What problem does it solve? Writing skills for AI agents often produces bloated, unreliable instructions that fire inconsistently or steer the agent unpredictably. This Skill supplies a shared vocabulary and decision framework for structuring, invoking, and pruning skills so the agent behaves the same way on every run. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Invocation Design: Guidance on choosing between model-invoked and user-invoked skills, including the trade-offs between context load and cognitive load, and when to use a router skill. - Information Hierarchy: A ladder model for arranging steps, in-file reference, and disclosed reference behind context pointers, with progressive disclosure and co-location rules. - Failure Mode Diagnosis: Named failure modes — premature completion, duplication, sediment, sprawl, no-op, and negation — each paired with its cure, plus a full glossary in GLOSSARY.md. - Use Case: When editing an existing skill that the agent triggers inconsistently, consult this reference to sharpen the description's trigger wording, collapse duplicated branches, and push excess reference material behind pointers. ## Quick Start Ask the agent to review your skill file using the writing-great-skills principles and suggest improvements to its description and structure.
