Skill Creator
⚠️ MANDATORY COMPLIANCE ⚠️
CRITICAL : The 10-step workflow outlined in this document MUST be followed in exact order for EVERY skill creation session. Skipping steps or deviating from the procedure will result in incomplete or poorly designed skills. This is non-negotiable.
File Structure
SKILL.md (this file): Main instructions and MANDATORY workflow
examples.md : Skill creation scenarios with sample outputs
Memory : Skill-specific memory accessed via memoryStore.getSkillMemory("skill-creator", "{project-name}") . See MemoryStore Interface .
Interface References
Context : Loaded via ContextProvider Interface
Memory : Accessed via MemoryStore Interface
Schemas : Validated against context_metadata.schema.json and memory_entry.schema.json
Skill Design Focus Areas
Skill creation evaluates requirements across 5 focus areas:
Freedom Level : Determine whether the skill needs strict procedural steps or flexible guidance
Token Efficiency : Balance between compact quick-reference and detailed instructions
Error Prevention : Identify common mistakes and build guards against them
Progressive Disclosure : Present essential information first, details on demand
Interface Usage : Determine which interfaces the new skill needs (ContextProvider, MemoryStore, SkillInvoker)
Note : The skill produces complete skill directories with SKILL.md, examples.md, and memory structure. It does not register skills in any manifest unless explicitly requested.
MANDATORY WORKFLOW (MUST FOLLOW EXACTLY)
⚠️ STEP 1: Initial Analysis (REQUIRED)
YOU MUST:
Gather skill requirements from the user prompt or conversation context:
Name : The skill identifier (kebab-case, e.g., , )
Domain : Primary context domain (engineering, python, javascript, devops, etc.)
Purpose : What the skill does and what output it produces
Target Users : Who will invoke this skill and in what scenarios
Triggers : Natural language phrases that should activate the skill
Classify the skill type:
Code Analysis : Reviews, audits, inspections of existing code
Code Generation : Creates new code, tests, configurations
Planning & Workflow : Designs plans, phases, strategies
Documentation : Generates docs, READMEs, guides
DevOps & Infrastructure : Deployment, CI/CD, environment setup
Determine scope and complexity:
Number of workflow steps needed
Which conditional outputs may be generated
Integration points with other skills or commands
DO NOT PROCEED WITHOUT IDENTIFYING SKILL NAME, DOMAIN, PURPOSE, AND TYPE
⚠️ STEP 2: Load Memory (REQUIRED)
YOU MUST:
Identify the project name from the user prompt or ask the user
Use memoryStore.getSkillMemory("skill-creator", "{project-name}") to load existing memory. See MemoryStore Interface .
If memory exists, review previous skill creation patterns:
Check for similar skill types created before
Review design patterns that worked well in past skills
Note any lessons learned from prior skill creation sessions
Cross-skill discovery : Use memoryStore.getByProject("{project-name}") to gather insights from other skill executions
If no memory exists, you will create it after generating the skill
DO NOT PROCEED WITHOUT CHECKING SKILL-CREATOR MEMORY
⚠️ STEP 3: Load Context (REQUIRED)
YOU MUST:
Load engineering domain context via contextProvider.getIndex("engineering") . See ContextProvider Interface .
Load supporting context for documentation standards
Load the skill template: for the canonical skill structure
If the new skill targets a specific technology domain, load relevant context:
Python skills: contextProvider.getIndex("python")
JavaScript/TypeScript skills: contextProvider.getIndex("javascript")
DevOps skills: contextProvider.getIndex("devops")
Apply cross-domain triggers as defined in the Cross-Domain Matrix
DO NOT PROCEED WITHOUT LOADING CONTEXT AND SKILL_TEMPLATE.md
⚠️ STEP 4: Design Skill Architecture (REQUIRED)
YOU MUST determine the following design decisions:
Freedom Level :
Strict Procedural : Every step is mandatory and must be followed in exact order (e.g., code review checklists, compliance workflows)
Flexible Guidance : Steps provide guidance but allow adaptation based on context (e.g., documentation generation, creative tasks)
Choose based on: how critical correctness is, how variable the inputs are, how experienced the target users are
Token Budget :
Compact : Quick-reference style, minimal explanation, maximum density (best for experienced users, frequently used skills)
Detailed : Full explanations, rationale for each step, extensive examples (best for complex or rarely used skills)
Choose based on: skill complexity, frequency of use, target audience familiarity
Error Prevention Patterns :
Identify the 3-5 most common mistakes users will make with this skill
Design guardrails: validation checks, required preconditions, explicit warnings
Add "DO NOT PROCEED WITHOUT..." gates at critical decision points
Progressive Disclosure Strategy :
Essential first : Core workflow and minimum viable output
Details on demand : Advanced options, edge cases, customization
Reference appendix : Schemas, full examples, troubleshooting
Interface Usage :
Determine which interfaces the new skill needs:
— for loading domain knowledge (nearly always needed)
— for learning from past executions (recommended for all skills)
— for delegating to other skills (only if composing skills)
— for chaining with commands (only if command integration needed)
