Skillshub Workflow Writing Standard

Rules for writing concise, token-efficient workflow and skill files. Prevents over-building that requires costly optimization passes.

install
source · Clone the upstream repo
git clone https://github.com/ComeOnOliver/skillshub
Claude Code · Install into ~/.claude/skills/
T=$(mktemp -d) && git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/ComeOnOliver/skillshub "$T" && mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && cp -r "$T/skills/HoangNguyen0403/agent-skills-standard/workflow-writing" ~/.claude/skills/comeonoliver-skillshub-workflow-writing-standard && rm -rf "$T"
manifest: skills/HoangNguyen0403/agent-skills-standard/workflow-writing/SKILL.md
source content

Workflow Writing Standard

Priority: P0 (CRITICAL)

Core Rules

  • Templates, not examples: Workflows define structure, not pre-filled data. The agent generates data at runtime.
  • No example rows in tables: Include headers + 1 skeleton row only. Never populate with fake data.
  • No prose explanations: If a bullet or command achieves the same result, delete the paragraph.
  • No pre-answered questions: Don't document what the agent will output — let it output it.
  • Merge sequential steps: If two steps always happen together, they are one step.

Size Limits

File typeLimitIf exceeded
Workflow
.md
80 linesExtract detail to
references/
SKILL.md100 linesExtract examples to
references/
Table rows8Extract to
references/
Inline code block10 linesExtract to
references/

Workflow Structure (Required order)

1. Goal (1 sentence)
2. Steps (imperative verb → command or checklist)
3. Output template (headers only, no pre-filled rows)

Anti-Patterns

  • No verbose step preambles:
    "Before we start, it's important to understand..."
    → Delete
  • No pre-filled report rows:
    | Security | P0 | ✅ PASS | CLIENT_ID moved to env |
    → Delete
  • No repeated examples: Same concept shown twice in different formats → Keep one
  • No "How to do X" sections: The step IS the instruction
  • No caution blocks for obvious rules: Reserve
    > ⚠️
    for genuinely non-obvious risks

Quick Self-Check Before Saving

  • Can the agent reconstruct any removed content at runtime from context? If yes → remove it
  • Is every table row real structure, not example data?
  • Are there any paragraphs a bullet list could replace?
  • Would cutting this in half still give the agent enough to act on?