writing-skills

Create a directory containing a SKILL.md file with YAML frontmatter defining name and description, followed by markdown instructions. Run baseline pressure scenarios with subagents first, then write the skill addressing the specific failures you observed.

Test skills by running realistic pressure scenarios with subagents, combining three or more pressures like time constraints, sunk cost, and authority. Document exact rationalizations verbatim, then add explicit counters and re-test until agents comply.

The description should start with "Use when..." and describe only triggering conditions, symptoms, and situations in third person. Never summarize the skill's workflow, because agents may follow the description instead of reading the full skill body.

Skip skill creation for one-off solutions, standard practices documented elsewhere, project-specific conventions that belong in CLAUDE.md, and mechanical constraints that can be enforced with validation or automation instead of documentation.

Agents rationalize violations using excuses like sunk cost, time pressure, or spirit-versus-letter arguments. Counter this with explicit negations of each loophole, rationalization tables, red flag lists, and foundational principles stated early.