name: skill-creator
description: >
Create high-quality AI Skills (knowledge, tool, or hybrid) using the local standards and templates.
Trigger: Use when the user asks to create a new skill, package a repeated pattern (≥ 3 uses), standardize a workflow, or generate a reusable rule set.
license: Apache-2.0
metadata:
type: hybrid
author: devcontext
version: "2.4.0"
scope: [root]
auto_invoke: false # Meta-skill: Manual invocation preferred with @skill-creator
allowed-tools: [Read, Write, Bash]

Skill Creator 🧱

TL;DR (REQUIRED)

• Before creating any skill, you MUST read: reference/skill-designer-core.md and assets/SKILL-TEMPLATE.md.
• You MUST output Creator compliance as the first visible output.
• Keep scope tight: one skill = one job. If it mixes responsibilities → split.

🚨 Mandatory reading (Non-negotiable)

You MUST read these files in this order before generating anything:

1. reference/skill-designer-core.md
2. assets/SKILL-TEMPLATE.md

If you haven’t read them, stop and say:

Skill creation blocked: designer core and template not loaded.

🧾 Creator compliance (MANDATORY)

You MUST output this block as the first visible output (before any narration, planning, tasks, or file edits):

Creator compliance:
- Reusability (≥ 3 uses): YES/NO + 1-line justification
- Skill type: knowledge | tool | hybrid
- Single responsibility: <one sentence>
- Scope boundaries:
  - In scope: <bullets>
  - Out of scope: <bullets>
- Cross-references (do not duplicate): <skill list>
- Split decision: NONE | SPLIT INTO <skill-a>, <skill-b>

Rules:

• If Reusability = NO → do not create a skill. Provide a snippet/checklist instead.
• If Split decision ≠ NONE → create multiple skills instead of one.

When to use

Use this skill to transform a request into a structured skill folder when:

• A pattern repeats ≥ 3 times.
• The project needs explicit guardrails for AI behavior.
• The request is deterministic enough to package (knowledge and/or automation).

Do NOT use when:

• It’s a one-off task (make a snippet instead).
• The documentation already exists (reference it).
• The scope is too broad (split first).

Outputs (what you are allowed to change)

✅ Allowed

• Create a new skill folder under the local skills directory, e.g.:

• .agent/skills/<skill-name>/... (preferred in consumer repos)

• skills/<skill-name>/... (when the repo uses skills/)

❌ Not allowed

• Creating repository-level planning artifacts like task.md, implementation_plan.md, or similar.
• Modifying product/app source code while “creating a skill”.
• Modifying other skills unless explicitly requested.
• Adding external URLs inside reference/ files.

Critical patterns

ALWAYS

• Reusability filter: confirm it will be used ≥ 3 times. If not, reject.
• Single responsibility: one skill = one job. Split monoliths.
• Progressive disclosure: keep SKILL.md < 500 lines; move deep content to reference/.
• Explicit trigger: description MUST include an actionable Trigger.
• Minimum permissions: request only the tools needed for the skill type.
• Cross-references: point to existing skills instead of duplicating their scope.

Hard split rule (common failure mode):

• If a skill mixes framework mechanics (e.g. Next.js routing/runtime) and project policy/contract (e.g. API envelopes, auth rules, CORS policy), you MUST split into separate skills.

NEVER

• Define component structure (belongs to react-19).
• Define file/folder placement decisions (belongs to structuring-projects).
• Define styling patterns (belongs to tailwind-4).
• Duplicate content between SKILL.md and reference/.
• Use external URLs in reference/ (copy locally).

Decision tree (skill type)

Does it only teach rules/patterns? → Knowledge skill (allowed-tools: Read)
Does it automate a deterministic task? → Tool skill (allowed-tools: Read, Write, Bash)
Does it teach rules AND automate? → Hybrid skill (allowed-tools: Read, Write, Bash)

Workflow (Factory Process)

Phase 1 — Validate

• Print Creator compliance.
• Clarify the job-to-be-done.
• Confirm ≥ 3 uses.
• Enforce single responsibility (split if needed).

Phase 2 — Scaffold

Create:

• <skill-name>/SKILL.md
• <skill-name>/reference/
• <skill-name>/assets/
• <skill-name>/scripts/ (tool/hybrid only)

Phase 3 — Draft

• Populate SKILL.md from assets/SKILL-TEMPLATE.md.
• Keep the body as an orchestrator: TL;DR → When to Use → Outputs → Scope → Critical Patterns → Decision Tree → Actions (if tool/hybrid) → Cross-references → Resources.
• Add cross-references instead of duplicating other skills.

Phase 4 — Quality Gate (MANDATORY)

Run the checklist from reference/skill-designer-core.md.

Additionally, enforce these objective checks (prefer via Bash):

• No external URLs in reference/ (reject if found):

grep -RInE "https?://" reference/ && echo "FAIL: external URLs found in reference/" && exit 1 || true

• SKILL.md length (< 500 lines):

wc -l SKILL.md

If any item fails, fix it before completion.

Phase 5 — Activation hint

When finished, recommend using skill-integrator to activate the new skill in AGENTS.md.

Resources

• Design Standards: reference/skill-designer-core.md
• Master Template: assets/SKILL-TEMPLATE.md