pentest-checklist

This skill should be used when the user asks to "plan a penetration test", "create a security assessment checklist", "prepare for penetration testing", "define pentest scope", "follow security testing best practices", or needs a structured methodology for penetration testing engagements.

Quality

64%

Does it follow best practices?

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Securityby

Medium

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tessl review fix ./skills/pentest-checklist/SKILL.md

Quality

Content

63%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 a well-structured, actionable pentest checklist with real commands and clear phasing, but it is a monolithic single file with some common-knowledge padding and no progressive disclosure to subsidiary reference files.

Suggestions

Move detailed reference material (tool command catalog, cloud-provider policy links, full examples) into separate files under references/ and link to them from SKILL.md to improve progressive disclosure.

Trim restatements of common knowledge (e.g., basic black/gray/white-box definitions, 'cheap pentests produce poor results') to improve token efficiency.

Add explicit validate→fix→retry feedback loops for the risky operations (production testing, patching, cleanup) to strengthen workflow clarity.

Dimension	Reasoning	Score
Conciseness	The ~327-line body is mostly efficient structured checklist content, but includes unnecessary restatements of common knowledge ('Cheap pentests often produce poor results', 'Old systems often have vulnerabilities', basic black/gray/white-box explanations) that could be trimmed.	3 / 5
Actionability	It provides several concrete, copy-paste-ready commands (nmap, nikto, tcpdump, systemctl) plus named credentials (OSCP, GPEN, CEH, CREST) and specific cloud-provider policy URLs, with only minor gaps in the planning-heavy sections.	4 / 5
Workflow Clarity	A clear five-phase sequence with checkbox sub-items, pre/post-pentest checklists, and verification steps (backup restoration test, cleanup audit, remediation retest) is present, though explicit validate→fix→retry feedback loops are not articulated.	4 / 5
Progressive Disclosure	All content is inlined in a single ~327-line SKILL.md with no bundle files or references; internal section structure is good, but content that could live in separate files (detailed tool reference, cloud policies, examples) is not split out.	3 / 5
	Total	14 / 20 Passed

Description

65%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 has strong, explicit trigger guidance and a clear niche, but it lists no concrete capabilities — the 'what does this skill do' is only weakly implied. Adding explicit deliverables (scope doc, checklist, remediation plan) would raise specificity and completeness.

Suggestions

Add an explicit 'what' clause naming the skill's concrete outputs, e.g. 'Produces a structured pentest scope, execution checklist, and remediation plan.'

Include additional natural synonyms users say, such as 'security audit', 'ethical hacking', or 'vulnerability assessment'.

Tighten the generic 'follow security testing best practices' trigger to reduce overlap with broader security skills.

Dimension	Reasoning	Score
Specificity	The description names the penetration-testing domain and lists trigger phrases, but states no concrete actions the skill performs — it only says what the user 'asks to' do, never what the skill delivers (e.g., a scope document, checklist, or remediation plan).	2 / 5
Completeness	An explicit 'Use when...' clause with concrete trigger phrases satisfies the 'when' strongly, but the 'what' is only weakly implied via 'structured methodology for penetration testing engagements' rather than clearly stating the skill's outputs.	4 / 5
Trigger Term Quality	It includes several natural trigger phrases a user would say ('plan a penetration test', 'create a security assessment checklist', 'define pentest scope') plus the 'pentest' synonym, though variations like 'security audit', 'ethical hacking', or 'vulnerability assessment' are absent.	4 / 5
Distinctiveness Conflict Risk	The pentest-planning niche is clearly distinguishable with distinct triggers unlikely to fire for unrelated skills; minor overlap risk comes from the somewhat generic 'follow security testing best practices' phrasing.	4 / 5
	Total	14 / 20 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 — 16 / 16 Passed

Validation for skill structure

No warnings or errors.

Repository: zebbern/claude-code-guide
Path: skills/pentest-checklist/SKILL.md
Commit: fa192e6

Reviewed: 1 day ago

Table of Contents

Discovery Implementation Validation

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