skill-factory

name	skill-factory
description	Generate production-ready Claude skills from templates. Covers all 5 workflow patterns (sequential, multi-service, iterative, smart-router, domain-expert) and 3 categories (document, workflow, MCP). Use when user says "create a skill", "new skill", "build a skill", "skill template", or "generate SKILL.md".

Skill Factory

Generate production-ready skills from battle-tested templates.

Step 1: Identify Use Case

Ask the user ONE question:

• "What workflow do you want to automate? Describe the trigger and expected outcome."

Then classify into:

Category	Signal	Template
Document/Asset	"generate", "create report", "build page"	references/template-doc-generator.md
Workflow Automation	"process", "pipeline", "multi-step"	references/template-workflow-automator.md
MCP Enhancement	"integrate with [service]", "use [tool] API"	references/template-mcp-enhancer.md

Step 2: Choose Architecture

First decide: is the workflow predictable or open-ended? See references/architecture-patterns.md for the full decision framework.

Predictable?	Architecture	Anthropic Pattern
YES, fixed steps	Prompt Chaining	Workflow
YES, input-dependent routing	Routing	Workflow
YES, independent subtasks	Parallelization	Workflow
PARTIALLY, dynamic decomposition	Orchestrator-Workers	Workflow
PARTIALLY, quality via iteration	Evaluator-Optimizer	Workflow
NO, open-ended	Autonomous Agent	Agent

Step 3: Select Skill Template

Match to content template:

Pattern	When	Template
Sequential / Chaining	Steps must run in order	references/template-sequential.md
Multi-Service / Parallel	Spans 2+ services or independent subtasks	references/template-multi-service.md
Iterative / Eval-Optimizer	Output improves with loops	references/template-iterative.md
Smart Router / Routing	Same goal, different tools by context	references/template-smart-router.md
Domain Expert	Specialized knowledge beyond tool access	references/template-domain-expert.md

Step 4: Generate SKILL.md

1. Read the selected template from references/
2. Replace ALL placeholders (marked with {{...}})
3. Write SKILL.md to ~/.claude/skills/{{skill-name}}/SKILL.md
4. If the skill needs reference docs, create references/ subfolder

Step 5: Validate

Run validation checklist from references/quality-checklist.md:

1. File named exactly SKILL.md (case-sensitive)
2. Folder named in kebab-case
3. YAML frontmatter has --- delimiters
4. name field: kebab-case, no spaces, no capitals
5. description includes WHAT + WHEN (trigger phrases)
6. No XML angle brackets in frontmatter
7. Instructions are specific and actionable
8. Error handling included
9. Examples provided

Step 6: Test Plan

Generate test cases:

Should trigger:
- "[exact phrase user would say]"
- "[paraphrased version]"
- "[related task]"

Should NOT trigger:
- "[unrelated but similar topic]"
- "[too broad query]"

Composable Agent Pattern

If the skill needs a dedicated agent, create ~/.claude/agents/{{agent-name}}.md:

---
name: {{agent-name}}
description: {{what + when}}
tools: {{minimal tool list}}
model: {{haiku|sonnet|opus based on complexity}}
---

[Agent system prompt - keep under 80 lines]

Routing guide:

• haiku: search, format, validate, simple transforms
• sonnet: code review, analysis, refactor, testing
• opus: architecture, deep debug, security, ambiguous tasks

Rules

1. Every generated skill MUST have trigger phrases in description
2. Keep SKILL.md under 5000 words - use references/ for details
3. Instructions use bullet points and numbered lists, not prose
4. Include error handling section with common failure modes
5. Add negative triggers if scope is narrow ("Do NOT use for...")
6. Critical instructions go at TOP with ## headers