workflow-skill-designer

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Meta-skill for designing orchestrator+phases structured workflow skills. Creates SKILL.md coordinator with progressive phase loading, TodoWrite patterns, and data flow. Triggers on "design workflow skill", "create workflow skill", "workflow skill designer".

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NPX Install

npx skill4agent add catlog22/claude-code-workflow workflow-skill-designer

Workflow Skill Designer

Meta-skill for creating structured workflow skills following the orchestrator + phases pattern. Generates complete skill packages with SKILL.md as coordinator and phases/ folder for execution details.

Architecture Overview

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Workflow Skill Designer                                         │
│  → Analyze requirements → Design orchestrator → Generate phases  │
└───────────────┬─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
    ┌───────────┼───────────┬───────────┐
    ↓           ↓           ↓           ↓
┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐
│ Phase 1 │ │ Phase 2 │ │ Phase 3 │ │ Phase 4 │
│ Require │ │  Orch   │ │ Phases  │ │ Valid   │
│ Analysis│ │ Design  │ │ Design  │ │ & Integ │
└─────────┘ └─────────┘ └─────────┘ └─────────┘
     ↓           ↓           ↓           ↓
  workflow    SKILL.md    phases/     Complete
  config     generated   0N-*.md     skill pkg

Target Output Structure

The skill this meta-skill produces follows this structure:
.claude/skills/{skill-name}/
├── SKILL.md                    # Orchestrator: coordination, data flow, TodoWrite
├── phases/
│   ├── 01-{phase-name}.md      # Phase execution detail (full content)
│   ├── 02-{phase-name}.md
│   ├── ...
│   └── 0N-{phase-name}.md
├── specs/                      # [Optional] Domain specifications
└── templates/                  # [Optional] Reusable templates

Core Design Patterns

Patterns extracted from successful workflow skill implementations (workflow-plan, project-analyze, etc.):

Pattern 1: Orchestrator + Progressive Loading

SKILL.md = Pure coordinator. Contains:
  • Architecture diagram (ASCII)
  • Execution flow with
    Ref: phases/0N-xxx.md
    markers
  • Phase Reference Documents table (read on-demand)
  • Data flow between phases
  • Core rules and error handling
Phase files = Full execution detail. Contains:
  • Complete agent prompts, bash commands, code implementations
  • Validation checklists, error handling
  • Input/Output specification
  • Next Phase link
Key Rule: SKILL.md references phase docs via
Ref:
markers. Phase docs are read only when that phase executes, not all at once.

Pattern 2: TodoWrite Attachment/Collapse

Phase starts:
  → Sub-tasks ATTACHED to TodoWrite (in_progress + pending)
  → Orchestrator executes sub-tasks sequentially

Phase ends:
  → Sub-tasks COLLAPSED back to high-level summary (completed)
  → Next phase begins

Pattern 3: Inter-Phase Data Flow

Phase N output → stored in memory/variable → Phase N+1 input
                  └─ or written to session file for persistence
Each phase receives outputs from prior phases via:
  • In-memory variables (sessionId, contextPath, etc.)
  • Session directory files (.workflow/active/{sessionId}/...)
  • Planning notes (accumulated constraints document)

Pattern 4: Conditional Phase Execution

Phase N output contains condition flag
  ├─ condition met → Execute Phase N+1
  └─ condition not met → Skip to Phase N+2

Pattern 5: Input Structuring

User input (free text) → Structured format before Phase 1:
GOAL: [objective]
SCOPE: [boundaries]
CONTEXT: [background/constraints]

Execution Flow

Phase 1: Requirements Analysis
   └─ Ref: phases/01-requirements-analysis.md
      ├─ Input source: commands, descriptions, user interaction
      └─ Output: workflowConfig (phases, data flow, agents, conditions)

Phase 2: Orchestrator Design (SKILL.md)
   └─ Ref: phases/02-orchestrator-design.md
      ├─ Input: workflowConfig
      └─ Output: .claude/skills/{name}/SKILL.md

Phase 3: Phase Files Design
   └─ Ref: phases/03-phase-design.md
      ├─ Input: workflowConfig + source content
      └─ Output: .claude/skills/{name}/phases/0N-*.md

Phase 4: Validation & Integration
   └─ Ref: phases/04-validation.md
      └─ Output: Validated skill package
Phase Reference Documents (read on-demand):
PhaseDocumentPurpose
1phases/01-requirements-analysis.mdAnalyze workflow requirements from various sources
2phases/02-orchestrator-design.mdGenerate SKILL.md with orchestration patterns
3phases/03-phase-design.mdGenerate phase files preserving full execution detail
4phases/04-validation.mdValidate structure, references, and integration

