Skill Writer

Use this as the single canonical workflow for skill creation and improvement. Primary success condition: maximize high-value input coverage before authoring so the resulting skill has minimal blind spots.

Load only the path(s) required for the task:

references/mode-selection.md

references/design-principles.md

references/skill-patterns.md

references/workflow-patterns.md

references/output-patterns.md

references/mode-selection.md

references/examples/*.md

references/synthesis-path.md

references/authoring-path.md

references/description-optimization.md

references/iteration-path.md

references/evaluation-path.md

references/registration-validation.md

Step 1: Resolve target and path

1. Resolve target skill root and intended operation (

   create

   ,

   update

   ,

   synthesize

   ,

   iterate

   ).
2. Distinguish skill-internal paths from repo registration paths:
   • inside a skill, reference bundled files relative to that skill root (for example

     references/foo.md

     ,

     scripts/check.py

     )
   • for repository registration edits, use the repository's actual canonical files/locations after inspecting the workspace
3. Read

   references/mode-selection.md

   and select the required path(s).
4. Classify the skill (

   workflow-process

   ,

   integration-documentation

   ,

   security-review

   ,

   skill-authoring

   ,

   generic

   ).
5. Ask one direct question if class or depth requirements are ambiguous; otherwise state explicit assumptions.

Step 2: Run synthesis when needed

Read

references/synthesis-path.md

1. Collect and score relevant sources with provenance.
2. Apply trust and safety rules when ingesting external content.
3. Produce source-backed decisions and coverage/gap status.
4. Load one or more profiles from

   references/examples/*.md

   when the skill is hybrid.
5. Enforce baseline source pack for skill-authoring workflows.
6. Enforce depth gates before moving to authoring.

Step 3: Run iteration first when improving from outcomes/examples

Read

references/iteration-path.md

iteration

iterate

1. Capture and anonymize examples with provenance.
2. Re-evaluate skill behavior against working and holdout slices.
3. Propose improvements from positive/negative/fix evidence.
4. Carry concrete behavior deltas into authoring.

Skip this step when selected path does not include

iteration

Step 4: Author or update skill artifacts

Read

references/authoring-path.md

1. Write or update

   SKILL.md

   in imperative voice with trigger-rich description.
2. Create focused reference files and scripts only when justified.
3. Follow

   references/skill-patterns.md

   ,

   references/workflow-patterns.md

   , and

   references/output-patterns.md

   for structure and output determinism.
4. For authoring/generator skills, include transformed examples in references:
   • happy-path
   • secure/robust variant
   • anti-pattern + corrected version

Step 5: Optimize description quality

Read

references/description-optimization.md

1. Validate should-trigger and should-not-trigger query sets.
2. Reduce false positives and false negatives with targeted description edits.
3. Keep trigger language generic across providers unless the skill is intentionally provider-specific.

Step 6: Evaluate outcomes

Read

references/evaluation-path.md

1. Run a lightweight qualitative check by default (recommended).
2. For integration/documentation and skill-authoring skills, include the concise depth rubric from

   references/evaluation-path.md

   .
3. Run deeper eval playbook and quantitative baseline-vs-with-skill only when requested or risk warrants it.
4. Record outcomes and unresolved risks.

Step 7: Register and validate

Read

references/registration-validation.md

1. Apply repository registration steps for the active layout you verified in the workspace.
2. Run quick validation with strict depth gates.
3. Reject shallow outputs that fail depth gates or required artifact checks.

Output format

Return:

1. Summary

2. Changes Made

3. Validation Results

4. Open Gaps