact priority-ordered checklist that Claude can act on directly.

Dimension	Reasoning	Score
Conciseness	The content is reasonably organized but includes unnecessary framing ('Comprehensive optimization guide...maintained by Terramate', 'When to Apply' section listing obvious triggers). The 37-rule listing is essentially a table of contents that could be more compact, and the priority table adds moderate value but also bulk.	2 / 3
Actionability	The skill provides no concrete code examples, no executable commands, and no specific Terraform patterns. It is entirely a catalog of rule names with one-line descriptions, deferring all actual guidance to external rule files that are not provided in the bundle.	1 / 3
Workflow Clarity	There is no workflow, sequence, or process described. The content is a flat index of rules with no guidance on how to apply them in sequence, no validation checkpoints, and no decision trees for when reviewing or writing Terraform code.	1 / 3
Progressive Disclosure	The skill references individual rule files (e.g., 'rules/state-remote-backend.md') and a compiled 'AGENTS.md', which is good structure in principle. However, no bundle files are provided, so the references are unverifiable, and the SKILL.md itself is mostly a table of contents with little standalone value beyond navigation.	2 / 3
	Total	6 / 12 Passed

Description

89%

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 a solid description that clearly identifies its domain (Terraform/OpenTofu IaC) and provides explicit trigger conditions. The main weakness is that the specific capabilities are somewhat abstract ('optimization guidelines' for 'security, maintainability, and reliability') rather than listing concrete actions like enforcing naming conventions, structuring modules, or managing state backends. The trigger terms are strong and naturally match what users would say.

Suggestions

Add more specific concrete actions, e.g., 'Provides guidance on module structure, resource naming, state backend configuration, provider versioning, and security hardening for Terraform code.'

Dimension	Reasoning	Score
Specificity	The description names the domain (Terraform/OpenTofu, IaC) and mentions some actions ('writing, reviewing, or refactoring Terraform/OpenTofu code'), but doesn't list multiple specific concrete actions like 'optimize module structure, enforce security best practices, manage state files, refactor resource blocks'.	2 / 3
Completeness	Clearly answers both 'what' (Terraform/IaC optimization guidelines for security, maintainability, reliability) and 'when' (explicit triggers: 'when writing, reviewing, or refactoring Terraform/OpenTofu code' and 'Triggers on tasks involving Terraform modules, infrastructure provisioning, state management, or IaC optimization').	3 / 3
Trigger Term Quality	Good coverage of natural terms users would say: 'Terraform', 'OpenTofu', 'Terraform modules', 'infrastructure provisioning', 'state management', 'IaC', 'Infrastructure as Code'. These are terms users would naturally use when seeking help with this domain.	3 / 3
Distinctiveness Conflict Risk	Clearly scoped to Terraform/OpenTofu and IaC optimization specifically from Terramate. The trigger terms are domain-specific enough to avoid conflicts with general coding skills or other infrastructure tools.	3 / 3
	Total	11 / 12 Passed

Validation

100%

Warnings & errors only

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

Validation — 11 / 11 Passed

Validation for skill structure

No warnings or errors.

Repository: terramate-io/agent-skills
Commit: fb28900

Reviewed: about 1 month ago

Table of Contents

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