tools-only 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.
Getting Started with Skills
MANDATORY FIRST RESPONSE PROTOCOL
Before responding to ANY user message, you MUST complete this checklist:
- ☐ List to yourself ALL available skills (shown in your system context)
- ☐ Ask yourself: "Does ANY available skill match this request?"
- ☐ If yes: use the
Skilltool to invoke the skill and follow the skill exactly.
Responding WITHOUT completing this checklist = automatic failure.
Critical Rules
Follow mandatory workflows. Brainstorming before coding. Check for relevant skills before ANY task.
Execute skills with the Skill tool
Common Rationalizations That Mean You're About To Fail
If you catch yourself thinking ANY of these thoughts, STOP. You are rationalizing. Check for and use the skill.
- "This is just a simple question" → WRONG. Questions are tasks. Check for skills.
- "I can check git/files quickly" → WRONG. Files don't have conversation context. Check for skills.
- "Let me gather information first" → WRONG. Skills tell you HOW to gather information. Check for skills.
- "This doesn't need a formal skill" → WRONG. If a skill exists for it, use it.
- "I remember this skill" → WRONG. Skills evolve. Read the current version.
- "This doesn't count as a task" → WRONG. If you're taking action, it's a task. Check for skills.
- "The skill is overkill for this" → WRONG. Skills exist because simple things become complex. Use it.
- "I'll just do this one thing first" → WRONG. Check for skills BEFORE doing anything.
Why: Skills document proven techniques that save time and prevent mistakes. Not using available skills means repeating solved problems and making known errors.
If a skill for your task exists, you must use it or you will fail at your task.
Skills with Checklists
If a skill has a checklist, YOU MUST create task todos for EACH item using TaskCreate (or TodoWrite in older Claude Code versions).
Don't:
- Work through checklist mentally
- Skip creating todos "to save time"
- Batch multiple items into one todo
- Mark complete without doing them
Why: Checklists without task tracking = steps get skipped. Every time. The overhead of task management is tiny compared to the cost of missing steps.
Announcing Skill Usage
Before using a skill, announce that you are using it. "I'm using [Skill Name] to [what you're doing]."
Examples:
- "I'm using the brainstorming skill to refine your idea into a design."
- "I'm using the test-driven-development skill to implement this feature."
Why: Transparency helps your human partner understand your process and catch errors early. It also confirms you actually read the skill.
About these skills
Many skills contain rigid rules (TDD, debugging, verification). Follow them exactly. Don't adapt away the discipline.
Some skills are flexible patterns (architecture, naming). Adapt core principles to your context.
The skill itself tells you which type it is.
Instructions ≠ Permission to Skip Workflows
Your human partner's specific instructions describe WHAT to do, not HOW.
"Add X", "Fix Y" = the goal, NOT permission to skip brainstorming, TDD, or RED-GREEN-REFACTOR.
Red flags: "Instruction was specific" • "Seems simple" • "Workflow is overkill"
Why: Specific instructions mean clear requirements, which is when workflows matter MOST. Skipping process on "simple" tasks is how simple tasks become complex problems.
Summary
Starting any task:
- If relevant skill exists → Use the skill
- Announce you're using it
- Follow what it says
Skill has checklist? TaskCreate for every item (or TodoWrite in older versions).
Finding a relevant skill = mandatory to read and use it. Not optional.