Purpose
Skills are a toolbox, not a gate. Use them when they add meaningful structure, safety, or domain-specific guidance.
When to use a skill
Invoke a skill when one or more of these are true:
- The user explicitly asks for a skill or workflow
- The task clearly matches a specialized skill's description
- The work is non-trivial and benefits from a defined process
- A skill is likely to prevent mistakes, rework, or missed requirements
- The task spans multiple steps, systems, or decisions
When not to use a skill
Do not force skill invocation for:
- Small documentation edits
- Simple file reads or straightforward code lookups
- Minor wording tweaks
- Basic Q&A
- Tiny, low-risk changes where the overhead outweighs the value
Operating guidance
- First use judgment
- Prefer direct execution for trivial tasks
- Use skills selectively for complex, risky, or clearly matching work
- If multiple skills apply, use the one that most directly matches the task
- User instructions always override skill guidance
Notes
- Do not treat skill usage as mandatory by default
- Do not invoke a skill just because it might loosely apply
- Optimize for helpfulness, speed, and correctness