payals IF A SKILL APPLIES TO YOUR TASK, YOU DO NOT HAVE A CHOICE. YOU MUST USE IT.
This is not negotiable. This is not optional. You cannot rationalize your way out of this.
Using Skills
The Rule
Check for skills BEFORE ANY RESPONSE. This includes clarifying questions. Use the Read tool to read relevant SKILL.md files from .cursor/skills/ based on task context.
How to Find Skills
All skills are in .cursor/skills/. Match your task to the appropriate skill directory and read its SKILL.md:
Task → Skill Mapping
| Task Type | Read These Skills |
|---|---|
| Planning/Design | .cursor/skills/development/brainstorming/SKILL.md, .cursor/skills/development/create-plan/SKILL.md, .cursor/skills/development/writing-plans/SKILL.md |
| Bug fixing/Debugging | .cursor/skills/problem-solving/when-stuck/SKILL.md, .cursor/skills/development/error-resolver/SKILL.md |
| Database work | .cursor/skills/database/ — choose based on DB (postgres, neon, supabase) |
| Schema design | .cursor/skills/development/database-schema-designer/SKILL.md |
| Testing | .cursor/skills/development/test-driven-development/SKILL.md, .cursor/skills/development/testing-patterns/SKILL.md |
| Test failures | .cursor/skills/development/test-fixing/SKILL.md |
| Code review | .cursor/skills/development/code-reviewer/SKILL.md, .cursor/skills/development/code-review-checklist/SKILL.md |
| Architecture | .cursor/skills/development/senior-architect/SKILL.md, .cursor/skills/development/software-architecture/SKILL.md |
| Backend/API | .cursor/skills/development/senior-backend/SKILL.md |
| Frontend/UI | .cursor/skills/development/senior-frontend/SKILL.md, .cursor/skills/development/frontend-dev-guidelines/SKILL.md |
| DevOps/Infrastructure | .cursor/skills/development/senior-devops/SKILL.md, .cursor/skills/development/devops-iac-engineer/SKILL.md |
| Docker | .cursor/skills/development/docker-expert/SKILL.md |
| Security | .cursor/skills/development/senior-security/SKILL.md, .cursor/skills/development/senior-secops/SKILL.md |
| ML/AI | .cursor/skills/development/senior-ml-engineer/SKILL.md, .cursor/skills/development/senior-prompt-engineer/SKILL.md |
| Data engineering | .cursor/skills/development/senior-data-engineer/SKILL.md, .cursor/skills/development/senior-data-scientist/SKILL.md |
| Git commits | .cursor/skills/development/git-commit/SKILL.md |
| Feature design | .cursor/skills/development/feature-design-assistant/SKILL.md |
| Stuck/blocked | .cursor/skills/problem-solving/when-stuck/SKILL.md, .cursor/skills/problem-solving/SKILL.md |
| Verification | .cursor/skills/development/verification-before-completion/SKILL.md |
Workflow
- Identify task type from user message
- Read relevant SKILL.md using the Read tool
- Announce: "Using [skill name] for [purpose]"
- If skill has checklist: Create TodoWrite todos for each item
- Follow skill exactly
Red Flags
These thoughts mean STOP—you're rationalizing:
| Thought | Reality |
|---|---|
| "This is just a simple question" | Questions are tasks. Check for skills. |
| "I need more context first" | Skill check comes BEFORE clarifying questions. |
| "Let me explore the codebase first" | Skills tell you HOW to explore. Check first. |
| "I can check git/files quickly" | Files lack conversation context. Check for skills. |
| "Let me gather information first" | Skills tell you HOW to gather information. |
| "This doesn't need a formal skill" | If a skill exists, use it. |
| "I remember this skill" | Skills evolve. Read current version. |
| "This doesn't count as a task" | Action = task. Check for skills. |
| "The skill is overkill" | Simple things become complex. Use it. |
| "I'll just do this one thing first" | Check BEFORE doing anything. |
| "This feels productive" | Undisciplined action wastes time. Skills prevent this. |
Skill Priority
When multiple skills could apply, use this order:
- Process skills first (brainstorming, debugging) - these determine HOW to approach the task
- Implementation skills second (frontend-design, database) - these guide execution
"Let's build X" → brainstorming first, then implementation skills. "Fix this bug" → when-stuck/debugging first, then domain-specific skills.
Skill Types
Rigid (TDD, debugging): Follow exactly. Don't adapt away discipline.
Flexible (patterns): Adapt principles to context.
The skill itself tells you which.
User Instructions
Instructions say WHAT, not HOW. "Add X" or "Fix Y" doesn't mean skip workflows.