alirezarezvani/write-a-skill
engineering/write-a-skill/skills/write-a-skill/SKILL.md
Create new agent skills with proper structure, progressive disclosure, and bundled resources. Use when user wants to create, write, build, or author a new skill.
$ install --global
skillsauthnpx skillsauth add alirezarezvani/claude-skills write-a-skillInstall this skill globally with one command. Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and Windsurf.
Security Scan Results
3 of 9 scanners reported clean
Some scanners were skipped, did not run, or reported a non-clean status. Review each row below.
3
Scanners Passed
9
Scanners in report
Clean
TrivyContainer and dependency vulnerability scanner
95%
Clean
SemgrepStatic code analysis for vulnerabilities
95%
Clean
mcp-scan (Snyk)Model Context Protocol security validation
95%
Skipped
Snyk (dep)Open source security scanning
50%
Skipped
Socket.devSupply chain security analysis
50%
Skipped
VirusTotalMulti-engine malware detection
50%
Skipped
CrowdStrikeAdvanced threat intelligence
50%
Skipped
OSV-ScannerOpen Source Vulnerability database check
50%
Skipped
OWASP Dep-Check
50%
Last scanned: May 15, 2026, 3:39 AM52.0s8 files scanned
SKILL.md
- name:
- write-a-skill
- description:
- Create new agent skills with proper structure, progressive disclosure, and bundled resources. Use when user wants to create, write, build, or author a new skill.
- license:
- MIT
- derived_from:
- https://github.com/mattpocock/skills/tree/main/skills/productivity/write-a-skill
- original_author:
- Matt Pocock (@mattpocock)
- original_license:
- MIT
- voice:
- Matt Pocock — direct, concrete, imperative, example-driven
- version:
- 1.0.0
Writing Skills
Derived from Matt Pocock's write-a-skill (MIT). Matt's voice and 3-phase workflow preserved verbatim. Additions: validation tools + references + cs-* wrapper (see Tooling + Companions below).
Process
-
Gather requirements - ask user about:
- What task/domain does the skill cover?
- What specific use cases should it handle?
- Does it need executable scripts or just instructions?
- Any reference materials to include?
-
Draft the skill - create:
- SKILL.md with concise instructions
- Additional reference files if content exceeds 500 lines
- Utility scripts if deterministic operations needed
-
Review with user - present draft and ask:
- Does this cover your use cases?
- Anything missing or unclear?
- Should any section be more/less detailed?
Skill Structure
skill-name/
├── SKILL.md # Main instructions (required)
├── REFERENCE.md # Detailed docs (if needed)
├── EXAMPLES.md # Usage examples (if needed)
└── scripts/ # Utility scripts (if needed)
└── helper.js
SKILL.md Template
---
name: skill-name
description: Brief description of capability. Use when [specific triggers].
---
# Skill Name
## Quick start
[Minimal working example]
## Workflows
[Step-by-step processes with checklists for complex tasks]
## Advanced features
[Link to separate files: See [REFERENCE.md](REFERENCE.md)]
Description Requirements
The description is the only thing your agent sees when deciding which skill to load. It's surfaced in the system prompt alongside all other installed skills. Your agent reads these descriptions and picks the relevant skill based on the user's request.
Goal: Give your agent just enough info to know:
- What capability this skill provides
- When/why to trigger it (specific keywords, contexts, file types)
Format:
- Max 1024 chars
- Write in third person
- First sentence: what it does
- Second sentence: "Use when [specific triggers]"
Good example:
Extract text and tables from PDF files, fill forms, merge documents. Use when working with PDF files or when user mentions PDFs, forms, or document extraction.
Bad example:
Helps with documents.
The bad example gives your agent no way to distinguish this from other document skills.
When to Add Scripts
Add utility scripts when:
- Operation is deterministic (validation, formatting)
- Same code would be generated repeatedly
- Errors need explicit handling
Scripts save tokens and improve reliability vs generated code.
When to Split Files
Split into separate files when:
- SKILL.md exceeds 100 lines
- Content has distinct domains (finance vs sales schemas)
- Advanced features are rarely needed
Review Checklist
After drafting, verify:
- [ ] Description includes triggers ("Use when...")
- [ ] SKILL.md under 100 lines
- [ ] No time-sensitive info
- [ ] Consistent terminology
- [ ] Concrete examples included
- [ ] References one level deep
Tooling + Companions
Validation tools + cs-* wrapper sit alongside this skill. Run all 6 review-checklist items programmatically:
python scripts/skill_review_checklist_runner.py path/to/skill-folder
See references/companion_tooling.md for the tool catalogue, cs-skill-author persona agent, and /cs:write-a-skill slash command.
Version: 1.0.0 Derived: Matt Pocock (MIT) + this repo's wrapper
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