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TrayMachi
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write-a-skill

Create new agent skills with proper structure, descriptions, and bundled resources.

Updated Mar 30, 2026
Search Tags:#documentation#prompt engineering#agent skills#metadata#skill authoring#create#skill.md
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/TrayMachi/dotfiles --skill write-a-skill-traymachi
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: write-a-skill
Source: https://github.com/TrayMachi/dotfiles/tree/main/agents/skills/write-a-skill
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/TrayMachi/dotfiles --skill write-a-skill-traymachi

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve? Writing a well-structured agent skill requires knowing the SKILL.md format, description conventions, and when to split content into scripts or reference files. This Skill guides you through that process so new skills are discoverable and correctly structured from the start. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Guided Skill Authoring: Walks through requirement gathering, drafting, and review to produce a complete skill directory. - Description Best Practices: Enforces the trigger-based description format ("Use when...") that agents rely on for skill selection. - Structure Guidance: Defines when to add scripts, split content into REFERENCE.md or EXAMPLES.md, and how to keep SKILL.md concise. - Use Case: You want to build a new skill for extracting data from log files. This Skill helps you draft the SKILL.md frontmatter, write a discoverable description, and decide whether helper scripts are needed. ## Quick Start Help me create a new agent skill for validating YAML configuration files.

Frequently Asked Questions about write-a-skill

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I write a good skill description for agent discovery?▼

Write a description with two parts: a first sentence stating what the skill does, and a second sentence starting with "Use when" listing specific triggers like keywords, file types, or contexts. Keep it under 1024 characters and in third person.

What files does a new agent skill need?▼

A skill requires a SKILL.md file with YAML frontmatter containing name and description, followed by markdown instructions. Optionally add REFERENCE.md or EXAMPLES.md for detailed content and a scripts/ directory for deterministic utility code.

When should I split skill content into separate files?▼

Split content when SKILL.md exceeds 100 lines, when the skill covers distinct domains, or when advanced features are rarely needed. Keep references one level deep so the main file stays concise.

When should a skill include utility scripts?▼

Add scripts when an operation is deterministic, such as validation or formatting, when the same code would be generated repeatedly, or when errors need explicit handling. Scripts save tokens and improve reliability over generated code.

Why is my skill not being triggered by the agent?▼

The description is the only text the agent sees when selecting skills, so vague descriptions like "Helps with documents" fail to match user requests. Include concrete trigger keywords, file types, and contexts in the "Use when" clause.

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