skill-creator
A skill that helps an agent author other skills to the agentskills.io spec: structure, metadata, progressive disclosure and validation
Low risk
We rate an entry low when it mostly gives the agent instructions and reference material.
Why this level
- The skill consists of instructions, a template and a small metadata validation script
Install
In your terminal, with SkillFoxx CLI
npx skillfoxx add skills/skill-creatorDetects the agents on your machine, checks the risk and pins the version.
Other ways to install
Run in a terminal in the project folder
npx skills add mgechev/skills-best-practices --skill skill-creator -a claude-code -yThe skills tool installs the current version from the repository. Add the -g flag to use the skill in every project.
Without third-party tools, from commit a0bfa56
tmp=$(mktemp -d)
git clone --filter=blob:none --no-checkout https://github.com/mgechev/skills-best-practices.git "$tmp"
git -C "$tmp" sparse-checkout set --no-cone /skill/
git -C "$tmp" checkout a0bfa56bbcd676383f6ca57bb7e344d0856bc38e
mkdir -p .claude/skills
cp -R "$tmp/skill" .claude/skills/skill-creatorCommands for macOS and Linux, on Windows run them in Git Bash.
Run in a terminal in the project folder
npx skills add mgechev/skills-best-practices --skill skill-creator -a cursor -yThe skills tool installs the current version from the repository. Add the -g flag to use the skill in every project.
Without third-party tools, from commit a0bfa56
tmp=$(mktemp -d)
git clone --filter=blob:none --no-checkout https://github.com/mgechev/skills-best-practices.git "$tmp"
git -C "$tmp" sparse-checkout set --no-cone /skill/
git -C "$tmp" checkout a0bfa56bbcd676383f6ca57bb7e344d0856bc38e
mkdir -p .agents/skills
cp -R "$tmp/skill" .agents/skills/skill-creatorCommands for macOS and Linux, on Windows run them in Git Bash.
Run in a terminal in the project folder
npx skills add mgechev/skills-best-practices --skill skill-creator -a github-copilot -yThe skills tool installs the current version from the repository. Add the -g flag to use the skill in every project.
Without third-party tools, from commit a0bfa56
tmp=$(mktemp -d)
git clone --filter=blob:none --no-checkout https://github.com/mgechev/skills-best-practices.git "$tmp"
git -C "$tmp" sparse-checkout set --no-cone /skill/
git -C "$tmp" checkout a0bfa56bbcd676383f6ca57bb7e344d0856bc38e
mkdir -p .github/skills
cp -R "$tmp/skill" .github/skills/skill-creatorCommands for macOS and Linux, on Windows run them in Git Bash.
Run in a terminal in the project folder
npx skills add mgechev/skills-best-practices --skill skill-creator -a codex -yThe skills tool installs the current version from the repository. Add the -g flag to use the skill in every project.
Without third-party tools, from commit a0bfa56
tmp=$(mktemp -d)
git clone --filter=blob:none --no-checkout https://github.com/mgechev/skills-best-practices.git "$tmp"
git -C "$tmp" sparse-checkout set --no-cone /skill/
git -C "$tmp" checkout a0bfa56bbcd676383f6ca57bb7e344d0856bc38e
mkdir -p .agents/skills
cp -R "$tmp/skill" .agents/skills/skill-creatorCommands for macOS and Linux, on Windows run them in Git Bash.
Run in a terminal in the project folder
npx skills add mgechev/skills-best-practices --skill skill-creator -a gemini-cli -yThe skills tool installs the current version from the repository. Add the -g flag to use the skill in every project.
Without third-party tools, from commit a0bfa56
tmp=$(mktemp -d)
git clone --filter=blob:none --no-checkout https://github.com/mgechev/skills-best-practices.git "$tmp"
git -C "$tmp" sparse-checkout set --no-cone /skill/
git -C "$tmp" checkout a0bfa56bbcd676383f6ca57bb7e344d0856bc38e
mkdir -p .agents/skills
cp -R "$tmp/skill" .agents/skills/skill-creatorCommands for macOS and Linux, on Windows run them in Git Bash.
Run in a terminal in the project folder
tmp=$(mktemp -d)
git clone --filter=blob:none --no-checkout https://github.com/mgechev/skills-best-practices.git "$tmp"
git -C "$tmp" sparse-checkout set --no-cone /skill/
git -C "$tmp" checkout a0bfa56bbcd676383f6ca57bb7e344d0856bc38e
mkdir -p .devin/skills
cp -R "$tmp/skill" .devin/skills/skill-creatorCommands for macOS and Linux, on Windows run them in Git Bash.
Formerly Windsurf.
Run in a terminal in the project folder
npx skills add mgechev/skills-best-practices --skill skill-creator -a cline -yThe skills tool installs the current version from the repository. Add the -g flag to use the skill in every project.
Without third-party tools, from commit a0bfa56
tmp=$(mktemp -d)
git clone --filter=blob:none --no-checkout https://github.com/mgechev/skills-best-practices.git "$tmp"
git -C "$tmp" sparse-checkout set --no-cone /skill/
git -C "$tmp" checkout a0bfa56bbcd676383f6ca57bb7e344d0856bc38e
mkdir -p .cline/skills
cp -R "$tmp/skill" .cline/skills/skill-creatorCommands for macOS and Linux, on Windows run them in Git Bash.
Run in a terminal in the project folder
npx skills add mgechev/skills-best-practices --skill skill-creator -a roo -yThe skills tool installs the current version from the repository. Add the -g flag to use the skill in every project.
