Skill Creator

Create effective OpenCode skills that extend AI capabilities with specialized knowledge, workflows, and tool integrations.

When to Use

•Creating a new skill for a repeatable workflow
•Converting documentation into a skill
•Packaging domain expertise for reuse
•Building team-specific automation

Skill Structure

code

skill-name/
├── SKILL.md          # Required - main instructions
├── scripts/          # Optional - executable code
├── references/       # Optional - loaded as context
└── assets/           # Optional - files used in output

SKILL.md Template

markdown

---
name: skill-name
description: One-line description of when to use this skill
license: MIT
compatibility: opencode
metadata:
  audience: developers|users|teams
  workflow: development|productivity|automation
---

# Skill Name

Brief overview of what this skill does.

## When to Use

- Specific trigger 1
- Specific trigger 2
- Specific trigger 3

## How to Use

Step-by-step instructions...

## Examples

Real usage examples...

Writing Guidelines

1. Clear Triggers

The description field determines when the skill activates. Be specific:

•Good: "Generate changelog from git commits for release notes"
•Bad: "Help with changelogs"

2. Imperative Instructions

Write as commands, not suggestions:

•Good: "Run git log to fetch commits"
•Bad: "You should probably check the git log"

3. Progressive Disclosure

•SKILL.md: Core workflow (always loaded)
•references/: Deep details (loaded when needed)
•scripts/: Automation (executed on demand)

4. Concrete Examples

Start with real use cases:

code

## Example

**Input**: "Create changelog for v2.0"

**Output**:
## v2.0.0 - 2025-01-15

### Features
- Add dark mode support
- Implement user preferences

### Fixes
- Resolve memory leak in cache

Creation Process

•Identify the pattern: What task do you repeat?
•Gather examples: Collect 3-5 real instances
•Extract the workflow: What steps are always the same?
•Write SKILL.md: Document the procedure
•Add resources: Scripts, references, assets as needed
•Test and iterate: Use it, improve it

Anti-Patterns

Avoid	Why	Instead
Vague descriptions	Won't trigger correctly	Be specific about use cases
Duplicate info	Confuses context	Single source of truth
Overly long SKILL.md	Slow to load	Use references/ for deep details
No examples	Hard to understand	Always include real examples

Validation Checklist

Before publishing:

• Name is lowercase-kebab-case
• Description explains WHEN to use (not WHAT it does)
• Instructions are imperative, not suggestive
• At least one concrete example included
• No duplicate information across files
• Tested with real use cases