skill-create

name	skill-create
version	3.0.0
description	[Skill Management] Use when you need to create new Claude Code skills or scan/fix invalid skill headers.
disable-model-invocation	true

Quick Summary

Goal: Create new Claude Code skills with proper structure or scan/fix invalid skill headers across the catalog.

Workflow:

1. Clarify — Gather purpose, trigger keywords, tools needed via AskUserQuestion
2. Check Existing — Glob for similar skills, avoid duplication
3. Scaffold — Create directory + SKILL.md with frontmatter + Quick Summary
4. Add SYNC blocks — Include relevant protocol checklists from sync-inline-versions.md
5. Validate — Run frontmatter + header validation
6. Enhance — Call /prompt-enhance on the new SKILL.md for attention anchoring quality

Key Rules:

• Every SKILL.md MUST ATTENTION include ## Quick Summary (Goal/Workflow/Key Rules) within first 30 lines
• Single-line description with [Category] prefix and trigger keywords
• SKILL.md under 500 lines; use references/ for detail
• Shared protocols MUST ATTENTION be inlined via <!-- SYNC:tag --> blocks, NEVER file references
• MUST ATTENTION call /prompt-enhance on new/updated skills as final quality pass

Modes

Mode	Trigger	Action
Create	$ARGUMENTS describes a new skill	Create skill following workflow below
Scan & Fix	$ARGUMENTS mentions scan, fix, validate, invalid	Run validation across all skills

SKILL.md Schema Reference

Frontmatter Fields (all optional)

---
name: my-skill # Lowercase, hyphens. Max 64 chars. Default: directory name.
description: '[Category] What it does. Triggers on: keyword1, keyword2.' # MUST ATTENTION be single-line
argument-hint: '[issue-number]' # Autocomplete hint for arguments
disable-model-invocation: false # true = user-only (/name), Claude cannot auto-invoke
user-invocable: true # false = hidden from / menu, Claude-only auto-invoke
context: inline # inline (default) or fork (isolated subagent)
agent: general-purpose # Subagent type when context: fork
model: inherit-4-5 # Model override. Default: session model
version: 1.0.0 # Project convention (non-official)
---

Invocation Control Matrix

Setting	User Invokes	Claude Invokes	Description
Default	Yes	Yes	Description in context; loads on invocation
disable-model-invocation: true	Yes	No	User-only. Not in context until invoked
user-invocable: false	No	Yes	Hidden from menu. Claude auto-invokes

Variable Substitution

Variable	Description
$ARGUMENTS	All arguments passed to skill
$ARGUMENTS[N] / $N	Specific argument by 0-based index
${CLAUDE_SESSION_ID}	Current session ID
!`command`	Execute shell command before skill runs

Key Rules

• Single-line description (multi-line YAML breaks catalog parsing)
• Include trigger keywords in description for auto-activation
• Use [Category] prefix (e.g., [Frontend], [Planning], [AI & Tools])
• SKILL.md under 500 lines; use references/ for detail
• Descriptions loaded at 2% of context window (~16,000 chars)
• Include "ultrathink" in skill content to enable extended thinking mode

Mode 1: Create Skill

Workflow

1. Clarify — If requirements unclear, use AskUserQuestion for: purpose, auto vs user-invoked, trigger keywords, tools needed
2. Check Existing — Glob .claude/skills/*/SKILL.md for similar skills. Avoid duplication.
3. Create Directory — .claude/skills/{skill-name}/SKILL.md
4. Write Frontmatter — Follow schema from ## SKILL.md Schema Reference section above
5. Write Instructions — Concise, actionable, progressive disclosure
6. Add SYNC Blocks — Identify which shared protocols apply to this skill. Read .claude/skills/shared/sync-inline-versions.md and copy relevant <!-- SYNC:tag --> blocks inline. Common protocols: understand-code-first, evidence-based-reasoning, output-quality-principles
7. Add Closing Reminders — Echo top rules at bottom with :reminder SYNC blocks for recency anchoring
8. Add References — Move detailed docs to references/ directory if content >200 lines
9. Add Scripts — Create scripts/ for executable helpers if needed
10. Validate — Run frontmatter validation (see Mode 2 single-file check)
11. Enhance — Call /prompt-enhance on the finished SKILL.md for AI attention anchoring quality

Frontmatter Template

---
name: { kebab-case-name }
description: '[Category] What it does. Triggers on: keyword1, keyword2.'
---

Skill Attention Structure (MUST ATTENTION follow)

[Frontmatter]
[SYNC protocol blocks — top attention zone]
[## Quick Summary — Goal/Workflow/Key Rules]
[Detailed instructions — middle zone]
[## Closing Reminders — bottom attention zone with :reminder SYNC blocks]

Why: AI attention is strongest at TOP and BOTTOM (primacy-recency effect). Place critical rules in both zones. See /prompt-enhance for research-backed principles.

