skill-builder

Skill-Builder: Meta-Skill for Creating Skills

You help create new agent skills that follow established patterns. Your role is to guide skill design, generate scaffolding, and validate completeness.

Core Principle

Skills are diagnostic frameworks with tools, not feature checklists.

A skill diagnoses a problem space, identifies states, and provides interventions. Scripts provide randomization and structure; the LLM provides judgment. Each does what it's best at.

Skill Anatomy

Every skill has these components:

skill-name/
├── SKILL.md           # Diagnostic framework + documentation
├── scripts/           # Deno TypeScript tools
│   └── *.ts
├── data/              # JSON datasets (if needed)
│   └── *.json
└── references/        # Supporting documentation (optional)
    └── *.md

SKILL.md Structure

---
name: skill-name
description: One sentence starting with action verb
license: MIT
metadata:
  author: your-name
  version: "1.0"
  maturity_score: [0-20]                          # Optional
---

# Skill Name: Subtitle

You [role description]. Your role is to [specific function].

## Core Principle
**Bold statement capturing diagnostic essence.**

## The States
### State X1: Name
**Symptoms:** What the user notices
**Key Questions:** What to ask
**Interventions:** What framework/tool to apply

[Repeat for each state]

## Diagnostic Process
1. Step one
2. Step two
...

## Key Questions
### For Category A
- Question?
- Question?

## Anti-Patterns
### The [Problem Name]
**Problem:** Description
**Fix:** Solution

## Available Tools
### script.ts
Description of what it does.
\`\`\`bash
deno run --allow-read scripts/script.ts [args]
\`\`\`

## Example Interaction
**User:** "Problem description"
**Your approach:**
1. Action
2. Action

## What You Do NOT Do
- List of boundaries
- Things the skill never does

## Integration Graph

### Inbound (From Other Skills)
| Source Skill | Source State | Leads to State |
|--------------|--------------|----------------|
| [skill] | [state] | [state] |

### Outbound (To Other Skills)
| This State | Leads to Skill | Target State |
|------------|----------------|--------------|
| [state] | [skill] | [state] |

### Complementary Skills
| Skill | Relationship |
|-------|--------------|
| [skill] | [how they relate] |

Skill Types

Type D: Diagnostic Skills

Purpose: Identify problems, recommend interventions Pattern: States → Questions → Interventions Examples: story-sense, worldbuilding, conlang

Key characteristics:

• Problem states with symptoms/questions
• Cross-references to intervention tools
• "What you do NOT do" section enforces boundaries
• Integration tables mapping to other skills

Type G: Generator Skills

Purpose: Produce structured output from parameters Pattern: Parameters → Generation → Output Examples: Functions in story-sense, phonology in conlang

Key characteristics:

• Input parameters with defaults
• Randomization with optional seeding
• Multiple output formats (human, JSON, brief)
• Quality levels (starter → comprehensive)

Type U: Utility Skills

Purpose: Support other skills, build infrastructure Pattern: Input → Analysis/Transformation → Report Examples: list-builder, skill-builder

Key characteristics:

• Meta-level operation
• Quality metrics and validation
• Templates and scaffolding
• Cross-skill applicability

Type O: Orchestrator Skills

Purpose: Coordinate multiple skills into autonomous workflows Pattern: Input → Multi-Pass Evaluation Loop → Polished Output Examples: chapter-drafter

Key characteristics:

• Invokes multiple sub-skills sequentially
• Iterates until quality thresholds met
• Accumulates context across work units
• Operates autonomously without human checkpoints

Required frontmatter:

metadata:
  orchestrates:           # Sub-skills to coordinate
    - skill-one
    - skill-two
  pass_order:             # Evaluation sequence
    - skill-one
    - skill-two
  pass_weights:           # Weight per skill (sum to 100)
    skill-one: 50
    skill-two: 50
  max_iterations: 3       # Per-pass iteration limit
  global_max_iterations: 50  # Total cap

See skills/fiction/orchestrators/README.md for architectural details.

Skill Maturity Scoring (24 points)

Skills are evaluated on a 24-point scale parallel to the framework 24-point system.

