Skill Creator
Create, improve, and audit AI agent skills. Every skill follows 14 proven structural patterns.
Scope: Skills only. NOT for creating agents (wagents new agent), building MCP servers (/mcp-creator), or running existing skills. This repo uses raw SKILL.md format committed directly to skills/.
Dispatch
| $ARGUMENTS |
Action |
Example |
create <name> / new <name> |
Develop (new) |
/skill-creator create my-analyzer |
create <name> --from <source> |
Develop (new, from exemplar) |
/skill-creator create my-analyzer --from wargame |
improve <name> / improve <path> |
Develop (existing) |
/skill-creator improve add-badges |
audit <name> |
Audit |
/skill-creator audit honest-review |
audit --all |
Audit All |
/skill-creator audit --all |
dashboard |
Dashboard |
/skill-creator dashboard |
package <name> / package --all |
Package |
/skill-creator package wargame |
| Natural language skill idea |
Auto: Develop (new) |
"tool that audits Python type safety" |
| Skill name + modification verb |
Auto: Develop (existing) |
"refactor the wargame skill" |
| Path to SKILL.md |
Auto: Develop (existing) |
skills/wargame/SKILL.md |
| "MCP server" / "agent" / "run" |
Refuse + redirect |
— |
| Empty |
Gallery |
/skill-creator |
Auto-Detection Heuristic
If no explicit mode keyword is provided:
- Path ending in
SKILL.md or directory under skills/ → Develop (existing)
- Existing skill name + modification verb (improve, refactor, enhance, update, fix, rewrite, optimize, polish, revise, change) → Develop (existing)
--from <source> in arguments → Develop (new, from exemplar)
- New capability description ("I want to build...", "tool that...", "skill for...") → Develop (new) — derive name, confirm before scaffolding
- "MCP server", "agent", "run" → refuse gracefully and redirect
- Ambiguous → ask the user which mode they want
Quick Start
wagents new skill <name> # Scaffold from template
wagents validate # Check all skills
uv run python skills/skill-creator/scripts/audit.py skills/<name>/ # Score quality
wagents package <name> # Package as portable ZIP
Skill Development
Unified process for creating new skills and improving existing ones. Load references/workflow.md for the full procedure.
| Step |
New Skill |
Existing Skill |
| 1. Understand |
Define use cases, scope, patterns |
Audit + understand user's intent |
| 2. Plan |
Structure, description, frontmatter |
Gap analysis + improvement plan (approval gate) |
| 3. Scaffold |
wagents new skill <name> |
Skip |
| 4. Build |
Write/edit body, references, scripts, templates, evals |
Same |
| 5. Validate |
wagents validate + audit.py |
Same |
| 6. Iterate |
Test, identify issues, loop to Step 4 |
Same |
Audit
Score a skill using deterministic analysis + AI review. Load references/audit-guide.md.
Audit All
Comparative ranking of all repository skills. Load references/audit-guide.md § Audit All.
Dashboard
Render visual creation process monitor or audit quality dashboard. Load references/audit-guide.md § Dashboard.
Auto-detects mode from data: phases field → process monitor; skills array → audit overview.
Gallery (Empty Arguments)
Present skill inventory with scores and available actions.
Run uv run python skills/skill-creator/scripts/audit.py --all --format table, display results, offer mode menu.
Package
Package skills into portable ZIP files for Claude Code Desktop import. Load references/packaging-guide.md for ZIP structure, manifest schema, portability checks, and cross-agent compatibility.
wagents package <name> # Single skill → <name>-v<version>.skill.zip
wagents package --all # All skills → dist/ with manifest.json
wagents package --all --dry-run # Check portability without creating ZIPs
Hooks
PreToolUse hooks intercept tool calls during skill execution. The hooks: frontmatter field scopes hooks to this skill only — they activate when the skill is loaded and deactivate when it completes.
State Management
Creation progress persists at ~/.{gemini|copilot|codex|claude}/skill-progress/<name>.json. Read/write via scripts/progress.py. Survives session restarts. Use --state-dir to override the default location.
