claude-skills/engineering/write-a-skill
Claude 0f88555485
chore(versioning,docs): normalize stale versions to 2.9.0 + refresh counts
Version normalization (scope: only plugins/skills older than 2.7.0):
- Bumped 52 plugin.json + 21 SKILL.md `version` fields from pre-2.7.0
  values (1.0.0 / 2.0.x / 2.2.x / 2.3.x / 2.4.x / 2.5.x) to 2.9.0.
  Left 2.7.0+ packages untouched. Tool mirrors (.codex/.gemini/.vibe/
  .hermes) excluded. All manifests still pass check_plugin_json --all.

Doc count refresh (recomputed raw figures: 338 skills, 16 domains,
62 plugins, 533 Python tools, 676 references):
- marketplace.json: both descriptions + metadata.version -> 2.9.0.
- Root README: headline, badges (Skills 338, Agents 51+, Commands 87+),
  intro counts, convert section (338 skills / 9 tools), and the full
  domain table rebuilt to 16 domains summing to 338 (adds research-ops,
  business-operations, commercial, compliance-os; corrects product 17,
  marketing 46, c-level 66, ra-qm 18, finance 4, engineering 51/78).
- Fixed stale per-skill README `Version:` lines left inconsistent by the
  bump (andreessen, c-level-agents, product-team, senior-qa).
- Fixed stale domain README footers (product-team 17/17, c-level 66/66,
  project-management 9/9).
- CLAUDE.md scope line, structure tree, highlight, and footer synced to
  the raw figures.

https://claude.ai/code/session_01PUNmQVE4WYvcrzpq2anC3D
2026-05-27 05:22:59 +00:00
..
.claude-plugin chore(versioning,docs): normalize stale versions to 2.9.0 + refresh counts 2026-05-27 05:22:59 +00:00
agents feat(write-a-skill): derive from Matt Pocock (MIT) + add validation wrapper 2026-05-13 21:26:44 +00:00
commands feat(write-a-skill): derive from Matt Pocock (MIT) + add validation wrapper 2026-05-13 21:26:44 +00:00
skills/write-a-skill fix(v2.6.1): expand validator trigger patterns + fix 10 placeholder descriptions 2026-05-14 04:52:51 +00:00
README.md feat(write-a-skill): derive from Matt Pocock (MIT) + add validation wrapper 2026-05-13 21:26:44 +00:00

write-a-skill

Skill-author skill: create new agent skills with proper structure, progressive disclosure, and bundled resources.

Attribution

Derived from Matt Pocock's write-a-skill (MIT-licensed). Matt's skills repo"Skills for Real Engineers. Straight from my .claude directory" — is the original source. Matt's SKILL.md voice + 3-phase workflow (Gather → Draft → Review) preserved verbatim per his MIT license.

What this adds on top of Matt's original

Addition Where Why
3 stdlib Python validation tools skills/write-a-skill/scripts/ Operationalize Matt's review checklist (description validator, structure validator, review-checklist runner). Catches the common mistakes Matt names.
3 in-depth references (5+ sources each) skills/write-a-skill/references/ Progressive disclosure principles · Description design patterns · Quality gates for skills. Cites Anthropic skill docs + community precedent + research.
cs-skill-author persona agent agents/cs-skill-author.md Surface skill-authoring as a forcing-question interrogation matching our cs-* persona pattern.
/cs:write-a-skill slash command commands/cs-write-a-skill.md 6-question forcing interrogation that runs Matt's review checklist programmatically.

What Matt's original brings (preserved)

  • The 3-phase workflow: Gather → Draft → Review
  • The non-negotiable description rule: "The description is the only thing your agent sees when deciding which skill to load."
  • The 100-line SKILL.md ceiling + progressive-disclosure pattern (REFERENCE.md / EXAMPLES.md / scripts)
  • The good-example vs bad-example contrast for description writing
  • The 6-item review checklist
  • Matt's directness — no fluff, concrete patterns

Quick start

# Run Matt's review checklist on an existing skill
python skills/write-a-skill/scripts/skill_review_checklist_runner.py path/to/SKILL.md

# Validate description meets Matt's criteria (≤1024 chars, third person, "Use when" trigger)
python skills/write-a-skill/scripts/skill_description_validator.py path/to/SKILL.md

# Validate skill folder structure
python skills/write-a-skill/scripts/skill_structure_validator.py path/to/skill-folder/

All three tools run with embedded samples if no path provided.

License

MIT (matching Matt's upstream).