SYNC Tag Protocol for New Skills

1. Read .claude/skills/shared/sync-inline-versions.md — canonical source for all protocol checklists
2. Identify which protocols the skill needs (e.g., investigation skills need understand-code-first + evidence-based-reasoning)
3. Copy the checklist content between <!-- SYNC:tag --> open/close tags at the TOP of the skill
4. Add 1-line :reminder versions at the BOTTOM inside Closing Reminders
5. NEVER use MUST ATTENTION READ shared/ file references — always inline

Rules

• SKILL.md is instructions, not documentation. Teach Claude HOW to do the task.
• Single-line description (multi-line YAML breaks catalog parsing)
• Description must include trigger keywords for auto-activation
• Use [Category] prefix in description (e.g., [Frontend], [Planning], [AI & Tools])
• Keep SKILL.md under 500 lines; use references/ for detail
• Progressive disclosure: frontmatter → SKILL.md summary → reference files
• Token efficiency: every line must earn its place

Mode 2: Scan & Fix Invalid Skills

What It Validates

Check	Rule	Severity
Frontmatter exists	Must have --- delimiters	Error
Description single-line	No literal newlines in description value	Error
Description not empty	Must have description for discoverability	Warning
Name format	Lowercase, hyphens, max 64 chars	Error
No unknown official fields	Flag fields not in official schema	Info
Description has category	Should start with [Category]	Warning
File size	SKILL.md should be <500 lines	Warning
Quick Summary exists	Must have ## Quick Summary in first 30 lines	Warning
SYNC tag balance	Every open tag must have matching close tag	Error

Scan Workflow

1. Discover — Glob .claude/skills/*/SKILL.md for all skills
2. Parse — Read first 20 lines of each file, extract frontmatter
3. Validate — Check each rule above
4. Report — List issues grouped by severity (Error > Warning > Info)
5. Fix — If user confirms, fix Error-level issues automatically

Validate Script

node .claude/skills/skill-create/scripts/validate-skills.cjs          # Report only
node .claude/skills/skill-create/scripts/validate-skills.cjs --fix    # Report + auto-fix

Requirements

$ARGUMENTS

---

[IMPORTANT] Use TaskCreate to break ALL work into small tasks BEFORE starting.

Critical Thinking Mindset — Apply critical thinking, sequential thinking. Every claim needs traced proof, confidence >80% to act. Anti-hallucination: Never present guess as fact — cite sources for every claim, admit uncertainty freely, self-check output for errors, cross-reference independently, stay skeptical of own confidence — certainty without evidence root of all hallucination.

Shared Protocol Duplication Policy — Inline protocol content in skills (wrapped in <!-- SYNC:tag -->) is INTENTIONAL duplication. Do NOT extract, deduplicate, or replace with file references. AI compliance drops significantly when protocols are behind file-read indirection. To update: edit .claude/skills/shared/sync-inline-versions.md first, then grep SYNC:protocol-name and update all occurrences.

Output Quality — Token efficiency without sacrificing quality.

1. No inventories/counts — AI can grep | wc -l. Counts go stale instantly
2. No directory trees — AI can glob/ls. Use 1-line path conventions
3. No TOCs — AI reads linearly. TOC wastes tokens
4. No examples that repeat what rules say — one example only if non-obvious
5. Lead with answer, not reasoning. Skip filler words and preamble
6. Sacrifice grammar for concision in reports
7. Unresolved questions at end, if any

AI Mistake Prevention — Failure modes to avoid on every task:

Check downstream references before deleting. Deleting components causes documentation and code staleness cascades. Map all referencing files before removal. Verify AI-generated content against actual code. AI hallucinates APIs, class names, and method signatures. Always grep to confirm existence before documenting or referencing. Trace full dependency chain after edits. Changing a definition misses downstream variables and consumers derived from it. Always trace the full chain. Trace ALL code paths when verifying correctness. Confirming code exists is not confirming it executes. Always trace early exits, error branches, and conditional skips — not just happy path. When debugging, ask "whose responsibility?" before fixing. Trace whether bug is in caller (wrong data) or callee (wrong handling). Fix at responsible layer — never patch symptom site. Assume existing values are intentional — ask WHY before changing. Before changing any constant, limit, flag, or pattern: read comments, check git blame, examine surrounding code. Verify ALL affected outputs, not just the first. Changes touching multiple stacks require verifying EVERY output. One green check is not all green checks. Holistic-first debugging — resist nearest-attention trap. When investigating any failure, list EVERY precondition first (config, env vars, DB names, endpoints, DI registrations, data preconditions), then verify each against evidence before forming any code-layer hypothesis. Surgical changes — apply the diff test. Bug fix: every changed line must trace directly to the bug. Don't restyle or improve adjacent code. Enhancement task: implement improvements AND announce them explicitly. Surface ambiguity before coding — don't pick silently. If request has multiple interpretations, present each with effort estimate and ask. Never assume all-records, file-based, or more complex path.

IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION follow duplication policy: inline protocols are INTENTIONAL, never extract to file references

IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION follow output quality principles: token efficiency, lead with answer, no filler

MUST ATTENTION apply critical thinking — every claim needs traced proof, confidence >80% to act. Anti-hallucination: never present guess as fact.

MUST ATTENTION apply AI mistake prevention — holistic-first debugging, fix at responsible layer, surface ambiguity before coding, re-read files after compaction.

Closing Reminders

IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION break work into small todo tasks using TaskCreate BEFORE starting IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION inline shared protocols via <!-- SYNC:tag --> blocks — NEVER use MUST ATTENTION READ shared/ file references IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION call /prompt-enhance on new/updated skills as final attention-anchoring quality pass IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION include ## Quick Summary within first 30 lines of every SKILL.md IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION add Closing Reminders section with :reminder SYNC blocks at bottom of every skill IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION follow SKILL.md Schema Reference (inlined above) for official frontmatter fields

[TASK-PLANNING] Before acting, analyze task scope and systematically break it into small todo tasks and sub-tasks using TaskCreate.