session-to-skill

name	session-to-skill
description	Use at end of a session (or on demand) to extract repeated tool patterns into a reusable skill. Triggers on "extract this as a skill", "save this as a skill", "I keep doing this", or when you notice the same command sequence run 2+ times.

Session to Skill

When to Use

• User says "save this as a skill" or "I keep doing this"
• You notice the same Bash command or tool sequence run 2+ more times in the session
• End of a session where significant workflows were executed

Step 1: Identify Candidate Patterns

Review the conversation history mentally for:

• Bash commands run more than once with the same structure
• Multi-step sequences (Read → Bash → Edit) done more than once
• Commands the user had to correct or clarify (indicating a skill would have helped)
• Commands with complex flags that are hard to remember

Step 2: Classify Each Pattern

For each candidate, determine:

• Trigger: When would someone need this? What symptom or goal?
• Scope: Is this project-specific (goes in ~/.claude/skills/PROJECT/) or global (goes in ~/.claude/skills/)?
• Type: One-shot command, multi-step workflow, or reference table?

Step 3: Draft the Skill

Use this template to draft the skill content. Present it to the user for review before writing:

---
name: {kebab-case-name}
description: Use when {trigger condition}. Symptoms - {what the user sees that means they need this}.
---

# {Title}

## When to Use
{1-2 sentences}

## Commands

{The exact commands, copy-paste ready, with comments explaining flags}

## Common Failures

| Symptom | Fix |
|---------|-----|
| ... | ... |

Step 4: Determine Destination

Skill placement rules:

• Global utility → ~/.claude/skills/{name}/SKILL.md
• Project-specific → ~/.claude/skills/{project-prefix}/{name}/SKILL.md (e.g., mbx/, maestro/)
• Personal workflow → ~/.claude/skills/joe/{name}/SKILL.md

Step 5: Write and Register

After user confirms the draft:

1. Write the SKILL.md file to the determined path
2. Check if the skill needs to be registered in any plugin manifest (look in ~/.claude/plugins/ for any skills.json or manifest files)
3. Confirm to the user: "Skill saved to {path}. Invoke it with: Skill tool, name: {name}"

Examples of Good Skills to Extract

From common session patterns:

• devloop-analyze — the env -u ... op run ... devloop analyze incantation
• jobrien-vm-ssh — the exact sshpass command for the VM
• baml-regen — the version-align + regenerate workflow
• pieces-health — curl check + PiecesOS restart if down

What NOT to Extract

• One-off commands specific to a single task
• Commands that will change frequently (use a justfile recipe instead)
• Simple git commands (already in muscle memory)
• Anything already covered by an existing skill (check ~/.claude/skills/ first)