| name | create-skill |
| description | This skill should be used when the user asks to "create a skill", "make a command", "generate a prompt", "write a slash command", "build a Claude extension", "add a skill to a plugin", "improve skill description", or "write skill frontmatter".
|
| argument-hint | [skill|command] [name] - or leave empty to interview |
Skill & Command Generator
Generate well-structured skills or slash commands. Both are markdown files with YAML frontmatter—they share the same structure but differ in how they're triggered and described.
Phase 0: Fetch Current Documentation
Before generating, retrieve the latest documentation:
Use Task tool with subagent_type=claude-code-guide:
"List all current frontmatter options for skills and commands, including any execution modifiers, model selection, and structural options."
Capture any frontmatter fields or options not already listed in references/frontmatter-options.md. If nothing new, proceed with current references. If the subagent fails, proceed — current references are sufficient.
Phase 1: Understand Requirements
Parse $ARGUMENTS for type hint. User is often unclear and uninformed on best practices of skill development. Continue to interview and help user using /brainstorm skill, if available.
Gather requirements:
- Primary objective — What should this do?
- Trigger scenarios — When should it activate?
- Inputs/outputs — What does it receive and produce?
- Complexity — Simple, standard, or complex?
- Execution needs — Isolated context? Delegated to specialized agent?
Proceed to Phase 2 when at minimum Objective and Trigger Scenarios are established. Remaining dimensions can be resolved during generation.
Phase 2: Generate
Apply these principles throughout generation: use imperative voice and terse phrasing because every token in a generated skill body costs budget on every invocation, and Claude extrapolates well from precise nudges. Prefer instruction over example — state the rule with its reasoning so it generalizes to every input.
Step 1 — Choose type
- Skills: Trigger-rich, third-person description ("This skill should be used when..."); auto-triggered by routing
- Commands: Concise, verb-first description, under 60 chars; user-invoked via
/ menu
Step 2 — Write frontmatter
Read ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/create-skill/references/frontmatter-options.md for the full field catalog, description patterns, tool selection framework, and execution modifiers.
Intensional over extensional — apply to all generated content. State the rule directly with its reasoning rather than listing examples that imply the rule. An intensional rule ("quoted phrases must be verbatim user speech because routing matches on literal tokens") generalizes to every input the skill will encounter. An extensional approach requires the reader to reverse-engineer the rule — two reasoning hops instead of one, covering only the shape of those specific examples. Since this skill generates instructions that will themselves guide further generation, the quality of reasoning propagates.
Step 3 — Write body
Construction rules:
- State objective explicitly in first sentence
- Use imperative voice ("Analyze", "Generate", "Identify") — no first-person ("I will", "I am")
- Context only when necessary for understanding
- XML tags only for complex structured data
- No "When to Use This Skill" section — body loads only after triggering; routing guidance there is never read by the routing decision
- Avoid headers deeper than H3 — deep nesting signals content that belongs in
references/, not SKILL.md
- Use bang-backtick syntax for dynamic context injection when real-time data (git status, file list, env vars) improves the skill without requiring a tool call
Both skills and commands follow the same body pattern:
# Name
Brief overview (1-2 sentences).
## Process
1. Step one (imperative voice)
2. Step two
3. Step three
Dynamic Content:
| Syntax | Purpose |
|---|
$ARGUMENTS | All arguments as string |
$1, $2, $3 | Positional arguments |
@path/file | Load file contents |
@$1 | Load file from argument |
| Exclamation + backticks | Execute bash command, include output |
Step 4 — Script opportunity scan
Read ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/create-skill/references/script-patterns.md and apply the five signal patterns to every workflow step in the skill being generated:
| Signal | Question | If yes → |
|---|
| Repeated Generation | Does any step produce the same structure with different params across invocations? | Parameterized script in scripts/ |
| Unclear Tool Choice | Does any step combine multiple tools in a fragile sequence naturally expressible as one function? | Script the procedure |
| Rigid Contract | Can you write --help text for this step right now without ambiguity? | CLI candidate — delegate design to create-cli |
| Dual-Use Potential | Would a user want to run this step from the terminal, outside the skill workflow? | Design as proper CLI from the start |
| Consistency Critical | Must this step produce bit-for-bit identical output for identical inputs? | Script — never LLM generation |
For each identified script candidate:
- Choose the archetype from
references/script-patterns.md (init/validate/transform/package/query)
- If the interface is non-trivial, delegate to
create-cli skill to design it
- Scaffold the script in
scripts/ using the Python template from references/script-patterns.md
- Wire it into SKILL.md with: trigger condition, exact invocation, output interpretation
Wiring rule: A script reference must state when to invoke (trigger condition), how to invoke (exact command with flags), and what to do with the result (exit code handling, which output fields matter).
