Template Reference First

Reference-First Skill Template

Why this exists

This package is the default starting point for new or refactored skills in this repo.

It demonstrates the intended split of responsibilities:

• SKILL.md routes the workflow
• references/ holds method, judgment, and exemplars
• assets/ holds machine-readable contracts
• scripts/ handles deterministic execution only

Use it as a shape to copy and customize, not as a domain-specific skill.

Inputs

• the job the skill should encode
• the expected inputs and outputs for that job
• acceptance criteria and failure conditions
• any domain packs, schemas, or existing artifacts that must be reused

Outputs

• a lean SKILL.md
• references/overview.md
• references/examples_good.md
• references/examples_bad.md
• assets/schema.json
• scripts/run.py

Workflow

1. Define the job and its boundary

• write down the trigger, intended outcome, and explicit non-goals
• separate reusable behavior from one-off project context

2. Write SKILL.md as a router

• keep only the activation rule, inputs, outputs, workflow, block conditions, and resource routing
• do not copy large judgment rules, domain essays, or sentence banks into this file

3. Move reusable thinking into references/

• put domain knowledge, decision rubrics, and method notes in references/overview.md
• if the skill can emit reader-facing text, include both references/examples_good.md and references/examples_bad.md
• keep reference files one hop away from SKILL.md; avoid deep reference chains

4. Put contracts into assets/

• store machine-readable schemas, templates, or static resource packs in assets/
• use assets/schema.json for the structured artifact that the skill validates or emits

5. Keep scripts/run.py deterministic

• allow file discovery, normalization, validation, manifest generation, and external tool calls
• keep prose templates, domain defaults, and reader-facing judgment out of Python

6. Validate hygiene before reuse

• make sure the package has no unresolved placeholders in reader-facing examples
• make sure SKILL.md explicitly tells the agent when to read each reference file

When to read references/

• Always read references/overview.md before customizing or applying this template.
• Read references/examples_good.md when the skill writes reader-facing text or shapes another writer skill.
• Read references/examples_bad.md when cleaning up generator voice, pipeline jargon, or weak deliverable framing.
• If the skill has domain variants, add explicit domain-pack references and mention the selection rule here.

Assets to reuse

• assets/schema.json: a generic contract for a reference-first skill manifest; adapt it to the concrete skill you are building.

Script role

• scripts/run.py is a minimal validator and manifest builder.
• Read or patch the script only when you need deterministic behavior.
• Do not rely on the script to supply the skill's method, voice, domain taxonomy, or reader-facing examples.

Block conditions

Stop and fix the package before reuse if any of these are true:

• SKILL.md duplicates long reference content instead of routing to references/
• run.py contains domain defaults, sentence libraries, or filler prose
• reader-facing examples contain unresolved placeholders or internal pipeline jargon
• the schema does not match the artifact the skill is supposed to validate or emit

Done checklist

• SKILL.md stays lean and references other files explicitly
• references/ contains the actual method and exemplars
• assets/ contains machine-readable contracts only
• scripts/run.py stays deterministic and small
• the package can be understood by reading SKILL.md and the referenced files without reading all Python first