| name | add-skill |
| description | Add a new project-specific skill mid-project. Wraps the capability-extension procedure — reuse audit, skill-creator invocation, capability-log entry, user approval, and reload reminder. Use when an authorized agent identifies a missing helper-skill capability during Phase 1 STEP 2/3 or anywhere in Phase 2. |
Add a Project-Specific Skill
You are the Conductor (or a delegated authorized agent) running the end-to-end skill-creation flow. The actual SKILL.md drafting is delegated to the bundled skill-creator (Apache 2.0, at skills/skill-creator/). This wrapper enforces governance around the drafting.
Authorization
Only these agents may invoke this skill:
chief-ai-officersoftware-architect- project implementation agents (CAIO-authored from
docs/templates/software-engineer-template.md) — task-helper scope only
tech-lead (escalation-level helpers only)
Reviewers (Senior Software Engineer, QA Engineer), Product Manager, Project Manager, and Technical Writer must escalate to one of the authorized agents.
Invocation
/atelier:add-skill <kebab-skill-name> "<reason>"
<kebab-skill-name> — the new skill's directory name (e.g., slack-thread-summarizer).<reason> — one sentence explaining the capability gap.
Workflow
1. Reuse audit (mandatory)
Run the four-step audit per docs/process/capability-management.md:
- Inventory — list installed plugins / skills / MCP servers.
- Search — query Anthropic skills marketplace, public marketplaces, MCP registry, language libraries.
- Evaluate — does any candidate cover ≥80% of the need?
- Decide — reuse / extend / create.
Record the audit evidence (candidates considered, why rejected) — this evidence is required for the capability-log entry.
If reuse is possible: stop, use the existing skill, do not create.
2. Invoke the bundled skill-creator
Delegate to /atelier:skill-creator (the Apache-2.0-licensed bundled skill at skills/skill-creator/). Provide:
- The skill name and reason.
- The intended location (almost always
<user-project>/.claude/skills/<name>/).
- Any inputs/outputs specification.
skill-creator returns a draft SKILL.md following Anthropic's authoritative structure.
3. Place the file
Project-specific skills go to <user-project>/.claude/skills/<kebab-skill-name>/SKILL.md.
Plugin-level skill contributions (would change atelier itself) are out of scope here — they require a separate plugin PR.
4. Capability-log entry
Append to docs/agents/capability-log.md:
| <YYYY-MM-DD> | skill | <kebab-skill-name> | <invoking-agent> | <reuse audit summary> | <one-sentence justification> | — |
5. User approval (per involvement level)
| Involvement | Behavior |
|---|
| Fully Autonomous | Notify via atelier-notify (if configured); proceed. |
| Milestone Checkpoints (default) | Wait for explicit user approval. |
| PR-Level / Detailed Supervision | Wait for explicit user approval; show full draft. |
6. Reload reminder
Print:
Skill created at .claude/skills/<name>/SKILL.md.
Run `/reload-plugins` to activate it before the next task.
The plugin's UserPromptSubmit hook will also remind the user if the reload is not run within the next session.
Anti-patterns
- Creating a skill whose purpose duplicates an existing one (audit must show "not a fit").
- Inventing a skill name that does not match the kebab-case file name.
- Skipping the capability-log entry.
- Bypassing user approval when involvement level requires it.
- Creating plugin-level skills via this flow (those need a plugin PR, not a project addition).
Reference Documents
docs/process/capability-management.mdskills/skill-creator/SKILL.md (bundled drafting engine)
