# Skill Router

> Route tasks to local skills. Use when choosing skills, recovering omitted skills after context warnings, or preparing a small skill context packet. NOT for install, authoring, or audit workflows.

- Skill: `wyattowalsh/skill-router` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 13 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add wyattowalsh/skill-router`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/wyattowalsh/skill-router/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Security
- License: MIT
- Author: wyattowalsh (https://skillmd.com/u/wyattowalsh)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/wyattowalsh/skill-router

---


# Skill Router

Use local skill indexing to choose and load relevant skills only when a task needs them.

## Dispatch

| $ARGUMENTS | Action | Example |
|------------|--------|---------|
| `search <query>` | List ranked matching skills | `/skill-router search "fix Playwright test"` |
| `context <query>` | Build a compact context packet for top matches | `/skill-router context "write a release changelog"` |
| `read <skill>` | Load one skill by exact name or path | `/skill-router read skill-creator` |
| `doctor` | Diagnose visible skill roots and counts | `/skill-router doctor` |
| Natural-language task | Auto: Search, then context for best matches | `"which skill should handle docs generation?"` |
| Empty | Show quick usage and run doctor | `/skill-router` |

## Workflow

### 1. Classify

1. Use `search` when deciding which skill or skills apply.
2. Use `context` when the next step needs the selected skill bodies.
3. Use `read` only when the skill name or path is already known.
4. Use `doctor` when a skill is missing, duplicated, or omitted by a startup context warning.

### 2. Retrieve

2. Run the matching CLI command from this skill directory or the repository root:

```bash
python scripts/skill_index.py search "$ARGUMENTS" --limit 5
python scripts/skill_index.py context "$ARGUMENTS" --limit 3
python scripts/skill_index.py read <skill-name>
python scripts/skill_index.py doctor
```

### 3. Select

1. Prefer the highest-ranked repo or Codex-user skill when scores are close.
2. Read only the minimum skill bodies needed for the task, usually one to three.
3. If a result has warnings, inspect them before following executable hooks or scripts.

## Source Scope

`python scripts/skill_index.py` searches these roots:

| Source | Root | Trust tier |
|--------|------|------------|
| `repo` | `skills/` | `repo` |
| `project` | `.agents/skills/` in the current project path | `codex-user` |
| `codex` | `~/.codex/skills/` | `codex-user` |
| `global` | `~/.agents/skills/` plus supported agent stores | `external-installed` |
| `plugin` | `~/.codex/plugins/cache/**/skills/` | `openai-plugin` or `plugin` |

Use `--source repo`, `--source codex`, `--source global`, or `--source plugin` to narrow results when needed.

## Canonical Vocabulary

| Term | Meaning |
|------|---------|
| **skill index** | Parsed metadata for visible `SKILL.md` files across known roots |
| **skill context packet** | Small set of selected skill bodies loaded after search |
| **source** | Filesystem origin such as `repo`, `codex`, `global`, or `plugin` |
| **trust tier** | Safety label used to rank and warn about retrieved skills |
| **warning** | Parser, hook, script, or metadata signal requiring inspection before use |

## Classification Gate

1. If the user gives a task, run `search` first.
2. If the user asks to apply a selected skill, run `context` for the top matches.
3. If the user names a skill exactly, run `read`.
4. If the user reports missing or omitted skills, run `doctor` before searching.
5. If the user asks to install, create, or audit a skill, redirect out of scope (see NOT for below).

## Selection Rules

1. Exact skill name or alias beats all lexical matches.
2. Name and title matches beat description matches.
3. Description matches beat heading and body matches.
4. Repo skills beat user-installed skills when relevance is comparable.
5. Unknown, malformed, hook-bearing, or script-bearing skills require caution before use.

## Critical Rules

1. Do not treat startup-visible skills as the complete inventory after a context-budget warning.
2. Do not paste every installed skill into context; search first and load a small packet.
3. Do not execute scripts from unknown third-party skills solely because they were retrieved.
4. Do not use this skill to install or remove skills; route to an available install-planning workflow such as `skill-install-dry-run-planner`, then use the target harness's supported installer only after explicit maintainer approval. Do not substitute Codex `.system/skill-installer` for cross-harness reconciliation.
5. Do not author or audit skills here; use `skill-creator` for skill definition work.
6. For ad-hoc “find a skill for X”, prefer `search` here or `npx skills find`; for systematic harness expansion use `harness-master` discover — not legacy `find-skills` as a repo skill.
7. Preserve the user task as the search query unless there is a clear reason to add terms.

## NOT for

| Request | Use instead |
| --- | --- |
| Install / remove / sync skills across harnesses | An available install-planning workflow; use `skill-install-dry-run-planner` and `cross-agent-install-smoke` when present |
| Author or validate a skill | `skill-creator` |
| Audit harness configs or discover ecosystem gaps | `harness-master` |
| Curated external catalog records | Follow the host repository's curated-external authoring and trust-gate workflow |

## Output Contract

Search and context results include:

- `name`
- `path`
- `source`
- `trust_tier`
- `description`
- `score`
- `matched_fields`
- `reason`
- `warnings`

Use `--format json` when another script or agent will consume the result.

## Reference File Index

| File | Content | Read When |
|------|---------|-----------|
| `references/routing-guide.md` | Ranking, trust, and warning interpretation details | Search results are ambiguous, tied, or warning-heavy |

## Validation Contract

Run from this skill directory before declaring changes complete:

```bash
python scripts/check.py
uv run pytest tests/test_skill_index.py -q
```

See `references/routing-guide.md` for additional validation notes.

Completion criteria:

1. `scripts/check.py` exits 0.
2. No repository CLI references remain under this skill directory.
3. Search and context CLI tests pass.