DO NOT PROCEED WITHOUT DOCUMENTING ALL FIVE DESIGN DECISIONS
⚠️ STEP 5: Generate SKILL.md (REQUIRED)
YOU MUST produce the skill definition following SKILL_TEMPLATE.md structure:
YAML Frontmatter with all required fields:
, ,
, context.supporting_domains
context.memory.skill_memory ,
,
Mandatory Compliance Warning : Clear statement that the workflow must be followed
File Structure : Directory layout for the skill
Interface References : Links to all four interface documents
Focus Areas : Domain-specific evaluation criteria for the skill
Mandatory Workflow Steps : Each step with:
Clear step number and name
"YOU MUST" instructions with specific actions
"DO NOT PROCEED WITHOUT" gate at critical steps
Interface method calls where applicable
Compliance Checklist : One checkbox per workflow step
Version History : Initial entry with date and description
DO NOT PROCEED WITHOUT A COMPLETE SKILL.md
⚠️ STEP 6: Generate examples.md (REQUIRED)
YOU MUST produce at least 3 usage examples demonstrating the skill in action:
Each example must include:
Scenario : Description of the use case
User Prompt : The natural language input that triggers the skill
Skill Execution : Step-by-step walkthrough showing how the skill processes the request
Generated Output : Sample output documents or artifacts
Examples should cover different scenarios:
A straightforward, common use case
A complex or edge-case scenario
A scenario that demonstrates conditional outputs or advanced features
Examples should demonstrate real-world usage, not toy examples
DO NOT PROCEED WITHOUT AT LEAST 3 COMPLETE EXAMPLES
⚠️ STEP 7: Generate Memory Structure (REQUIRED)
YOU MUST create the memory directory and index:
Create memory/skills/{skill-name}/index.md with:
Purpose : What this skill's memory tracks
Memory Files : Description of each memory file with purpose, contents, and example structure
Memory Lifecycle : Creation → Growth → Maintenance phases
Related Documentation : Links back to the skill and main memory index
Define appropriate memory files based on the skill type:
Pattern tracking (what approaches worked well)
History logging (past executions and outcomes)
Domain-specific learnings (technology-specific insights)
DO NOT PROCEED WITHOUT INITIALIZING MEMORY STRUCTURE
⚠️ STEP 8: Quality Validation (REQUIRED)
YOU MUST validate the generated skill against quality standards:
YAML Frontmatter Completeness : All required fields present and correctly formatted
Interface References Present : All four interface links included (no hardcoded paths)
Mandatory Workflow Steps Defined : Each step has clear instructions and gate conditions
Compliance Checklist Present : One checkbox per workflow step
Examples Demonstrate Real-World Usage : At least 3 examples with complete step-by-step execution
Memory Structure Initialized : index.md created with appropriate memory files defined
If any validation fails, return to the relevant step and fix the issue before proceeding.
DO NOT PROCEED WITHOUT PASSING ALL VALIDATION CHECKS
⚠️ STEP 9: Generate Output (REQUIRED)
YOU MUST:
Save all generated files to the skill directory:
skills/{skill-name}/SKILL.md — skill definition
skills/{skill-name}/examples.md — usage examples
memory/skills/{skill-name}/index.md — memory structure
Confirm all output files were written successfully
List all generated files with a brief description of each
DO NOT SKIP OUTPUT GENERATION
⚠️ STEP 10: Update Memory (REQUIRED)
YOU MUST:
Use memoryStore.update(layer="skill-specific", skill="skill-creator", project="{project-name}", ...) to store:
created_skills.md : Log the skill name, date, type classification, design decisions (freedom level, token budget), and number of workflow steps
design_patterns.md : Record effective patterns discovered during this creation session — what worked well, common mistakes avoided, and reusable structures
If this is the first skill creation session, create both memory files with initial data
If previous memory exists, append to history and update patterns with new learnings
Timestamps and staleness tracking are handled automatically by MemoryStore. See MemoryStore Interface .
DO NOT SKIP MEMORY UPDATE
Compliance Checklist
Before completing ANY skill creation session, verify:
Step 1: Skill requirements gathered — name, domain, purpose, type, and triggers identified
Step 2: Skill-creator memory checked via memoryStore.getSkillMemory() and prior patterns reviewed
Step 3: Engineering and supporting domain context loaded via contextProvider.getIndex() ; SKILL_TEMPLATE.md loaded
Step 4: All five design decisions documented — freedom level, token budget, error prevention, progressive disclosure, interface usage
Step 5: SKILL.md generated with YAML frontmatter, interface references, mandatory workflow, and compliance checklist
Step 6: examples.md generated with at least 3 complete usage examples
Step 7: Memory structure initialized with index.md and memory file definitions
Step 8: Quality validation passed — all six quality checks confirmed
Step 9: All output files saved to the skill directory
Step 10: Memory updated with skill creation log and design patterns
FAILURE TO COMPLETE ALL STEPS INVALIDATES THE SKILL CREATION SESSION
Version History
Version Date Changes 1.0.0 2025-06-30 Initial release — 10-step mandatory workflow for designing effective skills with freedom levels, token efficiency, error prevention, and progressive disclosure