Adopt Skill — Review & Integration Process
Evaluate an external skill before integrating it into this workflow.
Never auto-adopt — always present findings and get user approval.
Step 1: Fetch & Read the Skill
- Retrieve the skill from the provided source:
- GitHub URL: Fetch the SKILL.md and any supporting files
- Marketplace: Use
/plugin to inspect before installing
- Local path: Read the SKILL.md and directory contents
- Read the complete SKILL.md content and all supporting files
- Extract metadata: name, description, allowed-tools, context, dependencies
Step 2: Security Audit
- Check for red flags:
- Does it run arbitrary bash commands? What commands specifically?
- Does it reference external URLs or APIs? Which ones?
- Does it use
allowed-tools that grant broad access?
- Does it include scripts? Read them — do they do what they claim?
- Does it instruct Claude to send data externally?
- Rate security risk: Low / Medium / High
- If High risk, stop and warn the user before proceeding
Step 3: Overlap Analysis
- Read the skill catalog:
.claude/skills/meta-skill-catalog/catalog.json
- For each existing skill, compare:
- Trigger overlap: Would both skills activate for similar prompts?
- Functional overlap: Do they do similar things?
- Naming conflict: Does the name collide with an existing skill?
- Report findings:
- "No overlap found" OR
- "Overlaps with [skill-name]: [description of overlap]"
- Recommend: adopt as-is, merge with existing, or skip
Step 4: Compatibility Check
- Evaluate fit within this workflow:
- Naming convention: Does it follow
{category}-{function} pattern?
If not, suggest a rename.
- Category assignment: Which category does it belong to?
(
meta-*, dev-*, ops-*, tool-*, viz-*, or new category)
- Context files: Does it need to read/write any context files?
Does it respect the memory security rules (MEMORY.md main-session only)?
- Quality: Is the SKILL.md well-structured? Are instructions clear?
- Size: Is it under 500 lines? If not, should supporting files be split out?
Step 5: Adaptation Plan
- Draft a plan for integration:
- Proposed name (following naming convention)
- Proposed category
- Changes needed to make it fit:
- Frontmatter adjustments (name, description, invocation control)
- Instruction modifications for workflow compatibility
- Supporting files to keep, modify, or remove
- Any dependencies to install (MCP servers, CLI tools, packages)
- If the skill needs modifications, show the diff between original and adapted version
Step 6: Present Review
- Present a structured review to the user:
### Skill Adoption Review: {skill-name}
**Source:** {URL or path}
**Security Risk:** {Low/Medium/High}
**Overlap:** {None / overlaps with X}
**Category:** {proposed category}
**Proposed Name:** {category-function}
#### What It Does
{One paragraph summary}
#### Changes Needed
- {List of modifications}
#### Recommendation
{Adopt as-is / Adopt with changes / Merge with [existing] / Skip}
- Wait for user approval before proceeding
Step 7: Install (After Approval)
- If approved:
- Copy/create the skill directory:
.claude/skills/{category-function}/
- Write the adapted SKILL.md (with any agreed modifications)
- Copy supporting files
- Update the skill catalog:
.claude/skills/meta-skill-catalog/catalog.json
- Set version tracking in catalog entry:
version: read from the adopted skill's SKILL.md frontmatter (or 1.0.0 if not present)
installed_from: "local" (adopted skills are local additions)
installed_version: same as version
installed_date: today's date
- Update today's daily memory with the adoption decision
- Verify the skill is discoverable: "What skills are available?"
- If the skill has a test case, run it to verify it works
Adoption Checklist
Before marking adoption complete, verify:
1---2name: meta-adopt-skill3description: Review and adopt an external skill into this workflow. Evaluates a skill from a URL, marketplace, or local path for compatibility, overlap, quality, and fit within the existing skill catalog. Use when the user wants to add a new skill, says "adopt skill", "install skill", "add this skill", "evaluate this skill", or invokes /meta-adopt-skill. Does NOT trigger automatically.4---5
6# Adopt Skill — Review & Integration Process
7
8Evaluate an external skill before integrating it into this workflow.
9Never auto-adopt — always present findings and get user approval.
