task-decomposer

name	task-decomposer
description	Decomposes complex user requests into executable subtasks, identifies required capabilities, searches for existing skills at skills.sh, and creates new skills when no solution exists. This skill should be used when the user submits a complex multi-step request, wants to automate workflows, or needs help breaking down large tasks into manageable pieces.

Task Decomposer & Skill Generator

This skill helps decompose complex user requests into executable subtasks, identify required capabilities for each task, search for existing skills from the open skills ecosystem, and automatically create new skills when no existing solution is available.

Core Workflow

User Request → Task Decomposition → Capability Identification → Skill Search → Gap Analysis → Skill Creation → Execution Plan

Phase 1: Task Analysis & Decomposition

When receiving a user request, follow these steps:

Step 1: Understand User Intent

Analyze the request to identify:

• Core objective: What is the end goal?
• Domains involved: What areas of expertise are needed?
• Trigger mechanism: One-time, scheduled, or event-driven?

Example analysis:

User Input: "Help me get email summaries every morning and send them to Slack"

Analysis:
- Core objective: Automated email digest delivery to Slack
- Domains: Email access, content summarization, messaging
- Trigger: Scheduled (daily morning)

Step 2: Decompose into Atomic Tasks

Break down the complex task into minimal executable units:

Task Decomposition:
  - task_id: 1
    name: "Access and retrieve email list"
    type: "data_retrieval"
    input: "Email credentials/session"
    output: "List of emails with metadata"
    dependencies: []
    
  - task_id: 2
    name: "Extract key information from emails"
    type: "data_extraction"
    input: "Email list"
    output: "Structured email data"
    dependencies: [1]
    
  - task_id: 3
    name: "Generate email summary"
    type: "content_generation"
    input: "Structured email data"
    output: "Formatted summary text"
    dependencies: [2]
    
  - task_id: 4
    name: "Send message to Slack"
    type: "message_delivery"
    input: "Summary text, Slack webhook/token"
    output: "Delivery confirmation"
    dependencies: [3]
    
  - task_id: 5
    name: "Configure scheduled execution"
    type: "scheduling"
    input: "Workflow script, schedule config"
    output: "Active scheduled job"
    dependencies: [4]

Phase 2: Capability Identification

Map each subtask to a capability type from the universal capability taxonomy.

Universal Capability Types

Capability	Description	Search Keywords
browser_automation	Web navigation, interaction, scraping	browser, selenium, puppeteer, playwright, scrape
web_search	Internet search and information retrieval	search, google, bing, duckduckgo
api_integration	Third-party API communication	api, rest, graphql, webhook, {service-name}
data_extraction	Parse and extract structured data	parse, extract, scrape, ocr, pdf
data_transformation	Convert, clean, transform data	transform, convert, format, clean, etl
content_generation	Create text, images, or other content	generate, write, create, summarize, translate
file_operations	Read, write, manipulate files	file, read, write, csv, excel, json, pdf
message_delivery	Send notifications or messages	notify, send, email, slack, discord, telegram
scheduling	Time-based task execution	schedule, cron, timer, daily, weekly
authentication	Identity and access management	auth, oauth, login, token, credentials
database_operations	Database CRUD operations	database, sql, mongodb, query, store
code_execution	Run scripts or programs	execute, run, script, shell, python
version_control	Git and code repository operations	git, github, gitlab, commit, pr, review
testing	Automated testing and QA	test, jest, pytest, e2e, unit
deployment	Application deployment and CI/CD	deploy, docker, kubernetes, ci-cd, release
monitoring	System and application monitoring	monitor, alert, log, metrics, health

Capability Identification Process

For each subtask:

1. Analyze the task description and requirements
2. Match to one or more capability types
3. Generate search keywords for skill discovery

Example:

Task: "Send message to Slack"
Capability: message_delivery
Search Keywords: ["slack", "notification", "message", "webhook"]

