eval-skills

# Skill Evaluator Discover all skills in the project, score them across 6 criteria, and infer the appropriate `effort` level based on content analysis. ## When to Use - New project: run once to establish baseline quality - Before committing a skill to a team repo - After bulk-importing skills from another project - When adding `effort` fields for the first time - When a skill doesn't auto-trigger and you want to diagnose why ## What Gets Audited All `SKILL.md` files and flat `.md` files found in: - `.claude/skills/**` - `~/.claude/skills/**` (if requested) - `.claude/commands/**` (legacy flat files, still valid) - Any path passed as argument: `/eval-skills ./my-skills-dir` --- ## Valid Frontmatter Fields Claude Code skills follow the [agentskills.io](https://agentskills.io) open standard, extended with Claude Code-specific fields. Flag any field not in this table as unsupported. ### agentskills.io spec fields | Field | Required | Notes | |-------|----------|-------| | `name` | No | Display label shown in skill lists. The command name always comes from the **directory name**, not this field. | | `description` | Recommended | Combined with `when_to_use`, truncated at **1,536 chars** in context. First paragraph used if omitted. | | `when_to_use` | No | Additional trigger phrases and example requests. Appended to `description` in context; counts toward the 1,536-char cap. | | `allowed-tools` | No | Tools usable without per-use approval while the skill is active. Space-separated string or YAML list (both valid). | | `license` | No | License identifier (agentskills.io spec) | | `compatibility` | No | Compatibility constraints (agentskills.io spec) | | `metadata` | No | Arbitrary metadata object (agentskills.io spec) | ### Claude Code extension fields | Field | Required | Notes | |-------|----------|-------| | `argument-hint` | No | Hint shown during autocomplete. Example: `[issue-number]` or `[filename] [format]` | | `arguments` | No | Named positional args for `$name` substitution. Space-separated string or YAML list. Names map to positions in order. | | `disable-model-invocation` | No | `true` = user-only invocation. Removes skill from Claude's context and prevents preloading in subagents. | | `user-invocable` | No | `false` = hides skill from `/` menu but Claude can still auto-invoke it. | | `disallowed-tools` | No | Tools blocked while this skill is active. Cleared after the current message. | | `model` | No | Override model for this skill's turn only. Reverts to session model on next prompt. | | `effort` | No | Thinking effort: `low`, `medium`, `high`, `xhigh`, `max`. Overrides session effort for the turn. | | `context` | No | `fork` = runs skill in an isolated subagent context. The skill body becomes the subagent's prompt. | | `agent` | No | Which subagent type to use when `context: fork` is set. Options: `Explore`, `Plan`, `general-purpose`, or any custom agent in `.claude/agents/`. | | `hooks` | No | Skill-scoped lifecycle hooks. Same format as session hooks. | | `paths` | No | Glob patterns that limit when Claude auto-loads this skill. Same format as path-specific rules. | | `shell` | No | Shell for `!backtick` injection: `bash` (default) or `powershell`. | ### Unsupported fields (flag and remove) `tags`, `category`, `keywords`, `usage`, `args` are ignored by the runtime. Remove them to avoid confusion. --- ## String Substitutions (check for correct usage) If a skill references substitution placeholders, verify they use the correct syntax: | Placeholder | Meaning | |-------------|---------| | `$ARGUMENTS` | Full argument string as typed | | `$ARGUMENTS[N]` or `$N` | Argument at position N (0-based) | | `$name` | Named argument declared in `arguments:` frontmatter | | `${CLAUDE_SESSION_ID}` | Current session ID | | `${CLAUDE_EFFORT}` | Active effort level (`low` / `medium` / `high` / `xhigh` / `max`) | | `${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}` | Absolute path to the skill's directory; use it for referencing bundled scripts | Incorrect placeholders (`$1` when no `arguments:` field is declared, `${ARGS}`, `%ARGUMENTS%`) are passed as literal text and silently break the skill. --- ## Scoring Criteria (16 pts per skill) | # | Criterion | Max | What is checked | |---|-----------|-----|-----------------| | 1 | **name field** | 1 | `name` field present and lowercase with hyphens only | | 2 | **description** | 3 | Present (1), has "Use when" / trigger phrasing (1), `when_to_use` field present for skills that need broad matching (1) | | 3 | **allowed-tools** | 2 | Present (1), scoped appropriately (1): not `Bash` without path scoping when read-only tools suffice | | 4 | **effort** | 3 | Present (1), appropriate for content per inference engine below (2) | | 5 | **content structure** | 5 | Has Purpose or When section (1), has concrete examples or usage (1), has clear workflow or steps (1), no placeholder text (1), no unsupported frontmatter fields (1) | | 6 | **bonus** | +2 | `argument-hint` present when skill takes args (1), `${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}` used for bundled scripts instead of hardcoded paths (1) | **Thresholds:** - ✅ Good: >=13/16 (>=80%) - ⚠️ Needs work: 10-12/16 (60-79%) - ❌ Fix: <10/16 (<60%) ### `allowed-tools` format note Both formats are valid and parse correctly: - Space-separated string: `Read Bash Grep` - YAML list: `[Read, Bash, Grep]` Flag skills that use `Bash` globally (without path scoping like `Bash(git *)`) when they only need read operations (this grants unnecessary write access). ### description length note The combined `description` + `when_to_use` text is truncated at **1,536 chars** per skill in Claude's context. Flag skills where the combined text exceeds this limit; the tail (often the trigger examples) gets silently cut. --- ## Effort Level Inference Engine For each skill, analyze description + content and classify using these signals: ### `low`: Mechanical execution, no design decisions Signals: - Verbs: commit, push, sync, scaffold, generate (template-based), format, rename, bump, wrap, convert - No reasoning required: sequential steps, template instantiation, data fetching - `allowed-tools`: `Bash` only, or `Read` only - No sub-agents spawned - Short workflow (<5 steps) Examples: `/commit`, `/release-notes`, `/scaffold`, `/sync`, `/format` ### `medium`: Analysis with bounded scope, categorization Signals: - Verbs: review, triage, analyze, categorize, suggest, evaluate (single file or bounded scope) - Requires pattern recognition but not architectural reasoning - `allowed-tools`: `Read` + `Grep` + `Bash` combination - May spawn 1-2 sub-agents with predefined scope - Produces structured output (tables, categorized lists) Examples: `/code-review` (single PR), `/issue-triage`, `/dependency-audit`, `/test-coverage` ### `high`: Design decisions, adversarial reasoning, cross-system analysis Signals: - Verbs: architect, redesign, threat-model, audit (security), orchestrate (multi-agent), score, assess trade-offs - Requires reasoning about edge cases, attack vectors, or system-wide implications - `allowed-tools`: broad access (`Read` + `Write` + `Bash` + external tools) - Spawns multiple sub-agents or uses parallel execution - Produces analysis with explicit uncertainty or trade-off sections - Keywords: "security", "architecture", "adversarial", "pipeline", "threat", "design decision" Examples: `/security-audit`, `/architecture-review`, `/eval-agents` ### `xhigh` / `max`: Exhaustive, multi-agent, long-running Signals: - Explicit `ultrathink` or `ultracode` in skill body - Spawns many parallel agents (3+) - Uses `Workflow` tool or fan-out orchestration patterns - Expected runtime >5 minutes - Deep synthesis across entire codebase or multi-repo scope Examples: `/deep-research`, `/full-security-audit`, `/codebase-migration` ### Mismatch flag If a skill has `effort:` already set but the inferred level differs, flag it: > ⚠️ Effort mismatch: declared `low`, inferred `high`. Skill spawns 4 sub-agents and performs security analysis. --- ## Execution Instructions ### Step 1: Discovery ```bash # Find all SKILL.md files find .claude/skills -name "SKILL.md" 2>/dev/null # Find legacy flat command files find .claude/commands -maxdepth 1 -name "*.md" ! -name "README*" 2>/dev/null # If argument provided, use that path instead ``` ### Step 2: Parse each skill For each skill file found: 1. Read the full file 2. Extract YAML frontmatter (between first `---` and second `---`) 3. Parse all recognized fields from the table above 4. Flag any unrecognized fields as potentially unsupported 5. Note presence/absence of each field 6. Read the body content for structure analysis and substitution placeholder correctness ### Step 3: Score and infer Apply the scoring criteria to each skill: - Check frontmatter fields against the valid fields table - Evaluate description quality: does it answer "when to use"? Is combined description + when_to_use under 1,536 chars? - Evaluate `allowed-tools` scope: is `Bash` used without path scoping when read-only tools suffice? - Check `context: fork` skills for completeness; they must have an actionable task body and an `agent` field (or a reasonable default applies) - Infer effort level from content analysis - Compare inferred vs declared effort (if set) - Evaluate content structure ### Step 4: Output Produce a structured report: ``` # Skills Audit: [project name or path] Date: [today] | Scanned: N skills ## Summary | Status | Count | |--------|-------| | ✅ Good (>=80%) | N | | ⚠️ Needs work (60-79%) | N | | ❌ Fix (<60%) | N | **Effort coverage**: N/N skills have effort field set --- ## Per-Skill Results ### [skill-name] ([score]/16) [✅/⚠️/❌] | Criterion | Score | Notes | |-----------|-------|-------| | name | ✅ 1/1 | ok | | description | ⚠️ 2/3 | Missing when_to_use field | | allowed-tools | ✅ 2/2 | Well-scoped | | effort | ❌ 0/3 | Missing. Recommended: high | | content structure | ⚠️ 3/5 | No examples section, unsupported field "tags" found | **Effort inference**: `high`. Skill performs security analysis with adversarial reasoning. Signals: "threat", "attack surface", "vulnerability scoring" in content; spawns 4 agents **Priority fixes** (ordered by impact): 1. Add `effort: high` to frontmatter 2. Add `when_to_use` with trigger phrases 3. Remove unsupported field `tags` 4. Add a concrete usage example section --- ``` After all skills: print a **Fix Summary**. --- ## Fix Summary Format At the end, print a ready-to-use patch block for all missing/mismatched effort fields: ``` ## Recommended effort fields (copy-paste ready) skill-name-1: effort: low # mechanical scaffold skill-name-2: effort: high # security analysis, spawns agents skill-name-3: effort: medium # code review, bounded scope ``` And a 1-line count: `N skills need effort field · N mismatches · N missing allowed-tools · N unsupported fields to remove`