Skill Creator

Create effective Agent Skills using progressive disclosure. For choosing validation and distribution tooling around skills, use ecosystem-guide.

When to Create a Skill

Create a skill when you notice:

• Repeating context across conversations
• Domain expertise needed repeatedly
• Project-specific knowledge the agent should know automatically

Progressive Disclosure

Skills load in 3 levels:

1. Metadata (~27 tokens optimal, ~100 max) - YAML frontmatter for triggering
2. Instructions (<50 lines recommended, 500 max) - SKILL.md body with core patterns
3. Resources (unlimited) - references/ scripts/ assets/ loaded on demand

Key: Keep Levels 1 & 2 lean. Move details to Level 3. Use npx claude-skills-cli validate to check budgets.

Structure

my-skill/
├── SKILL.md       # Core instructions + metadata
├── references/    # Detailed docs (loaded as needed)
├── scripts/       # Executable operations
└── assets/        # Templates, images, files

References

• [quick-start.md](references/quick-start.md) - Creating your first skill
• [writing-guide.md](references/writing-guide.md) - Writing effective skills
• [development-process.md](references/development-process.md) - Step-by-step workflow
• [skill-examples.md](references/skill-examples.md) - Patterns and examples
• [cli-reference.md](references/cli-reference.md) - CLI tool usage
• [anthropic-resources.md](references/anthropic-resources.md) - Official best practices
• [mcp-integration.md](references/mcp-integration.md) - MCP server integration patterns
• [testing-guide.md](references/testing-guide.md) - Testing methodology and checklists
• [distribution.md](references/distribution.md) - Sharing and distributing skills
• [troubleshooting.md](references/troubleshooting.md) - Common issues and fixes