evaluating-skill-necessity

name	Evaluating Skill Necessity
description	Gate — assess value and redundancy of new skills before creation/import. Use FIRST when a new skill is proposed.

Evaluating Skill Necessity

This skill serves as the Mandatory First Step before adding any new capability to the agent's library. It prevents skill bloat and ensures high-quality, non-redundant instructions.

The Necessity Protocol

Whenever a new skill is proposed, follow this 4-step analysis:

1. Problem Definition

• What specific, repeatable task does this skill address?
• Is it a "Fragile" task (requires exact commands) or a "Flexible" task (requires heuristics)?

2. Redundancy Audit (Internal)

• Does the agent's base system prompt or model capabilities already handle this optimally?
• Rule: Do not create a skill for "General Writing" or "Basic Coding" as these are core model strengths.

3. Redundancy Audit (Library)

• Search the existing .agent/skills/ directory for overlapping keywords.
• Does an existing skill already provide the necessary context?
• Tip: If an existing skill covers 80% of the need, consider Updating that skill instead of creating a new one.

4. Value Proposition

• Does this skill provide Specific Scripts, Validated Workflow Checklists, or Design Tokens that aren't easily hallucinated or researched?
• Does it enforce a Mandatory Protocol (like TDD or B.L.A.S.T.)?

Decision Logic

• PROCEED (Needed): Unique operational value, specific technical constraints, or mandatory business protocols.
• REJECT (Redundant): General knowledge, already covered by standard model capabilities, or purely informational without actionable workflows.

Mandatory Invocation

This skill MUST be invoked as the primary skill during the PLANNING phase of any "New Skill" task.