Reference File Index
| File |
Content |
Read When |
references/workflow.md |
Unified 6-step skill development process for new and existing skills |
Develop (new), Develop (existing) |
references/audit-guide.md |
Audit procedure, Audit All, Dashboard rendering, Gallery, grade thresholds |
Audit, Audit All, Dashboard, Gallery |
references/proven-patterns.md |
14 structural patterns with examples from repo skills |
Step 4 (Build), gap analysis |
references/best-practices.md |
Anthropic guide + superpowers methodology + cross-agent awareness |
Step 2 (Plan), Step 4 (Build), description writing |
references/frontmatter-spec.md |
Full field catalog, invocation matrix, decision tree |
Step 3 (Scaffold), frontmatter configuration |
references/packaging-guide.md |
ZIP structure, manifest schema, portability checks, import instructions |
Package |
references/evaluation-rubric.md |
11 scoring dimensions, grade thresholds, pressure testing |
Audit (pressure testing), scoring targets |
Read reference files as indicated by the "Read When" column above. Do not rely on memory or prior knowledge of their contents.
Core Principles
Conciseness is respect — The context window is shared. Every line competes with the agent's working memory. Earn every line or delete it.
Progressive disclosure — Frontmatter for discovery (~100 tokens), body for dispatch (<5K tokens), references for deep knowledge (on demand), scripts/templates for execution (never loaded).
Self-exemplar — This skill follows every pattern it teaches. When in doubt, look at how skill-creator applies it.
Critical Rules
- Run
uv run wagents validate before declaring any skill complete
- Run
uv run python skills/skill-creator/scripts/audit.py after every significant SKILL.md change
- Never create a skill without a dispatch table — it is the routing contract
- Never create a dispatch table without an empty-args handler — unrouted input is a bug
- Every reference file must appear in the Reference File Index — orphan refs are invisible
- Every indexed reference must exist on disk — phantom refs cause agent errors
- Body must stay under 500 lines (below frontmatter) — move detail to references
- Description must include "Use when" trigger phrases AND "NOT for" exclusions
- Names must be kebab-case, 2-64 chars, no consecutive hyphens, no reserved words
- Scripts use argparse + JSON to stdout — no custom output formats
- Templates are self-contained HTML with no external dependencies
- Do NOT call
wagents docs generate — delegate to docs-steward
- Do NOT create agents or MCP servers — refuse gracefully and redirect
- Improving existing skills requires presenting an improvement plan and getting user approval before implementing changes
- Audit mode is read-only — never modify the skill being audited
- Update evals when dispatch behavior or modes change — stale evals are invisible bugs
Canonical terms (use these exactly throughout):
- Modes: "Develop (new)", "Develop (existing)", "Audit", "Audit All", "Dashboard", "Package", "Gallery"
- Steps (Development): "Understand", "Plan", "Scaffold", "Build", "Validate", "Iterate"
- Grade scale: "A" (90+), "B" (75-89), "C" (60-74), "D" (40-59), "F" (<40)
- Patterns: "dispatch-table", "reference-file-index", "critical-rules", "canonical-vocabulary", "scope-boundaries", "classification-gating", "scaling-strategy", "state-management", "scripts", "templates", "hooks", "progressive-disclosure", "body-substitutions", "stop-hooks"
- Audit dimensions: "frontmatter", "description", "dispatch-table", "body-structure", "pattern-coverage", "reference-quality", "critical-rules", "script-quality", "portability", "conciseness", "canonical-vocabulary"
Converted and distributed by TomeVault — claim your Tome and manage your conversions.
