coe-skill-template

name	coe-skill-template
description	Canonical template for authoring a Trilogy AI CoE skill. Use as the starting point when creating a new skill for the aicoe-skills marketplace — copy this folder, rename it, rewrite the frontmatter description, and replace the body with your skill's instructions.

CoE Skill Template

This skill is the canonical example for the Trilogy AI CoE skill marketplace. It does two jobs: it installs cleanly so the marketplace is never empty, and it shows contributors the exact structure a real skill should follow.

When authoring a real skill, delete everything below and write task instructions in the imperative ("Do X", "When the user asks for Y, gather Z first"). Keep the body focused on what the agent should do, not prose about the skill.

Anatomy of a skill

A skill is a folder with a SKILL.md file. Required frontmatter is name and description. The description is the single most important field: it is what every runtime uses to decide whether to load the skill, so make it specific and include the trigger phrases a user would actually say.

plugins/<skill-name>/
├── .claude-plugin/
│   └── plugin.json          # plugin manifest (name, description, version)
└── skills/
    └── <skill-name>/
        └── SKILL.md         # frontmatter + instructions (this file)

Optional supporting files live alongside SKILL.md and are loaded on demand:

• reference/ — longer docs the agent reads only when needed
• scripts/ — executable helpers the agent can run
• assets/ — templates, images, or sample data

Writing a good description

• Lead with the action, then the triggers: "Generate X. Use when the user says 'A', 'B', or asks to C."
• Name concrete artifacts and verbs, not vague capabilities.
• Keep it under ~500 characters; specificity beats length.

Writing good instructions

• Use imperative steps the agent can follow deterministically.
• Surface required inputs up front; if something is missing, say what to ask for.
• Prefer a short checklist or numbered procedure over narrative.
• Call out edge cases and failure modes explicitly.

How this gets installed

This skill ships as a plugin in the aicoe-skills marketplace. Once the marketplace is added, a user installs it with:

/plugin install coe-skill-template@aicoe-skills

Because SKILL.md is the open Agent Skills standard, the same folder also works in Codex CLI, opencode/OpenClaw, and other compatible runtimes by placing it in their skills directory. See the repo README for per-runtime install paths.