Skill Creator+
Design and review reusable skills that trigger reliably and stay lean.
Decision Flow
Start by deciding whether the user really needs a skill.
| Need | Use | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------- | | Reusable multi-step workflow with bundled scripts, references, or templates | Skill | | Single focused slash task with parameterized input | Prompt | | Always-on or file-scoped guidance | Instruction | | Persona, tool restrictions, delegation, or handoffs | Custom Agent | | Deterministic enforcement or lifecycle automation | Hook |
If the answer is not Skill, stop and create the right primitive instead.
上表は「skill にすべきか」の即時ゲート。primitive 選択の詳細 SSOT は agentic-workflow-guide skill。
→ references/customization-primitives.md for the full selection guide
When to Use
- Create skill, /create-skill, new skill, review skill, fix skill trigger, SKILL.md, workflow, スキル作成
- Creating a new skill from scratch
- Extracting a repeated workflow from a conversation, incident, or checklist
- Updating or refactoring an existing skill
- Reviewing existing SKILL.md files
- Deciding whether a customization should be a skill before authoring it
Start Here
- Extract the workflow you want to package.
- Clarify only the missing dimensions: target outcome, personal vs workspace scope, checklist vs full workflow.
- Draft the smallest useful SKILL.md, then move detail into references.
Core Principles
| Principle | Description | | -------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Concise is Key | Context window is shared. Only add what Claude doesn't already know. | | Discovery First | The description is the routing surface. Triggers must be explicit. | | Degrees of Freedom | Match specificity to task fragility (high/medium/low freedom) | | Progressive Disclosure | Split into 3 levels: Metadata → Body → References | | Integrate Before Add | Update, merge, or replace existing guidance before appending more. | | Right Primitive | A good skill is not a fallback for prompt/agent/instruction design. | | Scope Before File | Decide workspace vs profile before creating anything. | | Self-Contained | The skill must carry its own knowledge. Bundle into references/scripts; do not just link to workspace files (instructions, memory, ledgers) that die when copied elsewhere. Abstract env-specific values (paths, names) into args/config. |
Default assumption: Claude is already very smart. Challenge each piece: "Does this justify its token cost?"
Before adding a new section, ask whether it can replace an existing rule, move to references/, or be dropped as session-specific.
Skill Structure
→ references/skill-structure.md for locations, frontmatter, and bundled resource rules
skill-name/
├── SKILL.md (required) # Lean overview + decision points
├── scripts/ # Deterministic helpers
├── references/ # Load on demand
└── assets/ # Templates and reusable outputs
→ See skill-structure.md > What NOT to Include for excluded files.
Creation Process
→ references/creation-process.md for the end-to-end workflow
| Step | Action | | ---- | ----------------------------------------------------- | | 0 | Choose primitive + scope (skill vs prompt/agent/etc.) | | 1 | Extract the workflow from the conversation or examples | | 2 | Plan reusable contents (scripts/references/assets) | | 3 | Initialize or refactor the skill folder | | 4 | Write SKILL.md and implement resources | | 5 | Validate frontmatter, structure, and trigger quality | | 6 | Test on real prompt patterns and iterate |
Clarify if Needed
- What outcome should this skill produce?
- Should it live in workspace scope or personal scope?
- Is a short checklist enough, or does it need a full multi-step workflow?
Refactor Order
When improving an existing skill, use this order:
- Delete stale or low-value guidance
- Merge duplicate rules
- Move long detail to
references/ - Add genuinely missing guidance last
Frontmatter and Triggering
Use the smallest viable frontmatter: name, description, and only behavior-changing optional fields. name must match the folder and description must include trigger conditions.
Frontmatter details and silent failures: references/common-pitfalls.md
SKILL.md Guidelines
Keep SKILL.md lean: <150 lines is good, >300 lines must split to references. Start When to Use with user phrases, keep essential workflow only, and push long examples / schemas / recipes to references.
Detailed review criteria: references/skill-review-checklist.md
Iteration Loop
- Draft the skill and save it.
- Identify the weakest or most ambiguous parts.
- Tighten those parts, then summarize what the skill produces and example prompts to try.
Review Checklist
Use references/skill-review-checklist.md. For bloat review, use references/skill-bloat-review.md.
Key References
| Topic | Reference | | ----------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Primitive Choice | references/customization-primitives.md | | Skill Structure | references/skill-structure.md | | Structure Gallery | references/skill-structure-gallery.md | | Creation Process | references/creation-process.md | | Review Checklist | references/skill-review-checklist.md | | Bloat Review | references/skill-bloat-review.md | | Common Pitfalls | references/common-pitfalls.md | | Workflows | references/workflows.md | | Output Patterns | references/output-patterns.md |
Done Criteria
- [ ] Request is confirmed to be a skill, not another primitive
- [ ] Scope is decided before file creation
- [ ] SKILL.md created and under 150 lines
- [ ] Frontmatter has name + description with trigger conditions
- [ ] Manually used skills have
argument-hint - [ ]
user-invocableis set intentionally - [ ] Optional fields are added only when they change behavior
- [ ] Details moved to references/ (Progressive Disclosure)
- [ ] Self-Contained: no hard reference to other skills / workspace files; env-specific values (paths, customer names, tenant IDs) abstracted
- [ ] Review checklist passed