Defame1297
c048d2320e
Records the upstream agentskills.io sources that informed skill-audit, continuing the research → docs → skill provenance chain. - New references/sources.md with 7 extracted sources attributed to skill files; agentskills-llms-txt demoted to discovery-only comment per skill-author precedent - source_keys frontmatter added to SKILL.md (5 slugs), references/body-discipline.md (agentskills-spec, agentskills-best-practices), and references/description-quality.md (agentskills-spec, agentskills-optimizing-descriptions) Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
89 lines
3.2 KiB
Markdown
89 lines
3.2 KiB
Markdown
---
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source_keys:
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- agentskills-spec
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- agentskills-best-practices
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---
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# Body Discipline Reference
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Source: agentskills.io — skill-authoring
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## The core test
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For every sentence in the body, ask: **"Would the agent get this wrong without this instruction?"**
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If no — cut it. The agent already knows it from general training. Adding it wastes tokens and dilutes the signal of what matters.
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## What belongs in the body
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Include content the agent lacks:
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- Project-specific conventions and domain procedures it cannot infer
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- Non-obvious edge cases and environment-specific gotchas
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- The specific tools or sequences to use (not the full range of options)
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- One default per decision point with one escape hatch
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Do not include:
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- Concepts the agent already knows (what JSON is, how HTTP works, what a CSV is)
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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 to unproductive paths
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- Restatements of the description — it's already in context
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## Calibrating control
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**Be prescriptive** when operations are fragile, consistency matters, or a specific sequence must be followed:
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```markdown
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Run exactly:
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\`\`\`bash
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python scripts/migrate.py --verify --backup
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\`\`\`
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Do not modify the command or add additional flags.
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```
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**Give freedom** when multiple approaches are valid. Explaining *why* outperforms rigid directives — agents make better decisions when they understand the purpose.
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## Defaults not menus
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Never present a list of equivalent options — pick one and mention the alternative briefly:
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```markdown
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# Too many options
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Use pypdf, pdfplumber, PyMuPDF, or pdf2image...
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# Default with escape hatch
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Use pdfplumber for text extraction. For scanned PDFs requiring OCR, use pdf2image instead.
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```
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## Gotchas sections
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Highest value content — environment-specific facts that defy reasonable assumptions. Place near the top of the body so the agent reads them before encountering the situation.
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```markdown
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## Gotchas
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- The `users` table uses soft deletes. Always include `WHERE deleted_at IS NULL`.
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- User ID is `user_id` in the database, `uid` in auth, `accountId` in billing. Same value.
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```
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Each entry must be a specific, surprising fact — not a general tip or reminder.
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## Progressive disclosure
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Keep `SKILL.md` under 500 lines. When more content is needed, move it to `references/` and load conditionally:
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```markdown
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If the API returns a non-200 status, read `references/api-errors.md`.
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```
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"If X, read Y" is more useful than "see references/ for details." The agent loads on demand rather than up front.
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## Auditing guidance
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Flag as FAIL if:
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- A sentence answers "no" to the core test (would agent get this wrong without it?) — it is padding
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- Decision points present a menu of options with no default
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- Instructions repeat content already in the description
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- Prescriptive sequences are used where flexibility is fine, or vice versa
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Flag as SUGGESTION if:
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- A rationale is missing from an include/exclude rule (present but unexplained)
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- Gotchas are correct but placed late in the body rather than near the top
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- A conditional reference trigger is vague ("see references/") rather than specific ("If X, read Y")
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