LoopyLuci Skill Priority Ranking
Trigger: Use when you can only load 1-3 skills due to context limits and need to pick the most impactful ones.
Priority Levels
TIER 1 — CRITICAL (load first):
- Skills that contain step-by-step procedures
- Skills with exact commands you can't guess
- Skills for operations that are error-prone or destructive
TIER 2 — IMPORTANT (load if room):
- Skills with configuration templates
- Skills that list pitfalls and edge cases
- Skills for operations you're less familiar with
TIER 3 — NICE TO HAVE (load only if simple):
- Reference/background information
- Alternative approaches
- Verification steps (can often be derived)
The Value-Per-Token Metric
VALUE = (steps_count × 2) + (commands_count × 3) + (pitfalls_count × 2)
- (explanatory_paragraphs × 1)
COST = skill_view() output tokens
EFFICIENCY = VALUE / COST
Load high-efficiency skills first. Skip low-efficiency ones.
Example:
Skill A: 8 steps, 12 commands, 5 pitfalls, 2 paragraphs
VALUE = 16 + 36 + 10 - 2 = 60
COST = ~1200 tokens
EFFICIENCY = 0.05
Skill B: 3 steps, 2 commands, 0 pitfalls, 10 paragraphs
VALUE = 6 + 6 + 0 - 10 = 2
COST = ~800 tokens
EFFICIENCY = 0.0025
→ Load skill A (20x more value per token)
Context-Constrained Ranking
For a 32K model with ~6K skill budget:
Choose 2-3 of the highest priority:
Priority │ Skill │ Why
──────────┼──────────────────────────────┼──────────────────
1st │ github-actions-workflows │ Core procedure, has YAML templates
2nd │ github-actions-secrets │ Direct dependency (needed in workflow)
3rd │ github-actions-caching │ Nice-to-have optimization, skip if tight
4th │ dockerfile-optimization │ Different domain, load later when needed
Priority by Task Type
| Task type | Load first | Load second | Skip unless needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Build & deploy | CI/CD workflow | Dockerfile optimization | Monitoring config |
| Debugging | Systematic debugging | Error tracking setup | Git bisect |
| API design | API design patterns | OpenAPI spec | API testing |
| Database | Schema design | Migration patterns | Query optimization |
| Security | Security audit | Vulnerability scanning | WAF config |
Priority Decay Over Time
Skills lose priority as you gain experience:
SESSION 1:
└─ python-package-build HIGH (never done this)
SESSION 5:
└─ python-package-build SKIP (know the procedure)
└─ github-actions-workflows HIGH (still learning CI)
SESSION 20:
└─ most build skills SKIP (routine)
└─ kubernetes-deployment MED (do this monthly)
Pitfalls
- Unknown unknowns: A skill you'd rate "nice to have" might contain a critical pitfall — scan the trigger/description before deciding
- Priority ≠ quality: A high-priority skill might be poorly written — low value despite high ranking
- Over-optimization: Spending 5 minutes ranking skills for a 2-minute task is net negative
- Static ranking: A skill's priority shifts as the task evolves — re-evaluate at each phase
Verification
After loading top-priority skills:
- Did I miss a critical piece of info that a skipped skill would have provided?
- Would any token I saved have been better spent on one more skill?