Input Sources

This meta-skill accepts workflow definitions from multiple sources:
SourceDescriptionExample
Existing commandsConvert
.claude/commands/
orchestrator + sub-commands
plan.md
+
session/start.md
+
tools/*.md
Text descriptionUser describes workflow in natural language"Create a 3-phase code review workflow"
Requirements docStructured requirements file
requirements.md
with phases/agents/outputs
Existing skillRefactor/redesign an existing skillRestructure a flat skill into phases

Frontmatter Conversion Rules

When converting from command format to skill format:
Command FieldSkill FieldTransformation
name
name
Prefix with group:
plan
workflow-plan
description
description
Append trigger phrase:
Triggers on "xxx"
argument-hint
(removed)Arguments handled in Input Processing section
examples
(removed)Examples moved to inline documentation
allowed-tools
allowed-tools
Expand wildcards:
Skill(*)
Skill
, add commonly needed tools
group
(removed)Embedded in
name
prefix

Orchestrator Content Mapping

What goes into SKILL.md vs what goes into phase files:

SKILL.md (Coordinator)

SectionContentSource
Frontmattername, description, allowed-toolsCommand frontmatter (converted)
Architecture OverviewASCII diagram of phase flowDerived from execution structure
Key Design PrinciplesCoordination rulesExtracted from command coordinator role
Execution FlowPhase sequence with
Ref:
markers + Phase Reference table
Command execution process
Core RulesOrchestration constraintsCommand core rules
Input ProcessingStructured format conversionCommand input processing
Data FlowInter-phase data passingCommand data flow
TodoWrite PatternAttachment/collapse lifecycleCommand TodoWrite sections
Post-Phase UpdatesPlanning notes / state updates between phasesCommand inter-phase update code
Error HandlingFailure recoveryCommand error handling
Coordinator ChecklistPre/post phase actionsCommand coordinator checklist
Related CommandsPrerequisites and follow-upsCommand related commands

Phase Files (Execution Detail)

ContentRule
Full agent promptsPreserve verbatim from source command
Bash command blocksPreserve verbatim
Code implementationsPreserve verbatim
Validation checklistsPreserve verbatim
Error handling detailsPreserve verbatim
Input/Output specAdd if not present in source
Phase headerAdd
# Phase N: {Name}
Objective sectionAdd
## Objective
with bullet points
Next Phase linkAdd
## Next Phase
with link to next
Critical Rule: Phase files must be content-faithful to their source. Do NOT summarize, abbreviate, or simplify. The phase file IS the execution instruction - every bash command, every agent prompt, every validation step must be preserved.

SKILL.md Template

markdown
---
name: {skill-name}
description: {description}. Triggers on "{trigger1}", "{trigger2}".
allowed-tools: {tools}
---

# {Title}

{One-paragraph description of what this skill does and what it produces.}

## Architecture Overview

{ASCII diagram showing phases and data flow}

## Key Design Principles

1. **{Principle}**: {Description}
...

## Auto Mode

When `--yes` or `-y`: {auto-mode behavior}.

## Execution Flow

{Phase sequence with Ref: markers}

**Phase Reference Documents** (read on-demand when phase executes):

| Phase | Document | Purpose |
|-------|----------|---------|
| 1 | [phases/01-xxx.md](phases/01-xxx.md) | ... |
...

## Core Rules

1. {Rule}
...

## Input Processing

{How user input is converted to structured format}

## Data Flow

{Inter-phase data passing diagram}

## TodoWrite Pattern

{Attachment/collapse lifecycle description with examples}

## Post-Phase Updates

{State updates between phases}

## Error Handling

{Failure recovery rules}

## Coordinator Checklist

{Pre/post phase action list}

## Related Commands

{Prerequisites and follow-ups}

Phase File Template

markdown
# Phase N: {Phase Name}

{One-sentence description of this phase's goal.}

## Objective

- {Goal 1}
- {Goal 2}

## Execution

### Step N.1: {Step Name}

{Full execution detail: commands, agent prompts, code}

### Step N.2: {Step Name}

{Full execution detail}

## Output

- **Variable**: `{variableName}` (e.g., `sessionId`)
- **File**: `{output file path}`
- **TodoWrite**: Mark Phase N completed, Phase N+1 in_progress

## Next Phase

Return to orchestrator, then auto-continue to [Phase N+1: xxx](0N+1-xxx.md).

Design Decision Framework

When designing a new workflow skill, answer these questions:
QuestionImpactExample
How many phases?Directory structure3-7 phases typical
Which phases are conditional?Orchestrator logic"Phase 3 only if conflict_risk >= medium"
What data flows between phases?Data Flow sectionsessionId, contextPath, configFlags
Which phases use agents?Phase file complexityAgent prompts need verbatim preservation
What's the TodoWrite granularity?TodoWrite PatternSome phases have sub-tasks, others are atomic
Is there a planning notes pattern?Post-Phase UpdatesAccumulated state document across phases
What's the error recovery?Error HandlingRetry once then report, vs rollback
Does it need auto mode?Auto Mode sectionSkip confirmations with --yes flag