creating

Create a New Skill

Scaffold a well-structured skill following skillforge best practices.

Workflow

1. Gather Requirements

Ask via AskUserQuestion:

Plugin name: [existing plugin or new]
Skill name: [verb-noun format, e.g., generating-dockerfile]

Then ask skill type:

What kind of skill is this?

○ Generator (creates files from detection + templates)
○ Auditor (evaluates existing files against checklist)
○ Optimizer (improves existing files)
○ Orchestrator (delegates to other skills)

2. Determine if References Are Needed

Ask via AskUserQuestion:

Does this skill have variant content based on detection or user choice?

○ Yes, varies by language/ecosystem (e.g., Python vs Node.js)
○ Yes, varies by user choice (e.g., Helm vs kubectl)
○ Yes, catalog of selectable items (e.g., services)
○ No, single workflow for all cases

If yes, ask for the variant names (languages, choices, or catalog items).

3. Verify Plugin Location

Glob: plugins/{plugin}/skills/

If plugin doesn't exist, create the directory structure:

mkdir -p plugins/{plugin}/{.claude-plugin,commands,skills/{skill-name}/references}

If plugin exists but skill doesn't:

mkdir -p plugins/{plugin}/skills/{skill-name}/references

4. Generate SKILL.md

Read the appropriate template from references/ based on skill type:

Skill Type	Template
Generator	references/template-generator.md
Auditor	references/template-auditor.md
Orchestrator	references/template-orchestrator.md

Apply the template with gathered requirements.

5. Generate Reference Files

If variant content was requested, create stub reference files:

references/{variant}.md

Each stub follows the reference file anatomy:

# {Variant Name}

## Detection

{How to identify when this reference applies}

## Content

{Templates, definitions, or checks specific to this variant}

## Required Variables

{Any configuration the parent skill must provide}

6. Generate Command Wrapper

Create commands/{command-name}.md:

---
name: {plugin}:{command-name}
description: {short description}
argument-hint: "{hint}"
---

Invoke the `{plugin}:{skill-name}` skill and follow it exactly.

Use the command naming convention:

• generating-dockerfile skill → dockerfile command
• generating-deploy skill → deploy command
• auditing skill → audit command
• setting-up skill → setup command

7. Report

============================================================================
Skill Created: {plugin}:{skill-name}
============================================================================

Files created:
  ✓ skills/{skill-name}/SKILL.md
  ✓ commands/{command-name}.md
  {✓ skills/{skill-name}/references/{variant}.md  (per variant)}

Structure:
  {plugin}/
  ├── commands/{command-name}.md
  └── skills/{skill-name}/
      ├── SKILL.md ({lines} lines)
      └── references/
          {├── {variant}.md  (per variant)}

Next steps:
  1. Fill in reference file content for each variant
  2. Test: claude --plugin-dir ./plugins/{plugin}
  3. Run /skillforge:audit to verify structure
============================================================================

Template Reference Files

• references/template-generator.md - Template for generator skills
• references/template-auditor.md - Template for auditor skills
• references/template-orchestrator.md - Template for orchestrator skills