feat(kyberforge): add skill-author, merging skill-write and skill-improve
Closes #5. Single authoring skill replaces the factory trio — one set of standards, one script, one place for future governance rules. Routes to create or improve flow based on context. Passes skill-audit with no findings. Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com> Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_016z2ZFYHQCex8yZAMVMTZzZ
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plugins/kyberforge/skills/skill-author/SKILL.md
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plugins/kyberforge/skills/skill-author/SKILL.md
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---
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name: skill-author
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description: >
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Use when the user wants to create a new skill from scratch ("write a skill
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for X", "build a skill that does Y", "create a SKILL.md for Z"), or improve
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an existing one ("improve this skill", "fix based on feedback", "apply these
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audit findings", "update based on grill output"). Also use when the user
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provides inline feedback about a skill's behavior and wants it applied, or
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when a grill session, eval run, or audit has produced findings the user wants
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acted on — even if they don't say "improve" explicitly. Authors and refines
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skills following the agentskills.io specification. Performs best when preceded
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by a grill session and domain research. Do not use for read-only review — use
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/skill-audit instead. Do not use to author agent definition files.
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allowed-tools: Bash Read Write Edit
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metadata:
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category: factory
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---
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## Gotchas
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- Patching per symptom is the default failure mode. Three eval failures may all trace to one missing instruction — always identify the root cause before editing.
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- Do not create new scripts unless a signal explicitly calls for it. Writing scripts from scratch requires transcript analysis that is out of scope here; flag the opportunity as a suggestion instead.
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## Route
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Determine which flow to follow before touching the filesystem:
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- **No skill directory at the target path** → follow **Creating a new skill**
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- **Directory exists + at least one improvement signal present** → follow **Improving an existing skill**
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- **Directory exists + no signals present** → ask: "No improvement signals found. Did you mean to create a new skill, or do you have feedback to apply?"
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Signals include: grill session output, `/skill-audit` findings (PASS/FAIL punch list), inline user feedback, session context describing what went wrong.
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## Creating a new skill
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### Prerequisites
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Run `/grill-me` on the skill's design and research the target domain first.
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Share those outputs in this conversation: grill context, research docs, examples, constraints.
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**Before touching the filesystem, verify you have:**
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- [ ] A clear purpose — what specific task will this skill handle?
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- [ ] Trigger scenarios — when should an agent activate it, including indirect cases?
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- [ ] Skill name (kebab-case) and destination path
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If any are missing, stop and ask the user before proceeding.
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**Requires `/skill-audit`** — used in Step 5 for final validation. Both skills ship in the kyberforge plugin and are co-installed. If `/skill-audit` is unavailable, stop and ask the user to install the kyberforge plugin before continuing.
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### Step 1 — Scaffold
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Run the copy script with the skill name and destination directory:
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```bash
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bash scripts/new-skill.sh <skill-name> <destination-dir>
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```
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Examples:
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```bash
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bash scripts/new-skill.sh my-tool ~/.agents/skills/
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bash scripts/new-skill.sh data-analyzer plugins/myplugin/skills/
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```
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This creates `<destination-dir>/<skill-name>/` with annotated templates ready to fill in.
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If the destination is inside a plugin directory (path contains a `plugin.json`), read `references/deployment-modes.md` before adding any file references to SKILL.md.
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### Step 2 — Fill in SKILL.md
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Open `<destination-dir>/<skill-name>/SKILL.md`. Replace every `FILL IN:` placeholder.
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#### Frontmatter
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**`name`** — already set by the scaffold script. Must exactly match the directory name.
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**`description`** — carries the entire triggering burden. Rules:
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- Imperative: "Use when..." not "This skill..."
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- Focus on user intent, not implementation — describe what the user is trying to achieve, not the skill's internal mechanics
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- Specific about capabilities ("parses and validates OpenAPI specs", not "helps with APIs")
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- Include indirect triggers: "even if the user doesn't mention X explicitly"
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- Add "Do not use when..." only if a near-miss skill exists that could steal activations
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- Hard limit: 1024 characters — count before finalizing
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**Optional fields** — uncomment and fill in or remove entirely:
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- `license` — include when distributing the skill externally
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- `compatibility` — include if the skill requires specific tools, runtimes, or network access
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- `metadata` — key-value map; use `author`, `version`, `category`
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- `allowed-tools` — space-separated pre-approved tools; reduces permission prompts
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#### Body — include only what the agent lacks
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Rename the placeholder section heading to one that fits the skill's structure — `## Step 1`, `## Workflow`, `## Instructions`, etc.
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Ask of every sentence: "Would the agent get this wrong without it?" Cut anything that answers "no."
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**Include:**
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- Non-obvious sequences or ordering constraints — the agent may skip or reorder steps without this
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- Domain conventions the agent cannot infer from general knowledge — this is the core value a skill adds
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- One default per decision point, plus one escape hatch — never a menu; menus cause the agent to pause or pick arbitrarily
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- Gotchas — facts that defy reasonable assumptions; the agent will get these wrong every time without them
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**Exclude:**
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- Concepts the agent already knows (what JSON is, how HTTP works) — adds tokens without changing behavior
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- Exhaustive option lists — pick a default; the agent doesn't benefit from choosing
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- Steps the agent handles independently — over-specifying leads agents to follow unproductive paths
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- Restatements of the description — it's already in context; repeating it wastes the token budget
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#### Patterns
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**Gotchas** — highest value; place near the top:
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```markdown
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## Gotchas
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- <Fact that defies a reasonable assumption>
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- <Non-obvious naming discrepancy or hidden constraint>
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```
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**Default with escape hatch** (not a menu):
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```markdown
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Use <X> for <task>. For <edge case>, use <Y> instead.