1---2name: wyattowalsh-agents-skill-creator3description: Skill Creator4---56# Skill Creator78Create, improve, and audit AI agent skills. Every skill follows 14 proven structural patterns.910**Scope:** Skills only. NOT for creating agents (`wagents new agent`), building MCP servers (`/mcp-creator`), or running existing skills. This repo uses raw `SKILL.md` format committed directly to `skills/`.1112## Dispatch1314| $ARGUMENTS | Action | Example |15|------------|--------|---------|16| `create <name>` / `new <name>` | Develop (new) | `/skill-creator create my-analyzer` |17| `create <name> --from <source>` | Develop (new, from exemplar) | `/skill-creator create my-analyzer --from wargame` |18| `improve <name>` / `improve <path>` | Develop (existing) | `/skill-creator improve add-badges` |19| `audit <name>` | Audit | `/skill-creator audit honest-review` |20| `audit --all` | Audit All | `/skill-creator audit --all` |21| `dashboard` | Dashboard | `/skill-creator dashboard` |22| `package <name>` / `package --all` | Package | `/skill-creator package wargame` |23| Natural language skill idea | Auto: Develop (new) | `"tool that audits Python type safety"` |24| Skill name + modification verb | Auto: Develop (existing) | `"refactor the wargame skill"` |25| Path to SKILL.md | Auto: Develop (existing) | `skills/wargame/SKILL.md` |26| "MCP server" / "agent" / "run" | Refuse + redirect | — |27| Empty | Gallery | `/skill-creator` |2829### Auto-Detection Heuristic3031If no explicit mode keyword is provided:32331. Path ending in `SKILL.md` or directory under `skills/` → **Develop (existing)**342. Existing skill name + modification verb (improve, refactor, enhance, update, fix, rewrite, optimize, polish, revise, change) → **Develop (existing)**353. `--from <source>` in arguments → **Develop (new, from exemplar)**364. New capability description ("I want to build...", "tool that...", "skill for...") → **Develop (new)** — derive name, confirm before scaffolding375. "MCP server", "agent", "run" → refuse gracefully and redirect386. Ambiguous → ask the user which mode they want3940## Quick Start4142```bash43wagents new skill <name> # Scaffold from template44wagents validate # Check all skills45uv run python skills/skill-creator/scripts/audit.py skills/<name>/ # Score quality46wagents package <name> # Package as portable ZIP47```4849## Skill Development5051Unified process for creating new skills and improving existing ones. Load `references/workflow.md` for the full procedure.5253| Step | New Skill | Existing Skill |54|------|-----------|----------------|55| 1. Understand | Define use cases, scope, patterns | Audit + understand user's intent |56| 2. Plan | Structure, description, frontmatter | Gap analysis + improvement plan (approval gate) |57| 3. Scaffold | `wagents new skill <name>` | Skip |58| 4. Build | Write/edit body, references, scripts, templates, evals | Same |59| 5. Validate | `wagents validate` + `audit.py` | Same |60| 6. Iterate | Test, identify issues, loop to Step 4 | Same |6162## Audit6364Score a skill using deterministic analysis + AI review. Load `references/audit-guide.md`.6566## Audit All6768Comparative ranking of all repository skills. Load `references/audit-guide.md` § Audit All.6970## Dashboard7172Render visual creation process monitor or audit quality dashboard. Load `references/audit-guide.md` § Dashboard.7374Auto-detects mode from data: `phases` field → process monitor; `skills` array → audit overview.7576## Gallery (Empty Arguments)7778Present skill inventory with scores and available actions.79Run `uv run python skills/skill-creator/scripts/audit.py --all --format table`, display results, offer mode menu.8081## Package8283Package skills into portable ZIP files for Claude Code Desktop import. Load `references/packaging-guide.md` for ZIP structure, manifest schema, portability checks, and cross-agent compatibility.8485```bash86wagents package <name> # Single skill → <name>-v<version>.skill.zip87wagents package --all # All skills → dist/ with manifest.json88wagents package --all --dry-run # Check portability without creating ZIPs89```9091## Hooks9293PreToolUse hooks intercept tool calls during skill execution. The `hooks:` frontmatter field scopes hooks to this skill only — they activate when the skill is loaded and deactivate when it completes.9495## State Management9697Creation progress persists at `~/.