Example Skill

Example Skill

Quick-reference skill demonstrating the progressive disclosure pattern.

When to Use This Skill

Load when you want to see:

• How to structure a skill
• Progressive disclosure in action
• Best practices for token efficiency

Quick Reference

Most Common Question: What is Progressive Disclosure?

Load minimal info first, add details only when needed

Benefits:

• 70-90% token savings
• Faster initial context loading
• Better user experience
• Pay for what you need

Formula: tokens_saved = total_tokens - (quick_ref + needed_details)

How Skills Are Structured

skills/
└── skill-name/
    ├── SKILL.md       # This file (~400 words, always loaded)
    ├── CONCEPTS.md    # Theory (loaded on demand)
    ├── OPERATIONS.md  # How-to guides (loaded on demand)
    ├── TECHNICAL.md   # Implementation (loaded on demand)
    └── REFERENCE.md   # Quick lookup (loaded on demand)

Common Misconceptions

1. "Load everything upfront for best results" → NO: Progressive loading is better
2. "SKILL.md should be comprehensive" → NO: Keep it minimal, point to details
3. "All queries need full context" → NO: 80% of queries need quick reference only

Progressive Detail Loading

For deeper information, use Read tool to load:

• CONCEPTS.md - Theory, fundamentals, philosophy of progressive disclosure
• OPERATIONS.md - How to create skills, manage token budgets
• TECHNICAL.md - Implementation details, file formats
• REFERENCE.md - Command reference, token estimates

Quick Answers Guide

User asks "what is progressive disclosure?" → Answer from Quick Reference above User asks "why" or theory → Read CONCEPTS.md User asks "how to create a skill" → Read OPERATIONS.md User needs technical details → Read TECHNICAL.md User needs command reference → Read REFERENCE.md

Key Commands

./skill-cli.js show example-skill      # Load this quick reference
./skill-cli.js files example-skill     # See available detail files
./skill-cli.js detail example-skill CONCEPTS  # Load concepts

Philosophy

Answer the common, reference the complex. SKILL.md provides quick answers for 80% of questions, while detail files handle the remaining 20% that need deeper explanation.