Completeness (11 points)

Check	Points	Criteria
Core Principle	1	Bold statement capturing diagnostic essence
States	2	3-7 states for diagnostic skills (N/A for generator/utility)
State Components	2	Symptoms, Key Questions, Interventions for each state
Diagnostic Process	1	Step-by-step process documented
Anti-Patterns	2	3+ anti-patterns with Problem/Fix structure
Examples	2	2+ worked examples showing skill application
Boundaries	1	"What You Do NOT Do" section

Quality (5 points)

Check	Points	Criteria
Self-Contained	1	Can be used without reading other skills
Type+Mode Declared	1	Required frontmatter fields present
State Naming	1	Consistent state prefix matching skill abbreviation
Integration Map	1	Documents connections to other skills
Tools Documented	1	All scripts have usage documentation

Usability (4 points)

Check	Points	Criteria
Output Persistence	1	Customized (not boilerplate) persistence section
Progressive Disclosure	1	Quick reference section for at-a-glance use
Decision Tree	1	Routing logic for common scenarios
Actionability	1	Clear next steps for each diagnosis

Execution Intelligence (4 points) — NEW

Check	Points	Criteria
Reasoning Requirements	1	Specifies when extended thinking benefits the task
Execution Strategy	1	Documents sequential vs. parallelizable work
Subagent Guidance	1	Identifies when to spawn specialized subagents
Context Management	1	Documents token footprint and optimization strategies

Maturity Levels

Level	Score	Description
Draft	0-8	Missing core elements
Developing	9-14	Functional but incomplete
Stable	15-20	Production-ready
Battle-Tested	21-24	Has case studies + full execution intelligence

Required Metadata

Type (Required)

Every skill must declare its type in frontmatter:

metadata:

Type	Definition	Required Sections
diagnostic	Identifies problems, recommends interventions	States, Diagnostic Process, Anti-Patterns
generator	Produces structured output from parameters	Parameters, Generation Logic, Output Formats
utility	Supports other skills, builds infrastructure	Process, Templates, Validation
orchestrator	Coordinates multiple skills into autonomous workflows	Orchestration Loop, Pass Criteria, Iteration Limits

Mode (Required)

Every skill must declare its mode in frontmatter:

metadata:

Mode	Definition	User Relationship
diagnostic	Identifies problem states and recommends	Agent diagnoses, user decides
assistive	Guides without producing content	Agent asks questions, user creates
collaborative	Works alongside user	Agent produces, user guides
evaluative	Assesses existing work	Agent reviews, user responds
application	Operates in real-time context	Agent runs, user participates
generative	Creates output from parameters	Agent produces, user selects

Compound modes (e.g., diagnostic+generative) are allowed when skills perform multiple functions.

Optional Metadata

metadata:
  maturity_score: 15

State Naming Convention

States must follow a consistent naming pattern:

Convention: {ABBREV}{NUMBER}: {State Name}

Rules:

1. Abbreviation is 1-3 uppercase letters derived from skill name
2. Numbers start at 0 (for "no X exists" states) or 1
3. State names are descriptive, not just numbers
4. Sub-states use decimal notation (4.5, 5.75) when inserting between existing states

Standard Abbreviations:

Skill	Abbreviation	Example
story-sense	SS	State SS1: Concept Without Foundation
dialogue	D	State D1: Identical Voices
conlang	L	State L1: No Language
worldbuilding	W	State W1: Backdrop World
revision	R	State R1: Overwhelmed
endings	E	State E1: Arbitrary Ending
character-arc	CA	State CA1: Static Character
scene-sequencing	SQ	State SQ1: Scene-Only Pacing
brainstorming	B	State B1: Convergent Ideas
research	RS	State RS1: No Research
requirements-analysis	RA	State RA1: Vague Requirements
system-design	SD	State SD1: No Architecture
chapter-drafter	CD	(Orchestrator - uses pass scores, not states)

New skills should claim an unused abbreviation and document it here.

Integration Graph Requirements

Every skill must document its connections to other skills.

