skill-creator

name	skill-creator
description	Use when users want to create a new skill or improve an existing one, especially when they need help defining scope, choosing a skill pattern, designing activation boundaries, structuring references or scripts, or validating the final package.
metadata	{"internal":true}

Skill Creator

Overview

Design first, implementation second. The goal is a minimal, executable skill whose trigger boundary is clear and whose runtime instructions stay separate from design, testing, and packaging notes.

Workflow

1. Define scope before editing files.
   • Capture the task, trigger prompts, success criteria, non-goals, and required tools or MCPs.
   • If the skill is new or underspecified, read references/workflows.md.
2. Choose the dominant pattern before drafting SKILL.md.
   • Read references/pattern-selection.md.
   • Use one primary pattern unless a second pattern is necessary to prevent a concrete failure mode.
3. Design activation before implementation.
   • Read references/activation-design.md.
   • Write trigger prompts, non-trigger prompts, false-positive risks, false-negative risks, and the first action after activation.
4. Split files by responsibility.
   • Keep runtime protocol in SKILL.md.
   • Put detailed domain rules, checklists, and examples in references/.
   • Put copied or consumed output resources in assets/.
   • Add scripts/ only when a manual step is repetitive or needs deterministic execution.
5. Write the minimal runtime protocol.
   • Frontmatter: only name and description.
   • Description: explain when to use the skill, not how it works.
   • Body: include workflow, guardrails, error handling, and output expectations.
6. Validate and package deliberately.
   • Read references/validation-and-distribution.md.
   • Add trigger, functional, and regression prompts as internal test assets when the skill will be maintained.
   • Package only the runtime files that should ship.

Guardrails

• Do not expand SKILL.md before the scope, pattern, and activation boundary are clear.
• Do not keep long design notes, activation analysis, or test methodology in SKILL.md.
• Do not scaffold placeholder files "just in case". Add scripts/ and assets/ only when they solve a real repeated need.
• When validation fails, fix the right layer:
  • trigger issue -> activation design or description
  • workflow issue -> SKILL.md
  • missing domain rule -> references/
  • brittle manual step -> scripts/
  • package bloat -> distribution selection

Reference Map

• references/workflows.md: recommended sequence for building a skill from scope to distribution
• references/pattern-selection.md: how to choose among Tool Wrapper, Generator, Reviewer, Inversion, and Pipeline
• references/activation-design.md: trigger boundary checklist and description rules
• references/validation-and-distribution.md: test assets, verification flow, and runtime packaging rules

Commands

python3 scripts/init_skill.py my-skill --path /path/to/skills
python3 scripts/quick_validate.py /path/to/skills/my-skill
python3 scripts/package_skill.py /path/to/skills/my-skill ./dist