skill-creator

name	skill-creator
description	Create a new agent skill following the Agent Skills open standard
compatibility	>=1.4

Skill Creator

Skill metadata: version "1.1"; license MIT; tags [meta, authoring, skill, scaffold]; compatibility ">=1.4"; recommended tools [codebase, editFiles, runCommands].

Create a new agent skill that follows the Agent Skills open standard and the project's §12 Skill Protocol.

When to use

• The user asks to "create a skill", "write a skill", or "add a new skill"
• A workflow is being repeated manually and would benefit from codification
• An online skill was found but needs significant adaptation

Tip: VS Code 1.110+ has a built-in /create-skill slash command that generates a basic scaffold. This skill provides additional Lean/Kaizen guidance: waste-aware naming, PDCA verification steps, and quality gate checks.

Steps

1. Clarify scope — Ask the user: "What workflow should this skill encode? Describe the trigger and the desired outcome in one sentence."

2. Choose a name — Use a verb-noun kebab phrase describing the workflow (e.g., review-dependencies, scaffold-api-route). The name becomes the directory name under .github/skills/.

3. Write the frontmatter — Create .github/skills/<name>/SKILL.md with the minimal VS Code-compatible header, then record the richer metadata directly under the title:

   ---
   name: <kebab-name>
   description: <one precise sentence - this is how the agent discovers the skill>
   ---
   

   Then add a note immediately after the # <Name> heading:

   > Skill metadata: version "1.0"; license MIT; tags [<2-5 keywords matching common task descriptions>]; compatibility ">=<current template version>"; recommended tools [codebase, editFiles].
   

4. Write the body — Structure as:

   • Title (# <Name>) — human-readable heading.
   • When to use — bullet list of trigger conditions and contra-indications.
   • Steps — numbered list with clear action verbs. Each step should be independently verifiable.
   • Verify — a final step that confirms the skill completed correctly.

5. Apply authoring rules (from §12):

   • One skill, one workflow — if you need "and", split it.
   • No hardcoded paths — use relative references and contextual lookups.
   • Idempotent — running the skill twice produces the same result.
   • Steps, not prose — the agent follows these literally.

6. Save — Write the file.

7. Run tests — Verify the new skill file passes any applicable test suite checks.

Verify

• .github/skills/<name>/SKILL.md exists
• Frontmatter has both name and description fields
• Body has "When to use" and "Steps" sections
• Steps are numbered with clear action verbs
• Final step is a verification check