Without third-party tools, from commit a0bfa56
tmp=$(mktemp -d)
git clone --filter=blob:none --no-checkout https://github.com/mgechev/skills-best-practices.git "$tmp"
git -C "$tmp" sparse-checkout set --no-cone /skill/
git -C "$tmp" checkout a0bfa56bbcd676383f6ca57bb7e344d0856bc38e
mkdir -p .roo/skills
cp -R "$tmp/skill" .roo/skills/skill-creatorCommands for macOS and Linux, on Windows run them in Git Bash.
A fork of Roo Code, same .roo folders.
Run in a terminal in the project folder
npx skills add mgechev/skills-best-practices --skill skill-creator -a opencode -yThe skills tool installs the current version from the repository. Add the -g flag to use the skill in every project.
Without third-party tools, from commit a0bfa56
tmp=$(mktemp -d)
git clone --filter=blob:none --no-checkout https://github.com/mgechev/skills-best-practices.git "$tmp"
git -C "$tmp" sparse-checkout set --no-cone /skill/
git -C "$tmp" checkout a0bfa56bbcd676383f6ca57bb7e344d0856bc38e
mkdir -p .agents/skills
cp -R "$tmp/skill" .agents/skills/skill-creatorCommands for macOS and Linux, on Windows run them in Git Bash.
Run in a terminal in the project folder
tmp=$(mktemp -d)
git clone --filter=blob:none --no-checkout https://github.com/mgechev/skills-best-practices.git "$tmp"
git -C "$tmp" sparse-checkout set --no-cone /skill/
git -C "$tmp" checkout a0bfa56bbcd676383f6ca57bb7e344d0856bc38e
mkdir -p .agents/skills
cp -R "$tmp/skill" .agents/skills/skill-creatorCommands for macOS and Linux, on Windows run them in Git Bash.
Run in a terminal in the project folder
tmp=$(mktemp -d)
git clone --filter=blob:none --no-checkout https://github.com/mgechev/skills-best-practices.git "$tmp"
git -C "$tmp" sparse-checkout set --no-cone /skill/
git -C "$tmp" checkout a0bfa56bbcd676383f6ca57bb7e344d0856bc38e
mkdir -p .agents/skills
cp -R "$tmp/skill" .agents/skills/skill-creatorCommands for macOS and Linux, on Windows run them in Git Bash.
Clone the repository and copy its skill folder into the skills directory under the name skill-creator, for example git clone and then cp -r skills-best-practices/skill ~/.claude/skills/skill-creator.
Other ways from the author
git clone https://github.com/mgechev/skills-best-practices.git
cp -r skills-best-practices/skill ~/.claude/skills/skill-creatorCopies the skill folder into the skills directory as skill-creator, which must match the name in SKILL.md.
This is third-party code. Review the repository files before installing.
What it does
The skill guides an agent through building a new skill to the agentskills.io spec. It sets up the folder structure with a SKILL.md and scripts, references and assets directories, helps write a name and description with positive and negative triggers, and validates metadata with the validate-metadata.py script. Its instructions require keeping SKILL.md lean, moving bulky context into references with just-in-time loading, and writing steps in the third-person imperative. It ships a SKILL.md template, a review checklist and a validation script. The repository also includes a README guide with techniques and prompts for validating skills through a separate LLM.
Who it is for. For developers and technical writers who build and maintain their own agent skills.
Good fit when
- You need to create a new skill with the right structure and metadata
- You need to check a skill's name and description for trigger fitness
- You need to tidy a bulky SKILL.md through progressive disclosure
Not a fit when
- You need ordinary documentation or library code, not an agent skill
- The skill is already done and needs no rework
Example request
Help me build a skill for migrating a project to a new bundler following the agentskills.io specLimitations
The skill provides methodology and metadata validation but does not write your skill's domain logic for you. The validation script needs Python 3. The repository has no license file, so reuse terms should be clarified with the author. Most of the repository is a human-facing guide; only skill-creator itself is meant for the skills directory.
How to disable. Remove the skill-creator folder from the agent's skills directory, for example ~/.claude/skills/.
Security check
- The skill consists of instructions, a template and a small metadata validation script
README in short
The repository collects techniques for building agent skills: folder structure, optimizing the name and description for triggers, progressive disclosure of context, imperative step-by-step instructions, moving repetitive operations into scripts and composing skills. A dedicated section covers validating skills through a separate LLM: trigger, logic and edge-case validation and architecture refinement. Alongside the guide the repository holds an installable skill-creator with a SKILL.md template, a checklist and a metadata validation script. The author points to a separate project, skillgrade, for scoring skills.
SKILL.md
---
name: skill-creator
description: Authors and structures professional-grade agent skills following the agentskills.io spec. Use when creating new skill directories, drafting procedural instructions, or optimizing metadata for discoverability. Don't use for general documentation, non-agentic library code, or README files.
---
# Skill Authoring Procedure
Follow these steps to generate a skill that adheres to the agentskills.io specification and progressive disclosure principles.
## Step 1: Initialize and Validate Metadata
1. Define a unique `name`: 1-64 characters, lowercase, numbers, and single hyphens only. **This must exactly match the parent directory name** (e.g., name `angular-testing` must live in `angular-testing/SKILL.md`).
2. Draft a `description`: Max 1,024 characters, written in the third person. Include positive triggers ("Use when...") and negative triggers ("Don't use for...").
3. **Execute Validation Script:** Run the validation script to ensure compliance before proceeding:
`python3 scripts/validate-metadata.py --name "[name]" --description "[description]"`
4. If the script returns an error, self-correct the metadata based on the `stderr` output and re-run until successful.FAQ
Is this a guide or an installable skill?
Both. The README is a techniques guide, and the skill folder holds the installable skill-creator with a template, a checklist and a metadata validation script.
How is metadata validated?
The skill runs scripts/validate-metadata.py, which checks the name and description against the spec rules and reports errors in its output.
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