CtrlK
BlogDocsLog inGet started
Tessl Logo
SkillPublic

protocol-reverse-engineering

Master network protocol reverse engineering including packet analysis, protocol dissection, and custom protocol documentation. Use when analyzing network traffic, understanding proprietary protocols, or debugging network communication.

Quality

86%

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

SKILL.md
Quality
Evals
Security

Quality

Content

82%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.

A highly actionable, token-efficient reference with concrete commands and executable code throughout, plus well-signaled one-level-deep bundle references. The main gaps are the absence of error-recovery loops and target-safety verification around active testing (fuzzing/replay), and some inline reference material (protocol signature tables, common-patterns lists) that either belongs in bundle files or restates knowledge Claude already has.

Suggestions

Add a verification step around Active Testing — e.g., confirm target availability and capture responses while fuzzing or replaying, and stop if the target stops responding — to provide the feedback loop the workflow currently lacks.

Move the full boofuzz example and the 'Common Protocol Signatures' table into a reference file, keeping SKILL.md as a leaner overview with the existing context-triggered links.

Trim the 'Common Patterns to Look For' list to patterns specific to this reverse-engineering workflow, since magic numbers, length fields, and checksums are knowledge Claude already has.

DimensionReasoningScore

Conciseness

The body is dominated by lean, commented command and code blocks with almost no padded prose. It is not 5 because sections like the "Common Protocol Signatures" table ("SSH - 'SSH-2.0' banner") and the "Common Patterns to Look For" list ("Magic numbers/signatures at message start", "Checksums/CRCs for integrity") restate protocol knowledge Claude already has and could be trimmed.

4 / 5

Actionability

Nearly everything is copy-paste ready: capture commands ("tshark -i eth0 -b filesize:100000 -b files:10 -w capture.pcap"), display filters, executable scapy loops with checksum recalculation, and a complete boofuzz fuzzing script covering the common cases. The only non-executable item is a Burp Suite proxy comment, which is inherently GUI configuration, so this fits the fully-executable anchor rather than the minor-gaps anchor.

5 / 5

Workflow Clarity

The "Analysis Workflow" section gives a clear 7-step sequence with a validation checkpoint ("6. Validate understanding: Implement parser/generator") and edge-case testing. It is not 5 because there are no error-recovery feedback loops (e.g., what to do when the parser rejects samples), and the Active Testing section (fuzzing, modified replay) includes no verification safeguards for the target system.

4 / 5

Progressive Disclosure

Both bundle files are real and one level deep, clearly signaled with context triggers ("Before binary protocol or encryption analysis, read [parsers, structure identification, and TLS techniques](references/binary-encryption-analysis.md)"). It is not 5 because the pointers sit mid-document under Protocol Header Patterns rather than a navigable advanced section, and the 238-line body retains material (the full boofuzz script, the signature table) that could live in reference files.

4 / 5

Total

17

/

20

Passed

Description

83%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.

A strong description that clearly states both capabilities and explicit 'Use when' trigger conditions in third person, with only minor gaps. Trigger coverage is good but misses common synonyms like 'packet capture', 'pcap', and 'Wireshark' that users would naturally say. Overall it closely matches the good-overall example pattern.

DimensionReasoningScore

Specificity

Names the domain and several specific capability areas — "packet analysis, protocol dissection, and custom protocol documentation" — matching the anchor for several specific actions with minor gaps. It is not 5 because the actions are domain-level rather than concrete (no mention of traffic capture, fuzzing, or replay that the body actually covers), and not 3 because three distinct actions are explicitly listed.

4 / 5

Completeness

Explicitly answers both what ("Master network protocol reverse engineering including packet analysis, protocol dissection, and custom protocol documentation") and when ("Use when analyzing network traffic, understanding proprietary protocols, or debugging network communication") with three concrete trigger conditions. This directly matches the anchor 5 pattern of a clear what plus an explicit 'Use when' clause with concrete triggers, so it exceeds anchor 4 ('when' could be more specific).

5 / 5

Trigger Term Quality

Includes natural phrases users would say: "analyzing network traffic", "understanding proprietary protocols", "debugging network communication". Not 5 because common variations like "packet capture", "pcap", "Wireshark", or "wire protocol" are missing; not 3 because multiple natural, relevant keywords are present.

4 / 5

Distinctiveness Conflict Risk

Clear niche (protocol reverse engineering) with distinct triggers, giving minimal conflict with unrelated skills. Not 5 because the broad trigger "debugging network communication" creates minor overlap risk with general network-debugging or traffic-analysis skills.

4 / 5

Total

17

/

20

Passed

Validation

100%

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

Validation — 16 / 16 Passed

Validation for skill structure

No warnings or errors.

Repository

wshobson/agents

Path

plugins/reverse-engineering/skills/protocol-reverse-engineering/SKILL.md

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.