Manage Skills
Meta-skill for managing, auditing, and maintaining all VRP Toolkit skills.
Core Functions
1. Audit Skills Directory
Compare actual skills in .claude/skills/ with SKILLS.md documentation.
Usage:
python .claude/skills/manage-skills/scripts/audit_skills.py
Reports:
- •Skills in directory vs SKILLS.md
- •Missing from documentation
- •Missing from directory
- •Sync status
2. Check Skill Compliance
Validate skills against VRP Toolkit standards.
Usage:
# Check specific skill python .claude/skills/manage-skills/scripts/check_compliance.py skill-name # Check all skills python .claude/skills/manage-skills/scripts/check_compliance.py --all
Checks:
- •Independence: Skill doesn't embed other skills' content
- •Size: SKILL.md ≤ 500 lines (body, excluding frontmatter)
- •Structure: Required files present, no prohibited files
- •Frontmatter: Valid YAML with name and description
- •References: All reference files mentioned in SKILL.md
See compliance_checklist.md for detailed standards.
3. Update SKILLS.md Index
Sync skills documentation in SKILLS.md with actual skills.
When:
- •After adding new skill
- •After removing skill
- •After significantly modifying skill description
See: update_procedures.md → Section 1
4. Record Changes in SKILLS_LOG.md
Log all skill modifications for tracking and history.
When:
- •After any skill change (add/update/remove/rename/split/merge)
Template:
## YYYY-MM-DD - [Action]: [skill-name] **Action:** [Added/Updated/Removed/Renamed/Split/Merged] **Reason:** [Why this change was made] **Changes:** - [Specific change 1] - [Specific change 2] **Compliance Notes:** [Any compliance issues addressed] **Impact:** [How this affects other skills or workflows]
See: update_procedures.md → Section 2
Workflow Patterns
Pattern A: Add New Skill
1. Create skill using skill-creator 2. Run: audit_skills.py → Check if new skill appears in directory 3. Update SKILLS.md skills index (Section 1) 4. Record in SKILLS_LOG.md 5. Run: check_compliance.py skill-name → Verify new skill is compliant
Pattern B: Modify Existing Skill
1. Make changes to skill 2. Run: check_compliance.py skill-name → Check for violations (size, independence, etc.) 3. If issues found, fix them 4. Update SKILLS.md description if needed 5. Record changes in SKILLS_LOG.md
Pattern C: Periodic Audit
1. Run: audit_skills.py → Check directory vs SKILLS.md sync 2. Run: check_compliance.py --all → Check all skills for compliance 3. Review warnings and errors 4. Plan fixes or improvements 5. Update SKILLS_LOG.md with findings
Pattern D: Fix Compliance Issues
Size Violation (>500 lines):
1. Identify extractable sections 2. Move to references/ or create new skill 3. Update SKILL.md references 4. Re-run check_compliance.py 5. Record in SKILLS_LOG.md
Independence Violation:
1. Find embedded content from other skills 2. Replace with reference: "See [skill-name] for..." 3. Re-run check_compliance.py 4. Record in SKILLS_LOG.md
See update_procedures.md for detailed procedures on:
- •Renaming skills
- •Splitting large skills
- •Merging similar skills
- •Archiving deprecated skills
Integration with Other Skills
Works with:
- •skill-creator - Use to create new skills before managing them
- •update-migration-log - Similar logging pattern for migrations
- •update-task-board - Similar documentation sync pattern
DO NOT embed workflows from these skills - Reference them instead.
Compliance Standards Quick Reference
Independence: ✓ Can reference other skills: "See [skill-name] for..." ✗ Cannot embed workflows from other skills Size: ✓ SKILL.md ≤ 500 lines (excluding frontmatter) ⚠ Warning at 400 lines ✗ Error at 500 lines Structure: ✓ Required: SKILL.md with valid frontmatter ✓ Optional: scripts/, references/, assets/ ✗ Prohibited: README.md, CHANGELOG.md, etc. Frontmatter: ✓ Required fields: name, description ✓ Description: 50-200 words with use cases ✗ Extra fields discouraged References: ✓ All refs linked from SKILL.md ✓ Max 1 level deep (no nested dirs) ⚠ Warning if ref >500 lines
Full details: compliance_checklist.md
Files in This Skill
manage-skills/
├── SKILL.md # This file
├── scripts/
│ ├── audit_skills.py # Directory vs CLAUDE.md audit
│ └── check_compliance.py # Compliance validation
├── references/
│ ├── compliance_checklist.md # Detailed compliance standards
│ └── update_procedures.md # Step-by-step update procedures
└── assets/
└── SKILLS_LOG_template.md # Template for SKILLS_LOG.md
Tips
- •Run audit after adding skills - Catches missing documentation immediately
- •Check compliance before packaging - Prevents distribution of non-compliant skills
- •Keep SKILLS_LOG.md updated - Provides history for troubleshooting
- •Review warnings seriously - They often indicate real issues
- •Split before 500 lines - Easier to split at 400 than fix at 600
Limitations
- •Does not automatically fix compliance issues (manual fixes required)
- •Cannot detect semantic overlap between skills (manual review needed)
- •Windows encoding issues with emoji in scripts (uses ASCII fallback)