skill-template

name	skill-template
description	Use when creating a new vault skill package. Provides the canonical SKILL.md structure, package layout, and minimum quality bar for skills in the orst vault.
metadata	{"short-description":"Canonical template for new skills"}
title	Skill Template
updated	"2026-02-15T00:00:00.000Z"
project	vault
note_type	skill
status	active
tags	["vault","skills","template"]

Skill Template

Use this package as the baseline when creating a new skill in skills.

Standard Layout

skills/<skill-name>/
  SKILL.md
  references/   (optional)
  scripts/      (optional)
  assets/       (optional)

Naming Rules

• Folder name must be lowercase and hyphenated.
• name in frontmatter must match folder name.
• description must clearly say when the skill should trigger.
• Include canonical metadata keys required by vault schema.

Best-Practice Rules

• Keep one primary responsibility per skill.
• If a skill needs multiple top-level modes, split it into focused skills.
• Keep SKILL.md concise (target well under 500 lines).
• Keep core execution self-contained in SKILL.md.
• Move long or variant-specific detail to references/.
• Keep references one level deep from SKILL.md.
• Avoid extra docs that do not directly improve execution.

SKILL.md Starter

---
name: your-skill-name
description: Use when <trigger condition>. Helps with <outcome>.
metadata:
  short-description: <very short summary>
title: "Your Skill Name"
updated: YYYY-MM-DD
project: vault
note_type: skill
status: active
tags: [vault, skills, <domain>]
---

# Your Skill Name

## Purpose
State the user outcomes this skill supports.

## Scope
- In scope:
- Out of scope:

## Trigger Guidance
- Trigger when:
- Do not trigger when:

## Workflow
1. Gather required context.
2. Run the core steps in order.
3. Validate outputs before returning.

## Tools and Resources
- Required tools:
- Optional references:
- Optional scripts:

## Output Contract
- What the final output must contain.
- File paths or note locations to update.

## Safety and Boundaries
- Scope limits.
- Failure and escalation behavior.

Quality Checklist

• Skill is specific, not generic.
• Skill has one primary job.
• Steps are executable and ordered.
• Edge cases and failure handling are explicit.
• Extra docs are kept out of SKILL.md unless essential.
• Long details live in references/, not duplicated in SKILL.md.
• Core workflow is executable without requiring external notes.
• Frontmatter satisfies root policy notes.