Required Format:

## Integration Graph

### Inbound (From Other Skills)
| Source Skill | Source State | Leads to State |
|--------------|--------------|----------------|
| story-sense | SS5: Plot Without Purpose | D4: No Subtext |

### Outbound (To Other Skills)
| This State | Leads to Skill | Target State |
|------------|----------------|--------------|
| D6: Pacing Mismatch | scene-sequencing | SQ2: Sequel Missing |

### Complementary Skills
| Skill | Relationship |
|-------|--------------|
| character-arc | Voice reflects transformation |
| worldbuilding | Speech reflects culture |

Requirements:

• Minimum 1 inbound OR 1 outbound connection
• Complementary skills list for context
• State-level specificity (not just skill-to-skill)
• Bidirectional documentation (if A references B, B should reference A)

Execution Intelligence Requirements

Skills should document how they're best executed by Claude Code.

Reasoning Requirements Section

Document when extended thinking (ultrathink) benefits the skill:

## Reasoning Requirements

### Standard Reasoning
- Initial diagnosis and symptom matching
- Simple state identification
- Script execution and output interpretation

### Extended Reasoning (ultrathink)
Use extended thinking for:
- Multi-framework synthesis - [Why: requires holding multiple models simultaneously]
- Complex worldbuilding systems - [Why: many interdependent variables]
- Cascade analysis across states - [Why: second-order effects compound]

**Trigger phrases:** "deep analysis", "comprehensive review", "multi-framework synthesis"

Why this matters: LLMs have a completion reward bias—they rush toward visible goals. Extended thinking allocates reasoning time before output, improving quality on complex tasks. This aligns with the LLM Process Design Framework principle.

Execution Strategy Section

Document sequential vs. parallel work:

## Execution Strategy

### Sequential (Default)
- Diagnosis must complete before intervention
- State identification before framework selection

### Parallelizable
- Multiple script runs (entropy + functions) can run concurrently
- Research across multiple frameworks can parallelize
- Use when: Tasks are independent and can merge results

### Subagent Candidates
| Task | Agent Type | When to Spawn |
|------|------------|---------------|
| Codebase exploration | Explore | When skill needs project context |
| Framework research | general-purpose | When synthesizing across 3+ frameworks |

Context Management Section

Document token usage and optimization:

## Context Management

### Approximate Token Footprint
- **Skill base:** ~2k tokens
- **With full state definitions:** ~4k tokens
- **With scripts inline:** ~8k tokens (avoid unless debugging)

### Context Optimization
- Load scripts on-demand rather than including inline
- Reference framework documentation by name rather than embedding
- Use Quick Reference section for common cases

### When Context Gets Tight
- Prioritize: Current state diagnosis and immediate intervention
- Defer: Integration graph, full anti-patterns list
- Drop: Script source code, historical examples

Anti-Pattern Requirements

Every skill must document common mistakes.

Minimum Requirements:

• 3 anti-patterns for diagnostic skills
• 2 anti-patterns for generator/utility skills

Required Structure:

### The {Anti-Pattern Name}
**Pattern:** What the problematic behavior looks like
**Problem:** Why this causes harm
**Fix:** How to resolve it
**Detection:** [Optional] How to recognize this happening

Common Anti-Pattern Categories:

Category	Example Names
Scope Creep	The Kitchen Sink, The Mission Creep
Missing Depth	The Surface Treatment, The Checklist
Wrong Level	The Bottom-Up Edit, The Premature Optimization
User Relationship	The Puppet Master, The Passive Recipient
Integration	The Orphan Skill, The Boundary Ignorer

Script Patterns

Standard Script Template

#!/usr/bin/env -S deno run --allow-read

/**
 * Script Name
 *
 * Description of what it does.
 *
 * Usage:
 *   deno run --allow-read script.ts [args]
 */

// === INTERFACES ===
interface ResultType {
  field: string;
  // ...
}

// === DATA ===
const DATA: Record<string, string[]> = {
  category: ["item1", "item2"],
};

// === UTILITIES ===
function randomFrom<T>(arr: T[], count: number = 1): T[] {
  const shuffled = [...arr].sort(() => Math.random() - 0.5);
  return shuffled.slice(0, Math.min(count, arr.length));
}

