How do I install the Skill Authoring skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add ashfordeou/skill-authoring 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 Skill Authoring 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 Skill Authoring?

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 Skill Authoring free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free. This skill is licensed under Apache-2.

Who published Skill Authoring?

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

Skill Authoring by ashfordeou — Agent Skill

Name: Skill Authoring
Author: ashfordeOU

Skill Authoring

Use when you must author a NEW conformant SKILL.md for the agentskills.io format under SEP-2640-style delivery: build the frontmatter template from the required fields (name kebab-case matching the folder, description with action and use-when and trigger clauses, Apache-2.0 license, compliance flag, standards references, gated boolean, metadata version and author), then run the deterministic pre-publish conformance check that reports missing or invalid required fields before a leaf is published. SEP-2640 stays an emerging spec, so the authoring discipline targets the stable agentskills.io content surface. Trigger: skill authoring, SKILL.md template, frontmatter, kebab-case name, pre-publish conformance check, SEP-2640, agentskills.io.

ashfordeOU eb3ac0c 3 files · 22.9 KB Updated Sep 17, 2026

File contents

SEP-2640 Skill Authoring (cross-cutting/sep2640/skill-authoring)

Use when the task is authoring a new conformant SKILL.md: building the frontmatter template, checking the kebab-case name rule, writing the router description, and running the pre-publish conformance check.

Domain quick reference

SEP-2640 delivery is skills over MCP in the agentskills.io content form; the spec is emerging, so authoring targets the stable conformance surface: required frontmatter fields, name shape, description discipline, license, compliance, standards, gated, and metadata.
The required top-level fields are name, description, license, compliance, standards, gated, and metadata. A candidate missing any of them fails the pre-publish check.
The name must be kebab-case (lowercase letters, digits, single hyphens) and equal the leaf folder name; the description must carry an action clause, a 'Use when' clause, and a 'Trigger' keyword with at least two trigger keywords, within the 50-150 word and 1024 char budgets.
The license must equal Apache-2.0; compliance must be one of none, ITAR-GATED, EAR-GATED, STANDARDS-REF; standards must be non-empty; gated must be a boolean; metadata must carry version and author.
The pre-publish conformance check is deterministic, offline, and stdlib-only: same candidate, same findings.

Workflow

Draft the frontmatter from the template: name (kebab-case, matching the folder), description (action + use-when + trigger), license, compliance, standards, gated, metadata.
Run the conformance check on the candidate SKILL.md text.
Read the findings list: every problem is a missing or invalid required field (name shape, folder match, description budgets and clauses, license, compliance, standards, gated, metadata).
Fix the candidate until the findings list is empty.
Publish only a candidate with zero findings.

Pitfalls

A name that is not kebab-case (uppercase, spaces, double hyphens).
A name that does not match the leaf folder (the router resolves skills by folder path).
A description without a 'Use when' clause or fewer than two trigger keywords (the description is the router; a weak one routes poorly).
Claiming conformance while a required field is missing; the check is boolean per field and one failure fails the candidate.

Behavior contract (gate 3)

The authoring logic is exercised by the gate 3 contract test: scripts/test_authoring.py against scripts/authoring_logic.py (stdlib unittest, offline). Run:

python3 scripts/test_authoring.py

---name: skill-authoringdescription: Use when you must author a NEW conformant SKILL.md for the agentskills.io format under SEP-2640-style delivery: build the frontmatter template from the required fields (name kebab-case matching the folder, description with action and use-when and trigger clauses, Apache-2.0 license, compliance flag, standards references, gated boolean, metadata version and author), then run the deterministic pre-publish conformance check that reports missing or invalid required fields before a leaf is published. SEP-2640 stays an emerging spec, so the authoring discipline targets the stable agentskills.io content surface. Trigger: skill authoring, SKILL.md template, frontmatter, kebab-case name, pre-publish conformance check, SEP-2640, agentskills.io.license: Apache-2.0---# SEP-2640 Skill Authoring (cross-cutting/sep2640/skill-authoring)Use when the task is authoring a new conformant SKILL.md: building thefrontmatter template, checking the kebab-case name rule, writing therouter description, and running the pre-publish conformance check.## Domain quick reference- SEP-2640 delivery is skills over MCP in the agentskills.io content form; the spec is emerging, so authoring targets the stable conformance surface: required frontmatter fields, name shape, description discipline, license, compliance, standards, gated, and metadata.- The required top-level fields are name, description, license, compliance, standards, gated, and metadata. A candidate missing any of them fails the pre-publish check.- The name must be kebab-case (lowercase letters, digits, single hyphens) and equal the leaf folder name; the description must carry an action clause, a 'Use when' clause, and a 'Trigger' keyword with at least two trigger keywords, within the 50-150 word and 1024 char budgets.- The license must equal Apache-2.0; compliance must be one of none, ITAR-GATED, EAR-GATED, STANDARDS-REF; standards must be non-empty; gated must be a boolean; metadata must carry version and author.- The pre-publish conformance check is deterministic, offline, and stdlib-only: same candidate, same findings.## Workflow1. Draft the frontmatter from the template: name (kebab-case, matching the folder), description (action + use-when + trigger), license, compliance, standards, gated, metadata.2. Run the conformance check on the candidate SKILL.md text.3. Read the findings list: every problem is a missing or invalid required field (name shape, folder match, description budgets and clauses, license, compliance, standards, gated, metadata).4. Fix the candidate until the findings list is empty.5. Publish only a candidate with zero findings.## Pitfalls- A name that is not kebab-case (uppercase, spaces, double hyphens).- A name that does not match the leaf folder (the router resolves skills by folder path).- A description without a 'Use when' clause or fewer than two trigger keywords (the description is the router; a weak one routes poorly).- Claiming conformance while a required field is missing; the check is boolean per field and one failure fails the candidate.## Behavior contract (gate 3)The authoring logic is exercised by the gate 3 contract test:scripts/test_authoring.py against scripts/authoring_logic.py (stdlibunittest, offline). Run: python3 scripts/test_authoring.py

Frequently asked questions