Skill Architect
Create, audit, improve, and package agent skills following the Agent Skills open standard. Every skill produced must include a deployment-ready .zip file.
Read references/detail.md before executing. It contains the full platform compatibility matrix, step-by-step creation procedures, frontmatter field reference, quality checklist, packaging commands, and troubleshooting guide.
Triggers
Activate when the user asks to: create a skill, build a skill, package a skill, improve or audit an existing skill, write a SKILL.md, configure frontmatter, structure bundled resources, or distribute a skill.
Mandatory Output Structure
Every skill produced must include:
skill-name/
├── SKILL.md (required)
├── README.md (required)
├── references/ (required, even if empty)
├── scripts/ (required, even if empty)
├── assets/ (required, even if empty)
└── skill-name.zip (required — always, no exceptions)
.zip Packaging Rule
skill-name.zip
└── skill-name/
├── SKILL.md
├── README.md
├── references/
├── scripts/
└── assets/
No .DS_Store, __pycache__, .git, or the .zip itself inside the archive. Always nest inside the skill-name folder — never loose files at root.
The .zip must be produced on every skill creation or update. No exceptions.
Input
- User description of the skill's purpose, or an existing skill folder to audit/improve
- Optional: example invocations, desired trigger phrases, target platform(s)
Output
skill-name/SKILL.md — frontmatter + instructions
skill-name/README.md — installation and usage
skill-name/references/ — supporting documentation
skill-name/scripts/ — executable code (if needed)
skill-name/assets/ — templates and output files (if needed)
skill-name/skill-name.zip — deployment-ready archive
Creation Process (Summary)
- Capture intent — gather concrete examples of how the skill will be used
- Plan resources — identify what belongs in scripts/, references/, assets/
- Initialize directory —
mkdir -p skill-name/{references,scripts,assets}
- Write description — most critical field; must include
MANDATORY TRIGGERS: list; max 1024 chars; third person; slightly "pushy"
- Write SKILL.md body — imperative form; point to reference files, don't duplicate them; under 500 lines
- Implement bundled resources — scripts with error handling and execute permissions, references under 10K tokens each
- Write README.md — installation instructions + file listing
- Validate and package — run
scripts/package_skill.py or manual checklist, then zip
- Iterate — fix skill when Claude struggles; do not fix the prompt
Full procedures for each step: references/detail.md.
Progressive Disclosure Architecture
| Tier |
Budget |
When Loaded |
| Metadata (name + description) |
~100 tokens |
Always — for skill discovery |
| SKILL.md body |
<5,000 tokens |
When skill triggers |
| Bundled resources |
Unlimited |
On demand — agent reads as needed |
Scripts execute without loading into context (zero token cost). Only script output consumes tokens.
Bundled Resources Quick Reference
| Directory |
Purpose |
Key Rule |
scripts/ |
Deterministic, repeatable code |
chmod +x; include error handling |
references/ |
Docs loaded into context on demand |
Under 10K tokens per file |
assets/ |
Templates and output files |
Not read for reasoning — copied into output |
Do not include: standard library docs, credentials, generated/cached files, large datasets, hidden OS files.
Reference Files
| File |
Purpose |
references/detail.md |
Platform matrix, full creation steps, frontmatter reference, quality checklist, packaging commands, troubleshooting |
references/example-patterns.md |
Complete examples of each skill type |
references/workflows.md |
Sequential, conditional, and feedback loop patterns |
references/output-patterns.md |
Templates, structured data, quality standards |
references/advanced-patterns.md |
Multi-model optimization, MCP integration, enterprise deployment |
references/security.md |
Security audit checklist, credential management |
references/troubleshooting.md |
Debugging strategies and common issue resolution |
references/multi-agent-patterns.md |
Sub-agent orchestration, parallel execution |
references/skill-improvement-methodology.md |
Systematic audit and improvement process |
Skill Architect v3.0 — April 2026 | agentskills.io open standard
1---2name: skill-architect3description: Comprehensive skill creation, improvement, and packaging following the agentskills.io open standard. Produces deployment-ready .zip files for upload to Claude.ai, Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cowork, or any agentskills.io-compatible platform. Use when building new skills from scratch, auditing or improving existing skills, authoring SKILL.md files, configuring frontmatter, structuring bundled resources, or packaging skills for distribution. Handles the full lifecycle: intent capture, resource planning, SKILL.md authoring, validation, packaging, and iteration. MANDATORY TRIGGERS: skill creation, SKILL.md, skill improvement, skill audit, frontmatter, skill packaging, agentskills.io, progressive disclosure, skill validation, skill architecture, bundled resources, create a skill, build a skill, package a skill, new skill, update skill, improve skill.4license: MIT5---67# Skill Architect89Create, audit, improve, and package agent skills following the [Agent Skills](https://agentskills.io) open standard. Every skill produced must include a deployment-ready .zip file.1011**Read [`references/detail.md`](references/detail.md) before executing.