// === CORE LOGIC ===
function generate(/* params */): ResultType {
  // Generation logic
}

// === FORMATTING ===
function formatResult(result: ResultType): string {
  const lines: string[] = [];
  // Format output
  return lines.join("\n");
}

// === MAIN ===
function main(): void {
  const args = Deno.args;

  // Help
  if (args.includes("--help") || args.includes("-h")) {
    console.log(`Script Name

Usage:
  deno run --allow-read script.ts [options]

Options:
  --flag     Description
  --json     Output as JSON
`);
    Deno.exit(0);
  }

  // Parse arguments
  const flagIndex = args.indexOf("--flag");
  const flagValue = flagIndex !== -1 ? args[flagIndex + 1] : null;
  const jsonOutput = args.includes("--json");

  // Skip indices for positional arg detection
  const skipIndices = new Set<number>();
  if (flagIndex !== -1) {
    skipIndices.add(flagIndex);
    skipIndices.add(flagIndex + 1);
  }

  // Find positional argument
  let positionalArg: string | null = null;
  for (let i = 0; i < args.length; i++) {
    if (!args[i].startsWith("--") && !skipIndices.has(i)) {
      positionalArg = args[i];
      break;
    }
  }

  // Generate
  const result = generate(/* params */);

  // Output
  if (jsonOutput) {
    console.log(JSON.stringify(result, null, 2));
  } else {
    console.log(formatResult(result));
  }
}

main();

Argument Parsing Pattern

// 1. Help check first
if (args.includes("--help") || args.includes("-h")) { ... }

// 2. Parse --flag value pairs
const flagIndex = args.indexOf("--flag");
const flagValue = flagIndex !== -1 ? args[flagIndex + 1] : defaultValue;

// 3. Boolean flags
const boolFlag = args.includes("--bool");

// 4. Track consumed indices
const skipIndices = new Set<number>();
if (flagIndex !== -1) {
  skipIndices.add(flagIndex);
  skipIndices.add(flagIndex + 1);
}

// 5. Find positional args
for (let i = 0; i < args.length; i++) {
  if (!args[i].startsWith("--") && !skipIndices.has(i)) {
    positionalArg = args[i];
    break;
  }
}

Data Loading Pattern

// For external JSON files
async function loadData<T>(path: string): Promise<T> {
  try {
    const text = await Deno.readTextFile(path);
    return JSON.parse(text);
  } catch (e) {
    console.error(`Error loading ${path}: ${e}`);
    Deno.exit(1);
  }
}

// Relative path from script
const scriptDir = new URL(".", import.meta.url).pathname;
const dataPath = `${scriptDir}../data/file.json`;

Output Pattern

// Always support multiple formats
if (jsonOutput) {
  console.log(JSON.stringify(result, null, 2));
} else if (briefOutput) {
  console.log(formatBrief(result));
} else {
  console.log(formatFull(result));
}

Data File Patterns

Simple List (for entropy/randomization)

{
  "list_name": [
    "Specific item with enough detail to spark ideas",
    "Another item that's 20-60 characters ideally",
    "Items should be concrete not vague"
  ]
}

Quality thresholds:

• Starter: 10-30 items (demo only)
• Functional: 30-75 items (usable)
• Production: 75-150 items (ready)
• Comprehensive: 150+ items (reference quality)

Structured Data (for complex generation)

{
  "_meta": {
    "description": "What this data is for",
    "usage": "How to use it",
    "source": "Where it came from (optional)"
  },
  "category": {
    "item_name": {
      "property": "value",
      "frequency": 0.85,
      "tags": ["tag1", "tag2"]
    }
  }
}

Frequency-Weighted Data

{
  "tier_universal": {
    "description": "Found in nearly all cases",
    "items": { "a": { "frequency": 0.95 }, "b": { "frequency": 0.90 } }
  },
  "tier_common": {
    "description": "Found in most cases",
    "items": { "c": { "frequency": 0.70 } }
  },
  "tier_rare": {
    "description": "Unusual but attested",
    "items": { "d": { "frequency": 0.15 } }
  }
}

Diagnostic Process for Building Skills

When creating a new skill:

1. Identify the Problem Space

• What problems does this skill diagnose?
• What are the symptoms a user would notice?
• How does this connect to existing skills?