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```
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**Prescriptive sequence** (when order is critical or fragile):
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```markdown
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Run exactly:
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\`\`\`bash
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<command>
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\`\`\`
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Do not modify flags.
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```
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**Checklist** (multi-step workflows):
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```markdown
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- [ ] Step 1: ...
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- [ ] Step 2: ...
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```
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**Conditional reference** (progressive disclosure — load only when needed):
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```markdown
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If <condition>, read `references/<file>.md`.
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```
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#### Size budget
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Keep `SKILL.md` under 500 lines and 5,000 tokens. When approaching the limit:
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- Move reference material to `references/<topic>.md` and load it conditionally
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- Bundle repeated executable logic into `scripts/` rather than reinventing each run
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### Step 3 — Add scripts (if needed)
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Place executable scripts in `scripts/`. Rules for agentic scripts:
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- **Self-contained** — bundle dependencies inline so the agent can run the script with a single command; do not require a separate install step
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- **No interactive prompts** — agents run non-interactive; blocking on TTY input hangs indefinitely. Accept all input via flags, env vars, or stdin.
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- **Expose `--help`** — concise usage output; keep it short (it enters the agent's context)
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- **Structured output** — data (JSON, CSV) to stdout; diagnostics and progress to stderr
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- **Idempotent** — "create if not exists"; agents may retry on failure
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- **Meaningful exit codes** — `0` success, non-zero failure; document in `--help`
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- **Dry-run support** — add `--dry-run` for destructive operations
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If the skill needs scripts with external package dependencies or language-specific tooling (Python, TypeScript, Ruby, Go), read `references/scripts.md` for package runner patterns and inline dependency formats.
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If no scripts are needed, delete `scripts/README.md` and the `scripts/` directory.
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### Step 4 — Add references, assets, and tests (if needed)
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**`references/`** — additional documentation loaded on demand. One topic per file.
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Reference conditionally from SKILL.md: `If <condition>, read references/<file>.md`.
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**`assets/`** — static resources: templates, schemas, lookup tables.
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Reference by relative path from SKILL.md.
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**`tests/`** — test files for scripts in `scripts/`. Use when scripts are complex
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enough to break silently. Test infrastructure (`.bats`, `*_test.*`) belongs here,
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not in `scripts/`. See `tests/README.md` for setup instructions.
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If not needed, delete the placeholder READMEs and their directories.
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### Step 5 — Validate
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Run `/skill-audit` on `<destination-dir>/<skill-name>`.
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All FAIL findings must be resolved before the skill is considered done.
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## Improving an existing skill
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### Step 1 — Verify inputs
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Confirm the skill directory path exists and that at least one improvement signal is present in the conversation or a referenced file.
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If the skill dir is missing, ask for it. If no signals are present, stop: "This skill applies existing signals to a skill. For a blind review without signals, use `/skill-audit` instead."
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Signals can come from anywhere in the conversation or referenced files:
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- Grill session output (most common predecessor in the factory sequence)
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- `/skill-audit` findings (PASS/FAIL/SUGGESTION punch list)
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- Human feedback (feedback.json, inline in conversation, PR or issue comments)
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- Session context describing what went wrong
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### Step 2 — Gather and group signals
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Read the current skill files (SKILL.md and any files in scripts/, references/, assets/, tests/). Then collect all signals from the conversation and any file paths the user has referenced.
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Group signals by **root cause**, not symptom. Ask: "What single gap in the skill causes this cluster of failures?" One root cause → one fix. Do not make a separate edit for each symptom.
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```text
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Example:
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- Session context: output format is wrong on every run
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- Audit finding: no output template defined
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- User feedback: "I always have to ask it to format the output"
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→ Root cause: SKILL.md has no output format specification → one fix: add an output template
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```
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### Step 3 — Announce planned changes
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Before editing, state:
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- Which root causes were identified and what evidence supports each
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- Which files will be changed and what will change in each
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Then proceed — edits are reversible via git, no approval checkpoint needed.
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### Step 4 — Apply changes
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Edit any file in the skill directory that the signals point to: SKILL.md, scripts/, references/, assets/, tests/, README.md.
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**Generalize, don't patch.** Find the underlying gap, not the specific example that failed. A fix scoped only to the test cases you've seen will overfit and perform worse on new inputs.
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**Keep it lean.** Remove instructions that aren't pulling their weight. For every sentence you add, ask: "Would the agent get this wrong without it?" A shorter, focused skill consistently outperforms an exhaustive one.
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**Explain the why.** Reasoning-based instructions outperform rigid directives. If you find yourself writing a rule in all caps (ALWAYS/NEVER), reframe it: explain why the behavior matters so the agent can apply judgment in edge cases.
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If a signal points to a script or reference file, edit that file directly rather than adding a workaround in SKILL.md.
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**On scripts**: Fix and edit existing scripts freely when signals point to them.
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### Step 5 — Validate
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Run `/skill-audit` on the skill directory. Resolve any FAIL findings before considering the improvement complete.
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