Phase 3: Skill Search

Use the Skills CLI to search for existing skills at https://skills.sh/

Search Process

For each capability need, search using relevant keywords:

# Search for skills matching the capability
npx skills find <keyword>

# Examples:
npx skills find slack notification
npx skills find browser automation
npx skills find pdf extract
npx skills find github api

Evaluate Search Results

When results are returned:

Install with npx skills add <owner/repo@skill>

owner/repo@skill-name
└ https://skills.sh/owner/repo/skill-name

Evaluate each result for:

• Relevance: Does it match the required capability?
• Completeness: Does it cover all needed functionality?
• Quality: Is it well-documented and maintained?

Generate Capability Mapping

Capability Mapping:
  - task_id: 1
    capability: browser_automation
    search_query: "browser email automation"
    found_skills:
      - name: "anthropic/claude-skills@browser-use"
        url: "https://skills.sh/anthropic/claude-skills/browser-use"
        match_score: high
    recommendation: "Install browser-use skill"
    
  - task_id: 4
    capability: message_delivery
    search_query: "slack notification"
    found_skills: []
    recommendation: "Create new skill: slack-notification"

Phase 4: Gap Analysis

Identify tasks without matching skills:

Built-in Capabilities (No Skill Needed)

These capabilities are typically handled by the agent's native abilities:

• content_generation - LLM's native text generation
• data_transformation - Basic data manipulation via code
• code_execution - Direct script execution
• scheduling - System-level cron/scheduler configuration

Skills Required

For capabilities without built-in support, determine:

1. Skill exists: Install from skills.sh
2. Skill not found: Create new skill

Phase 5: Skill Creation

When no existing skill matches a required capability, create a new skill.

Skill Creation Process

1. Define scope: Determine what the skill should do
2. Design interface: Define inputs, outputs, and usage patterns
3. Create SKILL.md: Write the skill definition file
4. Add resources: Include scripts, references, or assets as needed

Skill Template

---
name: {skill-name}
description: {Clear description of what the skill does and when to use it. Written in third person.}
---

# {Skill Title}

{Brief introduction explaining the skill's purpose.}

## When to Use

{Describe scenarios when this skill should be triggered.}

## Prerequisites

{List any required installations, configurations, or credentials.}

## Usage

{Detailed usage instructions with examples.}

### Basic Usage

```bash
{Basic command or code example}

Advanced Usage

{More complex examples and options.}

Configuration

{Any configuration options or environment variables.}

Examples

Example 1: {Use Case}

{Step-by-step example with code.}

Troubleshooting

{Common issues and solutions.}

### Initialize New Skill

```bash
# Create skill using the skills CLI
npx skills init <skill-name>

# Or manually create the structure:
# skill-name/
# ├── SKILL.md (required)
# ├── scripts/ (optional)
# ├── references/ (optional)
# └── assets/ (optional)

Phase 6: Generate Execution Plan

Compile all information into a structured execution plan:

Execution Plan:
  title: "{Task Description}"
  
  prerequisites:
    - "{Prerequisite 1}"
    - "{Prerequisite 2}"
  
  skills_to_install:
    - skill: "owner/repo@skill-name"
      command: "npx skills add owner/repo@skill-name -g -y"
      url: "https://skills.sh/owner/repo/skill-name"
  
  skills_to_create:
    - name: "{new-skill-name}"
      capability: "{capability_type}"
      description: "{What it does}"
  
  execution_steps:
    - step: 1
      task: "{Task name}"
      skill: "{skill-name | built-in}"
      action: "{Specific action to take}"
      
    - step: 2
      task: "{Task name}"
      skill: "{skill-name | built-in}"
      action: "{Specific action to take}"
  
  verification:
    - "{How to verify step 1 succeeded}"
    - "{How to verify step 2 succeeded}"

Task Decomposition Principles

Principle 1: Atomicity

Each subtask should be the minimal executable unit with clear input and output.

