workflow-skill-designer
Original:🇺🇸 English
Translated
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-designerTags
Translated version includes tags in frontmatterSKILL.md Content
View Translation Comparison →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 pkgTarget 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 templatesCore 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 markers
Ref: phases/0N-xxx.md - 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 markers. Phase docs are read only when that phase executes, not all at once.
Ref: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 beginsPattern 3: Inter-Phase Data Flow
Phase N output → stored in memory/variable → Phase N+1 input
└─ or written to session file for persistenceEach 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+2Pattern 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 packagePhase Reference Documents (read on-demand):
| Phase | Document | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | phases/01-requirements-analysis.md | Analyze workflow requirements from various sources |
| 2 | phases/02-orchestrator-design.md | Generate SKILL.md with orchestration patterns |
| 3 | phases/03-phase-design.md | Generate phase files preserving full execution detail |
| 4 | phases/04-validation.md | Validate structure, references, and integration |
Input Sources
This meta-skill accepts workflow definitions from multiple sources:
| Source | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Existing commands | Convert | |
| Text description | User describes workflow in natural language | "Create a 3-phase code review workflow" |
| Requirements doc | Structured requirements file | |
| Existing skill | Refactor/redesign an existing skill | Restructure a flat skill into phases |
Frontmatter Conversion Rules
When converting from command format to skill format:
| Command Field | Skill Field | Transformation |
|---|---|---|
| | Prefix with group: |
| | Append trigger phrase: |
| (removed) | Arguments handled in Input Processing section |
| (removed) | Examples moved to inline documentation |
| | Expand wildcards: |
| (removed) | Embedded in |
Orchestrator Content Mapping
What goes into SKILL.md vs what goes into phase files:
SKILL.md (Coordinator)
| Section | Content | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Frontmatter | name, description, allowed-tools | Command frontmatter (converted) |
| Architecture Overview | ASCII diagram of phase flow | Derived from execution structure |
| Key Design Principles | Coordination rules | Extracted from command coordinator role |
| Execution Flow | Phase sequence with | Command execution process |
| Core Rules | Orchestration constraints | Command core rules |
| Input Processing | Structured format conversion | Command input processing |
| Data Flow | Inter-phase data passing | Command data flow |
| TodoWrite Pattern | Attachment/collapse lifecycle | Command TodoWrite sections |
| Post-Phase Updates | Planning notes / state updates between phases | Command inter-phase update code |
| Error Handling | Failure recovery | Command error handling |
| Coordinator Checklist | Pre/post phase actions | Command coordinator checklist |
| Related Commands | Prerequisites and follow-ups | Command related commands |
Phase Files (Execution Detail)
| Content | Rule |
|---|---|
| Full agent prompts | Preserve verbatim from source command |
| Bash command blocks | Preserve verbatim |
| Code implementations | Preserve verbatim |
| Validation checklists | Preserve verbatim |
| Error handling details | Preserve verbatim |
| Input/Output spec | Add if not present in source |
| Phase header | Add |
| Objective section | Add |
| Next Phase link | Add |
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:
| Question | Impact | Example |
|---|---|---|
| How many phases? | Directory structure | 3-7 phases typical |
| Which phases are conditional? | Orchestrator logic | "Phase 3 only if conflict_risk >= medium" |
| What data flows between phases? | Data Flow section | sessionId, contextPath, configFlags |
| Which phases use agents? | Phase file complexity | Agent prompts need verbatim preservation |
| What's the TodoWrite granularity? | TodoWrite Pattern | Some phases have sub-tasks, others are atomic |
| Is there a planning notes pattern? | Post-Phase Updates | Accumulated state document across phases |
| What's the error recovery? | Error Handling | Retry once then report, vs rollback |
| Does it need auto mode? | Auto Mode section | Skip confirmations with --yes flag |