How do I install the Check Skill Spec skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add ansible/check-skill-spec in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is Check Skill Spec safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Check Skill Spec?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Check Skill Spec free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Check Skill Spec?

ansible (@ansible) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Check Skill Spec by ansible — Agent Skill

Name: Check Skill Spec
Author: ansible

Check Skill Spec

Compare the agentskills.io specification against this project's extended frontmatter allowlist to determine whether the custom validation hook (scripts/check_skill_frontmatter.py) is still needed. Use when checking if the upstream spec has adopted the extended fields, when planning to remove the custom hook, or when a new spec release is announced.

ansible 55a742b 3.4 KB Updated Sep 17, 2026

File contents

Check Skill Spec Alignment

Determine whether the custom frontmatter validation hook can be retired in favor of skillmark's built-in E030 rule.

Context

This project uses a custom pre-commit hook (scripts/check_skill_frontmatter.py) that validates SKILL.md frontmatter against the agentskills.io spec plus extended fields that Claude Code and VS Code support but the spec has not yet adopted. Skillmark's E030 is disabled in .skillmark.toml because it rejects these fields.

The extended fields are:

Field	Purpose	Tracking
`user-invocable`	Controls `/` menu visibility	agentskills#105
`argument-hint`	Autocomplete hint for arguments	agentskills#105
`disable-model-invocation`	Prevents agent auto-triggering	agentskills#105
`triggers`	Invocation phrases for discovery	agentskills#105

Workflow

Step 1: Fetch the current spec

Read the upstream specification:

curl -sL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/agentskills/agentskills/main/docs/specification.mdx

Extract the frontmatter field table from the spec. Look for the ### Frontmatter section and the table listing Field | Required | Constraints.

Step 2: Compare against our allowlist

Read scripts/check_skill_frontmatter.py and compare:

_SPEC_FIELDS — should match what the upstream spec lists
_EXTENDED_FIELDS — check if any of these now appear in the upstream spec

Step 3: Check the tracking issue

gh issue view 105 --repo agentskills/agentskills --json state,title,comments

Check whether issue #105 has been closed/merged, or if there are updates indicating the fields have been adopted.

Step 4: Check skillmark releases

gh release list --repo michellepellon/skillmark --limit 5

Check whether a newer version of skillmark recognizes the extended fields in its E030 rule. If so, test by temporarily re-enabling E030:

skillmark check --disable "" SKILL.md

Step 5: Report findings

Produce a summary with one of these verdicts:

Still needed — the spec has not adopted the extended fields; keep the custom hook and E030 disabled.
Partially resolved — some fields are now in the spec; update _SPEC_FIELDS and _EXTENDED_FIELDS accordingly.
Can be retired — all extended fields are in the spec and skillmark recognizes them. Follow the retirement steps below.

Retirement steps (when verdict is "Can be retired")

Update .skillmark.toml: remove E030 from the disable list
Remove scripts/check_skill_frontmatter.py
Remove the check-skill-frontmatter hook from .pre-commit-config.yaml
Remove this skill (.agents/skills/check-skill-spec/)
Run tox -e lint to verify everything passes with E030 re-enabled
Commit and create a PR

---name: check-skill-specdescription: Compare the agentskills.io specification against this project's extended frontmatter allowlist to determine whether the custom validation hook (scripts/check_skill_frontmatter.py) is still needed. Use when checking if the upstream spec has adopted the extended fields, when planning to remove the custom hook, or when a new spec release is announced.---# Check Skill Spec AlignmentDetermine whether the custom frontmatter validation hook can be retiredin favor of skillmark's built-in E030 rule.## ContextThis project uses a custom pre-commit hook (`scripts/check_skill_frontmatter.py`)that validates SKILL.md frontmatter against the agentskills.io spec **plus**extended fields that Claude Code and VS Code support but the spec has not yetadopted. Skillmark's E030 is disabled in `.skillmark.toml` because it rejectsthese fields.The extended fields are:| Field | Purpose | Tracking ||-------|---------|----------|| `user-invocable` | Controls `/` menu visibility | [agentskills#105](https://github.com/agentskills/agentskills/issues/105) || `argument-hint` | Autocomplete hint for arguments | [agentskills#105](https://github.com/agentskills/agentskills/issues/105) || `disable-model-invocation` | Prevents agent auto-triggering | [agentskills#105](https://github.com/agentskills/agentskills/issues/105) || `triggers` | Invocation phrases for discovery | [agentskills#105](https://github.com/agentskills/agentskills/issues/105) |## Workflow### Step 1: Fetch the current specRead the upstream specification:```bashcurl -sL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/agentskills/agentskills/main/docs/specification.mdx```Extract the frontmatter field table from the spec. Look for the `### Frontmatter`section and the table listing `Field | Required | Constraints`.### Step 2: Compare against our allowlistRead `scripts/check_skill_frontmatter.py` and compare:- `_SPEC_FIELDS` — should match what the upstream spec lists- `_EXTENDED_FIELDS` — check if any of these now appear in the upstream spec### Step 3: Check the tracking issue```bashgh issue view 105 --repo agentskills/agentskills --json state,title,comments```Check whether issue #105 has been closed/merged, or if there are updatesindicating the fields have been adopted.### Step 4: Check skillmark releases```bashgh release list --repo michellepellon/skillmark --limit 5```Check whether a newer version of skillmark recognizes the extended fieldsin its E030 rule. If so, test by temporarily re-enabling E030:```bashskillmark check --disable "" SKILL.md```### Step 5: Report findingsProduce a summary with one of these verdicts:- **Still needed** — the spec has not adopted the extended fields; keep the custom hook and E030 disabled.- **Partially resolved** — some fields are now in the spec; update `_SPEC_FIELDS` and `_EXTENDED_FIELDS` accordingly.- **Can be retired** — all extended fields are in the spec and skillmark recognizes them. Follow the retirement steps below.### Retirement steps (when verdict is "Can be retired")1. Update `.skillmark.toml`: remove `E030` from the `disable` list2. Remove `scripts/check_skill_frontmatter.py`3. Remove the `check-skill-frontmatter` hook from `.pre-commit-config.yaml`4. Remove this skill (`.agents/skills/check-skill-spec/`)5. Run `tox -e lint` to verify everything passes with E030 re-enabled6. Commit and create a PR

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