para-skill-governance

name	PARA Skill Governance
description	Governance skill for creating and validating PARA skills via Co-Author engine
source	catalog

PARA Skill — Governance & Co-Author Engine

Version: 1.0.0 | Kernel min: 1.7.6 | Type: Governance Skill Companion workflow: /para-skill (workflows/para-skill.md)

This skill governs the quality standards, naming conventions, and creation framework for all AI Agent skills within a PARA Workspace. It serves as the Sidecar companion to the /para-skill workflow — the workflow handles step-by-step logic, while this skill provides the governance rules and data resources the workflow needs.

---

1. Installation & Usage

Installation: This skill is designed to be installed via the workspace catalog. Run the following command in your PARA workspace:

/para-skill install para-skill

Usage: Run the companion workflow to access the Co-Author engine:

/para-skill add "my-new-skill"

2. Co-Author Principles

When the /para-skill add workflow is invoked, Agent MUST follow these principles:

1. Draft-First, Not Interview-First. Scan context silently (project.md, rules, existing skills), then present a complete draft for user review. Do NOT ask individual questions one by one.
2. Quality Gate Before User Review. Self-check the draft against the Quality Checklist (§3 Router) BEFORE presenting to the user. Never show a draft that violates D1-D4, C1-C2, or W1-W3.
3. Respect Project DNA. If the project has custom rules (naming, language, conventions), the skill MUST reflect those constraints — not generic boilerplate.

3. Skill Quality Standards

Naming Convention

Element	Rule	Example
Directory	kebab-case, matches skill purpose	page-map/
Entry file	Always SKILL.md (uppercase)	SKILL.md
Frontmatter	MUST have description field	description: ...

Structure Convention

.agents/skills/[name]/
├── SKILL.md              ← Entry point (MUST exist)
├── scripts/              ← Optional helper scripts
└── references/           ← Optional data files, templates

Size Constraint

• SKILL.md SHOULD be under 500 lines (Kernel Heuristic).
• If content exceeds 500 lines, split into SKILL.md (core) + references/ (data).

4. Resource Router

Agent reads this table to locate data files needed by the /para-skill workflow.

Resource	Relative Path	Description
Quality Checklist	references/skill-quality-checklist.md	Validation checklist (D1-D4, C1-C2, W1-W3)
Project Profile Tmpl	references/templates/project-profile.md	Template for project DNA skills
Tool Skill Tmpl	references/templates/tool-skill.md	Template for utility/automation skills

Path resolution: All paths are relative to this skill's directory (.agents/skills/para-skill/).

Agent MUST use the Router Table above to find resources, NOT hardcoded paths or legacy workflows/para-skill/ locations (which no longer exist).

5. Validation Rules

When running /para-skill validate [name], check against these criteria:

• SKILL.md exists with valid YAML frontmatter (description field present)
• File is under 500 lines
• Contains actionable instructions (not just metadata)
• No placeholder text ([TBD], TODO, FIXME) in production skills
• Trigger description is specific enough for index matching

6. Architecture Note — Sidecar Pattern

workflows/para-skill.md     ← LOGIC ONLY (step-by-step actions)
skills/para-skill/
├── SKILL.md                ← GOVERNANCE (this file: rules + router)
└── references/             ← DATA (templates, checklists)

Why Sidecar? Workflow files should contain only sequential logic. All supporting data (templates, checklists, examples) belongs in the companion skill directory. This separation reduces token waste (workflow doesn't load data it may not need) and prevents directory pollution in the workflows/ namespace.

⚠️ Legacy note: Prior to v1.7.6.3, data files were stored in workflows/para-skill/ (a subfolder within workflows). This has been migrated to skills/para-skill/references/. Any references to the old location are obsolete.

7. Integration with /plan (v1.7.12)

When /plan create Step 5 (Design Architecture) involves creating a new Sidecar Skill:

1. Agent MUST load this skill (para-skill/SKILL.md) to get structure standards (§2).
2. The plan MUST include the Sidecar directory tree in its Architecture Overview:

   skills/[name]/
   ├── SKILL.md              ← Router + When to Load
   └── references/           ← Data files (templates, checklists)
   

3. The plan MUST include tasks for:
   • Creating SKILL.md with Router Table
   • Creating data files in references/
   • Registering trigger in skills.md workspace index
   • Adding entry to skills/catalog.yml