skills-authoring

Use the Skill Authoring process to scaffold a new SKILL.md file with required YAML frontmatter fields including name, description, license, compatibility, and metadata. The process validates structure against the Agent Skills specification and ensures all mandatory fields are present and correctly formatted.

Progressive disclosure moves implementation details, examples, and references out of the main skill file into separate supporting files and sections. This keeps the skill readable and maintainable while organizing complex logic into logical, reusable components per best practices.

Yes. The Skill Authoring process offers templates for simple, tool-restricted, multi-file, and script-based skills. Templates provide scaffolding for different skill patterns and reduce time spent on boilerplate structure and naming conventions.

Validate your skill using skills-ref or skills-check commands. These tools verify that your YAML frontmatter is valid, all required fields are present, trigger keywords are included, and sections follow the Agent Skills specification.

Required frontmatter fields include name, description, license, compatibility, metadata, and allowed-tools. The skill name must follow naming rules, and the frontmatter must include structured sections like Quick Start, Instructions, and Examples to meet specification requirements.

Skills can be authored and stored in either project-specific directories or personal skill directories depending on scope and reuse intent. The Skill Authoring process supports both locations and applies the same validation and best-practice standards to each.