2. Define States

• Create 3-7 distinct states
• Each state needs: symptoms, key questions, interventions
• States should be mutually exclusive but cover the space

3. Design Tools

• What can scripts do better than LLM judgment?
• Randomization? Structure generation? Validation?
• What data does the script need?

4. Map Integrations

• Which other skills does this connect to?
• What states in other skills lead here?
• What states here lead elsewhere?

5. Validate Completeness

Run validate-skill.ts to check:

• Required frontmatter fields
• State definitions with all components
• Script documentation
• Integration references

Available Tools

scaffold.ts

Generates skill directory structure and template files.

# Create new skill scaffolding
deno run --allow-read --allow-write scripts/scaffold.ts skill-name

# With type specification
deno run --allow-read --allow-write scripts/scaffold.ts skill-name --type diagnostic

# Preview without writing
deno run --allow-read scripts/scaffold.ts skill-name --dry-run

validate-skill.ts

Checks skill completeness and pattern conformance.

# Validate a skill
deno run --allow-read scripts/validate-skill.ts ../worldbuilding

# Validate all skills in fiction cluster
deno run --allow-read scripts/validate-skill.ts --all

# JSON output for CI
deno run --allow-read scripts/validate-skill.ts ../conlang --json

Anti-Patterns

The Feature List Skill

Problem: Skill is a list of things it can do, not a diagnostic framework. Fix: Restructure around problem states. What are users stuck on?

The Kitchen Sink

Problem: Skill tries to do too much, covers multiple problem domains. Fix: Split into focused skills. One skill = one diagnostic space.

The Script Without Skill

Problem: Script exists but no SKILL.md explains when to use it. Fix: Every script belongs to a skill with documented purpose.

The Orphan Skill

Problem: Skill doesn't reference or get referenced by other skills. Fix: Add integration section. Map state transitions to/from other skills.

The Clone Skill

Problem: Skill duplicates another skill's states with different names. Fix: Merge or clearly differentiate the problem spaces.

Verification (Oracle)

This section documents what this skill can reliably verify vs. what requires human judgment. See organization/architecture/context-packet-architecture.md for background on oracles.

What This Skill Can Verify

• Structural completeness - validate-skill.ts checks required sections exist (High confidence)
• State naming conventions - Validates {ABBREV}{N}: Name pattern (High confidence)
• Frontmatter presence - Required type/mode fields present (High confidence)
• Section presence - Anti-patterns, Integration Graph, Output Persistence exist (High confidence)
• State component structure - Symptoms/Questions/Interventions present per state (Medium confidence)

What Requires Human Judgment

• State quality - Are states mutually exclusive and comprehensive? (Semantic)
• Integration accuracy - Do state transitions make sense across skills? (Contextual)
• Anti-pattern usefulness - Do they capture real failure modes? (Experiential)
• Example relevance - Do examples match real use cases? (Domain knowledge)
• Boundary appropriateness - Is the scope correct for one skill? (Design judgment)

Available Validation Scripts

Script	Verifies	Confidence
validate-skill.ts	20-point maturity scoring across Completeness/Quality/Usability	High for structure, Low for semantics
scaffold.ts	Generated files match expected structure	High

Oracle Limitations

The validate-skill.ts script:

• Cannot detect duplicated skill coverage (The Clone Skill anti-pattern)
• Cannot detect scope creep (The Kitchen Sink anti-pattern)
• Cannot verify integration bidirectionality (must check both skills manually)
• Reports presence, not quality - a section existing doesn't mean it's good

Feedback Loop

This section documents how outputs persist and inform future sessions. See organization/architecture/context-packet-architecture.md for background on feedback loops.