** It contains the full platform compatibility matrix, step-by-step creation procedures, frontmatter field reference, quality checklist, packaging commands, and troubleshooting guide.1213---1415## Triggers1617Activate when the user asks to: create a skill, build a skill, package a skill, improve or audit an existing skill, write a SKILL.md, configure frontmatter, structure bundled resources, or distribute a skill.1819---2021## Mandatory Output Structure2223Every skill produced must include:2425```26skill-name/27├── SKILL.md (required)28├── README.md (required)29├── references/ (required, even if empty)30├── scripts/ (required, even if empty)31├── assets/ (required, even if empty)32└── skill-name.zip (required — always, no exceptions)33```3435### .zip Packaging Rule3637```38skill-name.zip39└── skill-name/40 ├── SKILL.md41 ├── README.md42 ├── references/43 ├── scripts/44 └── assets/45```4647No `.DS_Store`, `__pycache__`, `.git`, or the .zip itself inside the archive. Always nest inside the skill-name folder — never loose files at root.4849**The .zip must be produced on every skill creation or update. No exceptions.**5051---5253## Input5455- User description of the skill's purpose, or an existing skill folder to audit/improve56- Optional: example invocations, desired trigger phrases, target platform(s)5758## Output5960- `skill-name/SKILL.md` — frontmatter + instructions61- `skill-name/README.md` — installation and usage62- `skill-name/references/` — supporting documentation63- `skill-name/scripts/` — executable code (if needed)64- `skill-name/assets/` — templates and output files (if needed)65- `skill-name/skill-name.zip` — deployment-ready archive6667---6869## Creation Process (Summary)70711. **Capture intent** — gather concrete examples of how the skill will be used722. **Plan resources** — identify what belongs in scripts/, references/, assets/733. **Initialize directory** — `mkdir -p skill-name/{references,scripts,assets}`744. **Write description** — most critical field; must include `MANDATORY TRIGGERS:` list; max 1024 chars; third person; slightly "pushy"755. **Write SKILL.md body** — imperative form; point to reference files, don't duplicate them; under 500 lines766. **Implement bundled resources** — scripts with error handling and execute permissions, references under 10K tokens each777. **Write README.md** — installation instructions + file listing788. **Validate and package** — run `scripts/package_skill.py` or manual checklist, then zip799. **Iterate** — fix skill when Claude struggles; do not fix the prompt8081Full procedures for each step: [`references/detail.md`](references/detail.md).8283---8485## Progressive Disclosure Architecture8687| Tier | Budget | When Loaded |88|------|--------|-------------|89| Metadata (name + description) | ~100 tokens | Always — for skill discovery |90| SKILL.md body | <5,000 tokens | When skill triggers |91| Bundled resources | Unlimited | On demand — agent reads as needed |9293Scripts execute without loading into context (zero token cost). Only script output consumes tokens.9495---9697## Bundled Resources Quick Reference9899| Directory | Purpose | Key Rule |100|-----------|---------|----------|101| `scripts/` | Deterministic, repeatable code | `chmod +x`; include error handling |102| `references/` | Docs loaded into context on demand | Under 10K tokens per file |103| `assets/` | Templates and output files | Not read for reasoning — copied into output |104105Do not include: standard library docs, credentials, generated/cached files, large datasets, hidden OS files.106107---108109## Reference Files110111| File | Purpose |112|------|---------|113| [`references/detail.md`](references/detail.md) | Platform matrix, full creation steps, frontmatter reference, quality checklist, packaging commands, troubleshooting |114| [`references/example-patterns.md`](references/example-patterns.md) | Complete examples of each skill type |115| [`references/workflows.md`](references/workflows.md) | Sequential, conditional, and feedback loop patterns |116| [`references/output-patterns.md`](references/output-patterns.md) | Templates, structured data, quality standards |117| [`references/advanced-patterns.md`](references/advanced-patterns.md) | Multi-model optimization, MCP integration, enterprise deployment |118| [`references/security.md`](references/security.md) | Security audit checklist, credential management |119| [`references/troubleshooting.md`](references/troubleshooting.md) | Debugging strategies and common issue resolution |120| [`references/multi-agent-patterns.md`](references/multi-agent-patterns.md) | Sub-agent orchestration, parallel execution |121| [`references/skill-improvement-methodology.md`](references/skill-improvement-methodology.md) | Systematic audit and improvement process |122123---124125*Skill Architect v3.0 — April 2026 | agentskills.io open standard*