{gemini|copilot|codex|claude}/skill-progress/<name>.json`. Read/write via `scripts/progress.py`. Survives session restarts. Use `--state-dir` to override the default location.9899## Reference File Index100101| File | Content | Read When |102|------|---------|-----------|103| `references/workflow.md` | Unified 6-step skill development process for new and existing skills | Develop (new), Develop (existing) |104| `references/audit-guide.md` | Audit procedure, Audit All, Dashboard rendering, Gallery, grade thresholds | Audit, Audit All, Dashboard, Gallery |105| `references/proven-patterns.md` | 14 structural patterns with examples from repo skills | Step 4 (Build), gap analysis |106| `references/best-practices.md` | Anthropic guide + superpowers methodology + cross-agent awareness | Step 2 (Plan), Step 4 (Build), description writing |107| `references/frontmatter-spec.md` | Full field catalog, invocation matrix, decision tree | Step 3 (Scaffold), frontmatter configuration |108| `references/packaging-guide.md` | ZIP structure, manifest schema, portability checks, import instructions | Package |109| `references/evaluation-rubric.md` | 11 scoring dimensions, grade thresholds, pressure testing | Audit (pressure testing), scoring targets |110111Read reference files as indicated by the "Read When" column above. Do not rely on memory or prior knowledge of their contents.112113## Core Principles114115**Conciseness is respect** — The context window is shared. Every line competes with the agent's working memory. Earn every line or delete it.116117**Progressive disclosure** — Frontmatter for discovery (~100 tokens), body for dispatch (<5K tokens), references for deep knowledge (on demand), scripts/templates for execution (never loaded).118119**Self-exemplar** — This skill follows every pattern it teaches. When in doubt, look at how skill-creator applies it.120121## Critical Rules1221231. Run `uv run wagents validate` before declaring any skill complete1242. Run `uv run python skills/skill-creator/scripts/audit.py` after every significant SKILL.md change1253. Never create a skill without a dispatch table — it is the routing contract1264. Never create a dispatch table without an empty-args handler — unrouted input is a bug1275. Every reference file must appear in the Reference File Index — orphan refs are invisible1286. Every indexed reference must exist on disk — phantom refs cause agent errors1297. Body must stay under 500 lines (below frontmatter) — move detail to references1308. Description must include "Use when" trigger phrases AND "NOT for" exclusions1319. Names must be kebab-case, 2-64 chars, no consecutive hyphens, no reserved words13210. Scripts use argparse + JSON to stdout — no custom output formats13311. Templates are self-contained HTML with no external dependencies13412. Do NOT call `wagents docs generate` — delegate to docs-steward13513. Do NOT create agents or MCP servers — refuse gracefully and redirect13614. Improving existing skills requires presenting an improvement plan and getting user approval before implementing changes13715. Audit mode is read-only — never modify the skill being audited13816. Update evals when dispatch behavior or modes change — stale evals are invisible bugs139140**Canonical terms** (use these exactly throughout):141- Modes: "Develop (new)", "Develop (existing)", "Audit", "Audit All", "Dashboard", "Package", "Gallery"142- Steps (Development): "Understand", "Plan", "Scaffold", "Build", "Validate", "Iterate"143- Grade scale: "A" (90+), "B" (75-89), "C" (60-74), "D" (40-59), "F" (<40)144- Patterns: "dispatch-table", "reference-file-index", "critical-rules", "canonical-vocabulary", "scope-boundaries", "classification-gating", "scaling-strategy", "state-management", "scripts", "templates", "hooks", "progressive-disclosure", "body-substitutions", "stop-hooks"145- Audit dimensions: "frontmatter", "description", "dispatch-table", "body-structure", "pattern-coverage", "reference-quality", "critical-rules", "script-quality", "portability", "conciseness", "canonical-vocabulary"146147---148> Converted and distributed by [TomeVault](https://tomevault.io/claim/wyattowalsh) — claim your Tome and manage your conversions.149<!-- tomevault:4.0:skill_md:2026-04-15 -->