10
11## Step 1: Fetch & Read the Skill
12
131. Retrieve the skill from the provided source:
14 - **GitHub URL**: Fetch the SKILL.md and any supporting files
15 - **Marketplace**: Use `/plugin` to inspect before installing
16 - **Local path**: Read the SKILL.md and directory contents
172. Read the complete SKILL.md content and all supporting files
183. Extract metadata: name, description, allowed-tools, context, dependencies
19
20## Step 2: Security Audit
21
224. **Check for red flags:**
23 - Does it run arbitrary bash commands? What commands specifically?
24 - Does it reference external URLs or APIs? Which ones?
25 - Does it use `allowed-tools` that grant broad access?
26 - Does it include scripts? Read them — do they do what they claim?
27 - Does it instruct Claude to send data externally?
285. **Rate security risk:** Low / Medium / High
296. If High risk, **stop and warn the user** before proceeding
30
31## Step 3: Overlap Analysis
32
337. Read the skill catalog: `.claude/skills/meta-skill-catalog/catalog.json`
348. For each existing skill, compare:
35 - **Trigger overlap**: Would both skills activate for similar prompts?
36 - **Functional overlap**: Do they do similar things?
37 - **Naming conflict**: Does the name collide with an existing skill?
389. Report findings:
39 - "No overlap found" OR
40 - "Overlaps with [skill-name]: [description of overlap]"
41 - Recommend: adopt as-is, merge with existing, or skip
42
43## Step 4: Compatibility Check
44
4510. Evaluate fit within this workflow:
46 - **Naming convention**: Does it follow `{category}-{function}` pattern?
47 If not, suggest a rename.
48 - **Category assignment**: Which category does it belong to?
49 (`meta-*`, `dev-*`, `ops-*`, `tool-*`, `viz-*`, or new category)
50 - **Context files**: Does it need to read/write any context files?
51 Does it respect the memory security rules (MEMORY.md main-session only)?
52 - **Quality**: Is the SKILL.md well-structured? Are instructions clear?
53 - **Size**: Is it under 500 lines? If not, should supporting files be split out?
54
55## Step 5: Adaptation Plan
56
5711. Draft a plan for integration:
58 - Proposed name (following naming convention)
59 - Proposed category
60 - Changes needed to make it fit:
61 - Frontmatter adjustments (name, description, invocation control)
62 - Instruction modifications for workflow compatibility
63 - Supporting files to keep, modify, or remove
64 - Any dependencies to install (MCP servers, CLI tools, packages)
6512. If the skill needs modifications, show the diff between original and adapted version
66
67## Step 6: Present Review
68
6913. Present a structured review to the user:
70
71```
72### Skill Adoption Review: {skill-name}
73
74**Source:** {URL or path}
75**Security Risk:** {Low/Medium/High}
76**Overlap:** {None / overlaps with X}
77**Category:** {proposed category}
78**Proposed Name:** {category-function}
79
80#### What It Does
81{One paragraph summary}
82
83#### Changes Needed
84- {List of modifications}
85
86#### Recommendation
87{Adopt as-is / Adopt with changes / Merge with [existing] / Skip}
88```
89
9014. Wait for user approval before proceeding
91
92## Step 7: Install (After Approval)
93
9415. If approved:
95 - Copy/create the skill directory: `.claude/skills/{category-function}/`
96 - Write the adapted SKILL.md (with any agreed modifications)
97 - Copy supporting files
98 - Update the skill catalog: `.claude/skills/meta-skill-catalog/catalog.json`
99 - Set version tracking in catalog entry:
100 - `version`: read from the adopted skill's SKILL.md frontmatter (or `1.0.0` if not present)
101 - `installed_from`: `"local"` (adopted skills are local additions)
102 - `installed_version`: same as `version`
103 - `installed_date`: today's date
104 - Update today's daily memory with the adoption decision
10516. Verify the skill is discoverable: "What skills are available?"
10617. If the skill has a test case, run it to verify it works
107
108## Adoption Checklist
109
110Before marking adoption complete, verify:
111- [ ] SKILL.md has proper frontmatter (name, description)
112- [ ] Name follows `{category}-{function}` convention
113- [ ] No security red flags unaddressed
114- [ ] No unresolved overlap with existing skills
115- [ ] Catalog updated
116- [ ] Supporting files in place
117- [ ] Skill loads when invoked