Optimize Description

Skill Description Optimizer

Takes an existing skill file and rewrites its description for maximum agent discoverability. Agents read description fields to decide when to invoke a skill -- a weak description means the skill never fires when it should, or fires when it shouldn't.

Trigger

Use when the user says "optimize this skill's description", "fix my skill triggers", "why isn't this skill firing", "optimize description", "improve skill discoverability", or when reviewing a skill that has vague or missing trigger language.

Phase 1: Intake

Accept the target skill. This can be:

• A skill name (look it up in ~/.claude/skills/<name>/SKILL.md)
• A file path to a SKILL.md
• Pasted skill content

Read the full SKILL.md. Extract:

• Current description field from YAML frontmatter
• Current trigger section (if any)
• All phases and what the skill actually does
• Any input requirements and output format

Phase 2: Analyze Current Description

Score the current description on 5 criteria (1-5 each):

1. Trigger Clarity

• Does the description contain explicit trigger phrases an agent would match on?
• Are the trigger conditions specific enough to avoid false positives?

2. Disambiguation

• Could this description be confused with another skill in the library?
• Scan ~/.claude/skills/*/SKILL.md for skills with similar descriptions
• Flag any pair with >60% semantic overlap

3. Input/Output Contract

• Does the description specify what the skill needs to run?
• Does it indicate what the skill produces?

4. Scope Boundaries

• Is it clear what this skill does NOT do?
• Are there explicit exclusions for adjacent use cases?

5. Agent Readability

• Is the description a single coherent sentence (ideal) or fragmented?
• Does it avoid jargon that only the skill author would understand?

Present scores:

Trigger Clarity:    [X/5]
Disambiguation:     [X/5]
Input/Output:       [X/5]
Scope Boundaries:   [X/5]
Agent Readability:  [X/5]
TOTAL:              [XX/25]

Phase 3: Rewrite

Generate an optimized description following these rules:

1. Lead with the action verb -- "Rewrite", "Analyze", "Generate", "Convert", not "This skill..."
2. Include 2-3 trigger phrases inline -- words/phrases an agent or user would naturally say
3. State the input -- what the skill consumes
4. State the output -- what the skill produces
5. Disambiguate -- if similar skills exist, add a clause like "unlike X which does Y, this skill does Z"
6. One to two sentences max -- agents parse descriptions quickly; verbose = ignored

Template

[Action verb] [input type] [to produce what] -- [trigger phrases]. [Disambiguation if needed].

Examples of Good Descriptions

• "Stress-test any agent prompt or specification for ambiguity, missing constraints, and edge cases that would cause random behavior at scale."
• "Generate images using the Gemini image generation API. Use when the user asks to generate, create, or make an image, picture, photo, illustration, or visual."

Phase 4: Verify

1. Re-score the new description on the same 5 criteria
2. Show before/after comparison
3. Check for regression: does the new description accidentally exclude valid use cases the old one covered?

Phase 5: Apply (with confirmation)

Ask the user: "Apply this description to the skill file?"

If yes, update only the description: field in the YAML frontmatter of the SKILL.md. Do not modify any other content.

Source Attribution

Technique: Skill Description Field Optimization Source: Nate's Newsletter (natesnewsletter@substack.com), 2026-03-30 Post: "Your Best AI Work Vanishes Every Session. 4 Prompts That Make It Permanent"