name: writing-skills
description: Use when creating, updating, or improving agent skills.
metadata:
category: meta
author: ozy
triggers: new skill, create skill, update skill, skill documentation, skill template,
agent skill, writing skill
references: anti-rationalization, cso, standards, templates, testing, tier-1-simple,
tier-2-expanded, tier-3-platform

Writing Skills (Excellence)

Dispatcher for skill creation excellence. Use the decision tree below to find the right template and standards.

⚡ Quick Decision Tree

What do you need to do?

1. Create a NEW skill:
2. Is it simple (single file, <200 lines)? → Tier 1 Architecture
3. Is it complex (multi-concept, 200-1000 lines)? → Tier 2 Architecture

4. Is it a massive platform (10+ products, AWS, Convex)? → Tier 3 Architecture

5. Improve an EXISTING skill:

6. Fix "it's too long" -> Modularize (Tier 3)
7. Fix "AI ignores rules" -> Anti-Rationalization

8. Fix "users can't find it" -> CSO (Search Optimization)

9. Verify Compliance:

10. Check metadata/naming -> Standards
11. Add tests -> Testing Guide

📚 Component Index

🛠️ Templates

• Technique Skill (How-to)
• Reference Skill (Docs)
• Discipline Skill (Rules)
• Pattern Skill (Design Patterns)

When to Use

• Creating a NEW skill from scratch
• Improving an EXISTING skill that agents ignore
• Debugging why a skill isn't being triggered
• Standardizing skills across a team

How It Works

1. Identify goal → Use decision tree above
2. Select template → From references/templates/
3. Apply CSO → Optimize description for discovery
4. Add anti-rationalization → For discipline skills
5. Test → RED-GREEN-REFACTOR cycle

Quick Example

---
name: my-technique
description: Use when [specific symptom occurs].
metadata:
  category: technique
  triggers: error-text, symptom, tool-name
---

# My Technique

## When to Use
- [Symptom A]
- [Error message]

Common Mistakes

See gotchas.md for more.

✅ Pre-Deploy Checklist

Before deploying any skill:

• [ ] name field matches directory name exactly
• [ ] SKILL.md filename is ALL CAPS
• [ ] Description starts with "Use when..."
• [ ] metadata.triggers has 3+ keywords
• [ ] Total lines < 500 (use references/ for more)
• [ ] No @ force-loading in cross-references
• [ ] Tested with real scenarios

🔗 Related Skills

• opencode-expert: For OpenCode environment configuration
• Use /write-skill command for guided skill creation

Examples

Create a Tier 1 skill:

mkdir -p ~/.config/opencode/skills/my-technique
touch ~/.config/opencode/skills/my-technique/SKILL.md

Create a Tier 2 skill:

mkdir -p ~/.config/opencode/skills/my-skill/references/core
touch ~/.config/opencode/skills/my-skill/{SKILL.md,gotchas.md}
touch ~/.config/opencode/skills/my-skill/references/core/README.md