| name | skill-creator |
| description | Creates new AI agent skills following the Agent Skills spec. Trigger: When user asks to create a new skill, add agent instructions, or document patterns for AI.
|
| license | Apache-2.0 |
| metadata | {"author":"gentleman-programming","version":"1.0"} |
| allowed-tools | Read, Edit, Write, Glob, Grep, Bash, WebFetch, WebSearch, Task |
When to Create a Skill
Create a skill when:
- A pattern is used repeatedly and AI needs guidance
- Project-specific conventions differ from generic best practices
- Complex workflows need step-by-step instructions
- Decision trees help AI choose the right approach
Don't create a skill when:
- Documentation already exists (create a reference instead)
- Pattern is trivial or self-explanatory
- It's a one-off task
Skill Structure
skills/{skill-name}/
├── SKILL.md # Required - main skill file
├── assets/ # Optional - templates, schemas, examples
│ ├── template.py
│ └── schema.json
└── references/ # Optional - links to local docs
└── docs.md # Points to docs/developer-guide/*.mdx
SKILL.md Template
---
name: {skill-name}
description: >
{One-line description of what this skill does}.
Trigger: {When the AI should load this skill}.
license: Apache-2.0
metadata:
author: gentleman-programming
version: "1.0"
---
## When to Use
{Bullet points of when to use this skill}
## Critical Patterns
{The most important rules - what AI MUST know}
## Code Examples
{Minimal, focused examples}
## Commands
```bash
{Common commands}
Resources
---
## Naming Conventions
| Type | Pattern | Examples |
|------|---------|----------|
| Generic skill | `{technology}` | `pytest`, `playwright`, `typescript` |
| Project-specific | `{project}-{component}` | `myapp-api`, `myapp-ui` |
| Testing skill | `{project}-test-{component}` | `myapp-test-sdk`, `myapp-test-api` |
| Workflow skill | `{action}-{target}` | `skill-creator`, `jira-task` |
---
## Decision: assets/ vs references/
Need code templates? → assets/
Need JSON schemas? → assets/
Need example configs? → assets/
Link to existing docs? → references/
Link to external guides? → references/ (with local path)
**Key Rule**: `references/` should point to LOCAL files, not web URLs.
---
## Frontmatter Fields
| Field | Required | Description |
|-------|----------|-------------|
| `name` | Yes | Skill identifier (lowercase, hyphens) |
| `description` | Yes | What + Trigger in one block |
| `license` | Yes | Always `Apache-2.0` |
| `metadata.author` | Yes | `gentleman-programming` |
| `metadata.version` | Yes | Semantic version as string |
---
## Content Guidelines
### DO
- Start with the most critical patterns
- Use tables for decision trees
- Keep code examples minimal and focused
- Include Commands section with copy-paste commands
### DON'T
- Add Keywords section (agent searches frontmatter, not body)
- Duplicate content from existing docs (reference instead)
- Include lengthy explanations (link to docs)
- Add troubleshooting sections (keep focused)
- Use web URLs in references (use local paths)
---
## Registering the Skill
After creating the skill, add it to `AGENTS.md`:
```markdown
| `{skill-name}` | {Description} | [SKILL.md](skills/{skill-name}/SKILL.md) |
Checklist Before Creating
Resources
- Templates: See assets/ for SKILL.md template