Principle 2: Independence

Minimize dependencies between tasks to allow parallel execution where possible.

Principle 3: Verifiability

Each task should have a clear way to verify successful completion.

Principle 4: Reusability

Identify reusable patterns and prefer creating general-purpose skills.

Principle 5: Single Responsibility

Each task should do one thing well.

Output Format

Present the decomposition results in a structured format:

════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
📋 TASK DECOMPOSITION REPORT
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

🎯 Original Request:
{User's original request}

────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
📊 SUBTASKS
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
┌─────┬────────────────────────┬───────────────────┬───────────┐
│ ID  │ Task                   │ Capability        │ Status    │
├─────┼────────────────────────┼───────────────────┼───────────┤
│ 1   │ {task name}            │ {capability}      │ Found     │
│ 2   │ {task name}            │ {capability}      │ Built-in  │
│ 3   │ {task name}            │ {capability}      │ Create    │
└─────┴────────────────────────┴───────────────────┴───────────┘

────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
🔍 SKILL SEARCH RESULTS
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Task 1: {task name}
  Search: npx skills find {keywords}
  Found: owner/repo@skill-name
  URL: https://skills.sh/owner/repo/skill-name
  
Task 3: {task name}
  Search: npx skills find {keywords}
  Found: No matching skills
  Action: Create new skill

────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
🛠️ SKILLS TO CREATE
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
1. {skill-name}
   Capability: {capability_type}
   Description: {what it does}

────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
📝 EXECUTION PLAN
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Prerequisites:
  • {prerequisite 1}
  • {prerequisite 2}

Steps:
  1. {action} using {skill}
  2. {action} using {skill}
  3. {action} using {skill}

════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

Examples

Example 1: Workflow Automation

User Request:

Create a workflow that monitors GitHub issues, summarizes new issues, and posts notifications to Discord

Decomposition:

Subtasks:
  1. Monitor GitHub repository for new issues
     Capability: api_integration
     Search: "npx skills find github issues"
     
  2. Extract issue content and metadata
     Capability: data_extraction
     Status: Built-in (code)
     
  3. Generate issue summary
     Capability: content_generation
     Status: Built-in (LLM)
     
  4. Send notification to Discord
     Capability: message_delivery
     Search: "npx skills find discord notification"
     
  5. Configure webhook or polling trigger
     Capability: scheduling
     Status: Built-in 

Example 2: Data Pipeline

User Request:

Search for AI research papers, download PDFs, extract key findings, and save to Notion

Decomposition:

Subtasks:
  1. Search for AI research papers
     Capability: web_search
     Search: "npx skills find academic search"
     
  2. Download PDF files
     Capability: browser_automation
     Search: "npx skills find browser download"
     
  3. Extract text from PDFs
     Capability: data_extraction
     Search: "npx skills find pdf extract"
     
  4. Generate summaries of key findings
     Capability: content_generation
     Status: Built-in (LLM)
     
  5. Save to Notion database
     Capability: api_integration
     Search: "npx skills find notion"

Best Practices

1. Start with skill search: Always check https://skills.sh/ before creating new skills
2. Use specific search terms: Combine capability keywords with domain terms
3. Leverage built-in capabilities: Don't create skills for things the agent can do natively
4. Create reusable skills: Design new skills to be general-purpose when possible
5. Document thoroughly: New skills should have clear usage instructions
6. Verify before proceeding: Confirm skill installation before executing tasks
7. Handle errors gracefully: Include fallback strategies in execution plans

Integration with find-skills

This skill works in conjunction with the find-skills skill for discovering existing solutions:

# Search the skills ecosystem
npx skills find <query>

# Install a discovered skill
npx skills add <owner/repo@skill> -g -y

# Browse all available skills
# Visit: https://skills.sh/

Notes

• Always search for existing skills before creating new ones
• Built-in capabilities (LLM, basic code) don't require skills
• Skill creation requires user confirmation before proceeding
• Complex workflows may need multiple skills working together