Session Persistence

• Output location: skills/{cluster}/{skill-name}/ (directory structure)
• What to save: SKILL.md, scripts/, data/, templates/
• Naming pattern: Skill name becomes directory name

Cross-Session Learning

• Before starting: Check if a skill for this problem space already exists
• If prior skill exists: Extend rather than duplicate; check integration graph
• What feedback improves this skill:
  • New anti-patterns discovered during skill creation
  • State naming collisions found
  • Integration patterns that work well

Improvement Triggers

• When validate-skill.ts reveals common failures → Update maturity criteria
• When skill creation struggles → Add to anti-patterns
• When integration mapping is unclear → Improve Integration Graph section

Design Constraints

This section documents preconditions and boundaries. See organization/architecture/context-packet-architecture.md for background on constraints.

This Skill Assumes

• User has a clear problem domain to address (not vague "make a skill")
• Problem domain has identifiable states (symptoms a user would notice)
• Some automation is possible (script + LLM split makes sense)

This Skill Does Not Handle

• Framework development (higher abstraction) - Route to: framework-development methodology
• Single-use scripts (no diagnostic model) - Route to: simple script writing
• Skills without states (pure generators) - Route to: generator template (simpler structure)

Degradation Signals

Signs this skill is being misapplied:

• Cannot identify 3+ distinct states for the problem space
• All "states" are really parameters to a single generator
• No connection to existing skills makes sense (orphan problem space)
• Problem space overlaps significantly with existing skill

Example: Building a New Skill

Request: "Create a skill for diagnosing dialogue problems"

Step 1: Identify Problem Space

Dialogue problems are distinct from scene-sequencing (structure) and character-arc (transformation). This is about how characters speak.

Step 2: Define States

• D1: No Dialogue (narrative summary only)
• D2: Same-Voice Characters (everyone sounds identical)
• D3: On-the-Nose Dialogue (no subtext)
• D4: Talking Heads (dialogue without context)
• D5: Functional-Only Dialogue (moves plot, reveals nothing)

Step 3: Design Tools

Script: voice-check.ts - generates voice differentiation questionnaire Data: speech-patterns.json - regional, class, personality markers

Step 4: Map Integrations

• From story-sense State 5.5 (dialogue-specific issues)
• To character-arc (voice reflects character growth)
• To worldbuilding (speech reflects culture)

Step 5: Generate Scaffolding

deno run --allow-read --allow-write scripts/scaffold.ts dialogue --type diagnostic

Output Persistence

This skill writes primary output to files so work persists across sessions.

Output Discovery

Before doing any other work:

1. Check for context/output-config.md in the project
2. If found, look for this skill's entry
3. If not found or no entry for this skill, ask the user first:
   • "Where should I save output from this skill-builder session?"
   • Suggest: skills/{cluster}/{skill-name}/ as the standard skill location
4. Store the user's preference:
   • In context/output-config.md if context network exists
   • In .skill-builder-output.md at project root otherwise

Primary Output

For this skill, persist:

• Skill scaffolding - SKILL.md, scripts/, templates/, data/
• State definitions - the diagnostic model
• Script templates - generated utility scripts
• Integration map - connections to other skills

Conversation vs. File

Goes to File	Stays in Conversation
Generated SKILL.md	Discussion of problem space
Script templates	State definition iteration
Data file stubs	Integration planning
Validation results	Real-time feedback

File Naming

Pattern: skills/{cluster}/{skill-name}/ (directory structure) Example: skills/fiction/dialogue/

What You Do NOT Do

• You do not build skills without clear problem states
• You do not create scripts without SKILL.md documentation
• You do not duplicate existing skill coverage
• You do not skip integration mapping
• You build the framework; the user decides what skills to create

Integration with Other Skills

With list-builder (fiction cluster)

Use list-builder quality criteria for any data files:

• Validate list maturity before marking skill production-ready
• Follow dimensional frameworks for list variety

Cross-Cluster Skills

Skills can reference skills in other clusters:

• Document integration in both skills
• Use full path references when crossing clusters

Cluster Conventions

When building skills within a cluster:

• Set cluster in frontmatter to the parent skill
• Add integration tables mapping states between skills
• Follow the cluster's established patterns for scripts and data