Step 5 — Check delegation
Scan for existing resources before finalizing:
Review available: skills, commands, agents, MCPs
For each workflow step, ask: "Do we already have this?"
Common delegation patterns:
- Git commits →
SlashCommand: /commit
- Code review →
Skill: /code-review
Always use fully qualified names:
Skill: plugin-dev:hook-development (not just "hook-development")SlashCommand: /plugin-dev:create-plugin (not just "create-plugin")Task: subagent_type=plugin-dev:agent-creator
Step 6 — Validate
When generating a new skill directory (not editing an existing single file):
python3 ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/create-skill/scripts/validate_skill.py <skill-directory> --output json
Exit 0 = proceed to Phase 3. Exit 1 = parse the errors array; each entry has field, message, severity. Resolve all critical and major items before writing to disk.
Explain Your Choices
When presenting the generated skill/command to the user, briefly explain:
- What you set and why — "Added
context: fork because this workflow generates heavy output"
- What you excluded and why — "Left
model unset (inherits default), hooks omitted (no validation needed)"
- Add more trigger phrases if routing misses expected inputs
Phase 3: Deliver
Output Paths
| Type | Location |
|---|
| User skill | ~/.claude/skills/<name>/SKILL.md |
| User command | ~/.claude/commands/<name>.md |
| Project skill | .claude/skills/<name>/SKILL.md |
| Project command | .claude/commands/<name>.md |
Write and Confirm
Before writing:
Writing to: [path]
This will [create new / overwrite existing] file.
Proceed?
After Creation
Summarize what was created:
- Name and type
- Path
- How to invoke/trigger
- Suggested test scenario
Phase 4: Evaluate
Score the generated skill/command:
| Dimension | Criteria |
|---|
| Clarity (0-10) | Instructions unambiguous, objective clear |
| Precision (0-10) | Appropriate specificity without over-constraint |
| Efficiency (0-10) | Token economy—maximum value per token |
| Completeness (0-10) | Covers requirements without gaps or excess |
| Usability (0-10) | Practical, actionable, appropriate for target use |
Target: 9.0/10.0. If below, refine once addressing the weakest dimension, then deliver.
Bundled Scripts
Initialize a new skill — invoke at Step 1 when creating a new skill directory (not when editing an existing file):
python3 ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/create-skill/scripts/init_skill.py <name> --path <dir> [--resources scripts,references,assets] [--examples]
Exit 0 = directory created, proceed to Step 2. Exit 1 = naming collision; ask user whether to overwrite or rename.
Validate a skill — invoke at Step 6 before delivering:
python3 ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/create-skill/scripts/validate_skill.py <skill-directory> --output json
Exit 0 = proceed to Phase 3. Exit 1 = parse errors array; resolve all critical and major items before writing.
Package for distribution — invoke only when user explicitly requests a distributable file:
python3 ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/create-skill/scripts/package_skill.py <skill-directory> [output-dir]
Exit 0 = .skill file created at output path. Exit 1 = validation failed; read stdout for details.
Degrees of Freedom
Match instruction specificity to the task's fragility and variability:
| Level | When to Use | Format |
|---|
| High freedom | Multiple valid approaches, context-dependent decisions | Text instructions, heuristics |
| Medium freedom | Preferred pattern exists, some variation acceptable | Pseudocode, scripts with parameters |
| Low freedom | Fragile operations, consistency critical, specific sequence required | Exact scripts, few parameters |
Quality Standards
Format Economy:
- Simple task → direct instruction, no sections
- Moderate task → light organization with headers
- Complex task → full semantic structure
Balance Flexibility with Precision:
- Loose enough for creative exploration
- Tight enough to prevent ambiguity
Remove ruthlessly: Filler phrases, obvious implications, redundant framing, excessive politeness
Validation Checklist
Before finalizing a skill or command:
Structure:
Description Quality:
Content Quality:
Progressive Disclosure:
Testing:
Error Handling
| Issue | Action |
|---|
| Unclear requirements | Ask clarifying questions |
| Missing context | Request examples or constraints |
| Path issues | Verify directory exists, create with confirmation |
| Type unclear | Default to skill if auto-triggering desired |
Execute phases sequentially. Always fetch current documentation first.
