Skill Builder
Build new Claude Code skills that capture procedural knowledge.
Autonomy Model
Create then inform: When recognizing skill-worthy knowledge, create the skill proactively, then inform the user what was created and why. Don't ask permission first.
When to Invoke (Proactively)
- •Successful novel solution - Just solved something in a way worth repeating
- •Repeated pattern - Noticed doing the same thing multiple times
- •Institutional knowledge - Learning domain-specific rules that should persist
- •User workflow - User demonstrates a process they want automated
- •Research findings - Discovered best practices worth preserving
Quality Gates (Pre-Extraction)
Before creating a skill, verify ALL gates pass:
| Gate | Question | Fail Criteria |
|---|---|---|
| REUSABLE | Applies beyond this instance? | One-off solution |
| NON-TRIVIAL | Required discovery, not docs lookup? | Just followed documentation |
| SPECIFIC | Clear trigger conditions defined? | Vague "sometimes useful" |
| VERIFIED | Solution confirmed working? | Theoretical, untested |
If ANY gate fails → Stop. Not skill-worthy.
Skill Creation Workflow
0. Research Best Practices
Before extracting, search for current patterns:
# Use Gemini CLI for web-grounded research gemini "[technology] [feature] best practices 2026" gemini "[technology] [problem type] official recommendations"
Why: Don't just codify what you did. Incorporate current best practices. Skip if: Pattern is project-specific internal convention.
1. Identify the Knowledge
- •What problem does this solve?
- •What trigger terms would activate it?
- •Is it cross-project or project-specific?
2. Draft Structure
Reference references/structure-guide.md for ideal anatomy.
3. Write Description
Reference references/description-patterns.md for trigger-rich descriptions (~100 words, explicit trigger terms).
4. Validate
Run scripts/validate_skill.py <skill-path> to check structure and frontmatter.
5. Inform User
After creating, tell user:
- •What skill was created and why
- •What triggers will activate it
- •How to test it works
Progressive Disclosure
Keep SKILL.md lean (<100 lines). Put detailed specs in references/:
- •Detailed examples →
references/examples.md - •Edge cases →
references/edge-cases.md - •Anti-patterns →
references/anti-patterns.md
Code Opportunities
If skill involves deterministic operations (validation, parsing, extraction), create scripts/ with executable code rather than prose instructions. Scripts:
- •Run without loading into context
- •Must be executable (
chmod +x) - •Should handle errors gracefully
Skill Locations
- •Personal:
~/.claude/skills/- Available across all projects - •Project:
.claude/skills/- Shared with team via git
Template
Use templates/SKILL-TEMPLATE.md as starting point for new skills.