| name | example-layered-skill |
| description | Example skill — reference implementation of the **internal** layered architecture pattern (Tools / Services / Utils) for complex skills with shared business logic. Use as a template when a skill outgrows a single scripts/execute.py file. Not intended for production use — see docs/guide/skills.md for the architectural guide. |
| license | MIT |
| compatibility | Python 3.8+ |
| allowed-tools | Bash Read |
| metadata | {"dcc-mcp":{"dcc":"python","version":"1.0.0","layer":"example","search-hint":"layered architecture, complex skill, services, utils, tools, asset pipeline reference, authoring reference","tags":"example, architecture, layered, advanced, authoring reference","tools":"tools.yaml","prompts":"prompts/system.md"}} |
Layered Skill Architecture — Reference
This skill demonstrates the internal layered organisation recommended for
complex skills (see docs/guide/skills.md
section "Complex Skill Architecture").
It is intentionally simple — three asset-management tools that share a small
service object — so the structure, not the business logic, is the focus.
Layout
example-layered-skill/
├── SKILL.md ← this file (frontmatter + prose)
├── tools.yaml ← MCP tool declarations (sibling, per #356)
├── scripts/
│ ├── __init__.py
│ ├── create_asset.py ← thin tool adapters (parse params, return envelope)
│ ├── publish_asset.py
│ ├── validate_asset.py
│ ├── services/ ← business logic (orchestration, error handling)
│ │ ├── __init__.py
│ │ └── asset_service.py
│ └── utils/ ← pure helpers (no I/O, no DCC calls, fully unit-testable)
│ ├── __init__.py
│ └── path_utils.py
└── prompts/
└── system.md ← optional system prompt sidecar
Layer responsibilities
| Layer | Responsibility | Size guidance |
|---|
| tool scripts | Parse JSON params from stdin, validate, delegate, return envelope. | < 30 lines |
| services/ | Orchestrate DCC commands. Easily unit-testable in isolation. | Grows with feature |
| utils/ | Pure functions — path normalisation, primitive helpers. No side effects. | Grows with feature |
Tools exposed
| Tool | Description |
|---|
example_layered_skill__create_asset | Create a new asset record |
example_layered_skill__publish_asset | Publish an existing asset |
example_layered_skill__validate_asset | Validate an asset against project rules (read-only) |
Why a sibling tools.yaml
Per #356, tool
declarations live in a sibling YAML referenced from
metadata.dcc-mcp.tools so that SKILL.md frontmatter stays
agentskills.io 1.0 compliant.
