| name | skill-creator |
| description | Create a new agent skill following the Agent Skills open standard |
| compatibility | >=1.4 |
Skill Creator
Skill metadata: version "1.2"; 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
- User asks to "create a skill", "write a skill", or "add a new skill"
- A repeated workflow would benefit from codification
- An online skill needs significant adaptation
Tip: VS Code 1.110+ has /create-skill for basic scaffolds. This skill adds Lean/Kaizen guidance: waste-aware naming, PDCA verification, quality gates.
Steps
-
Clarify scope — Ask the user: "What workflow should this skill encode? Describe the trigger and the desired outcome in one sentence."
-
Choose a name — Verb-noun kebab phrase (review-dependencies, scaffold-api-route). Becomes directory name under .github/skills/. Rules: 1–64 chars, lowercase alphanumeric + hyphens, no leading/trailing/consecutive hyphens, must match directory.
-
Write the frontmatter — Create .github/skills/<name>/SKILL.md:
---
name: <kebab-name>
description: <one precise sentence - this is how the agent discovers the skill>
compatibility: ">=<current template version>"
---
Optional frontmatter fields (add only when relevant):
| Field | When to include |
|---|
user-invocable | Set to false to hide from the / menu while still allowing auto-load |
disable-model-invocation | Set to true to require manual / invocation only |
allowed-tools | Space-delimited pre-approved tools (experimental) |
compatibility | Environment requirements (e.g., ">=3.2", "Requires Python 3.14+") |
Do not add unsupported top-level keys like stacks. Put stack hints in description or the metadata note.
Add a metadata note after the # <Name> heading:
> Skill metadata: version "1.0"; license MIT; tags [<2-5 keywords>]; compatibility ">={{version}}"; recommended tools [codebase, editFiles].
-
Write the body — Title, When to use (triggers + contra-indications), Steps (numbered, action verbs, independently verifiable), Verify.
-
Authoring rules (§12): one skill = one workflow; no hardcoded paths; idempotent; steps not prose.
-
Progressive disclosure: metadata ~100 tokens at startup; instructions <5000 tokens on activation; resources on demand in scripts/, references/, assets/ subdirs. Keep under 500 lines.
-
Save the file.
-
Validate — Run skills-ref validate .github/skills/<name> if available, otherwise verify manually.
-
Run tests — Verify new skill passes applicable test suite checks.
Verify