Skill Activation Patterns Skill

Skill Activation Patterns

Automatic skill suggestions based on user prompt keywords.

Two Scopes

| Scope | Location | Purpose | Who Sets It | |-------|----------|---------|-------------| | Plugin-level | $CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT/.claude/skills/skill-rules.json | Plugin recommends its own skills | Plugin author | | Project-level | $CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR/.claude/skills/skill-rules.json | User configures for their project | End user |

Plugin-level (Recommended for plugins with multiple skills)

Plugins with related skills SHOULD include skill-activation to help users discover relevant skills:

my-plugin/
├── hooks/hooks.json              ← UserPromptSubmit hook
├── scripts/skill-activation.py   ← Hook script
├── .claude/skills/skill-rules.json  ← Plugin's own rules
└── skills/
    ├── skill-a/
    └── skill-b/

Example: skillmaker uses plugin-level activation to suggest skill-design when user mentions "create skill".

Project-level (User-configured)

Users can add skill-activation to their own projects independently:

my-project/
├── .claude/
│   └── skills/
│       └── skill-rules.json   ← User's rules
└── settings.json              ← UserPromptSubmit hook

Quick Start

Create .claude/skills/skill-rules.json
Add UserPromptSubmit hook
Hook reads rules, matches triggers, suggests skills

Core Concept

User Prompt → [Hook] → skill-rules.json → Match triggers → Suggest skills

skill-rules.json (Minimal)

{
  "version": "1.0",
  "skills": {
    "backend-patterns": {
      "type": "domain",
      "enforcement": "suggest",
      "promptTriggers": {
        "keywords": ["backend", "API"]
      }
    }
  }
}

Skill Types

| Type | Purpose | |------|---------| | domain | Expertise/knowledge | | guardrail | Enforce standards |

Enforcement Levels

| Level | Behavior | |-------|----------| | suggest | Recommend | | warn | Allow + warning | | block | Must use skill |

Best Practices

Start with suggest - Don't block until proven
Specific keywords - Avoid generic over-triggering
Test regex - Verify no false positives
Use skipConditions - Allow escape hatch

References

Full Schema - Complete skill-rules.json spec
Hook Implementation - TypeScript/Bash code
Real Examples - Production configs

Agent Skills: Skill Activation Patterns

Install this agent skill to your local

Skill Files