Add Skill Guide

VerifiedSafe

Creates a skill guide for recurring tasks by analyzing the codebase, with steps, real examples, and anti-patterns.

Sby Skills Guide Bot
DocumentationIntermediate
109/20/2026
Claude Code
#skill-authoring#claude-code#codebase-analysis#scaffolding#developer-docs

Recommended for

Our review

Generates a skill guide (SKILL.md) for a recurring task by analysing the existing codebase and asking the user clarifying questions.

Strengths

  • Asks clarifying questions through the AskUserQuestion tool instead of inventing content
  • Grounds the documentation in real project code by quoting snippets and their file paths
  • Produces a consistent structure: when to use, numbered steps, anti-patterns, examples, related links
  • Has an explicit guardrail: stop and ask for help after 3 failed attempts at the same step

Limitations

  • Only writes to .claude/skills/ and relies on the AskUserQuestion tool, so it is Claude Code specific
  • Describes no validation or testing step for the generated skill
  • Does not say how to handle an existing skill (overwrite, update, versioning)
When to use it

Use it when a pattern or convention keeps recurring in the project and deserves to be captured as a reusable skill.

When not to use it

Avoid it for documenting a one-off task, or on a project whose codebase cannot be analysed.

Security analysis

Safe
Quality score82/100

The skill instructs creating a directory and writing a SKILL.md file using codebase analysis and user input. It contains no destructive commands, no network activity, no exfiltration, and no obfuscated payloads. The only command is a benign mkdir -p for a project-local .claude/skills directory.

No concerns found

Examples

Document a recurring pattern
/add-skill error handling
Capture a testing convention
/add-skill how we write integration tests for API endpoints

Add Skill

Create and populate a new skill guide for recurring tasks.

Usage: /add-skill [name or topic]

Process

1. Get Skill Topic

If $ARGUMENTS is empty, use AskUserQuestion tool to ask:

  • "What task or pattern should this skill document?"

2. Analyze Codebase

Search the codebase to find:

  • Existing patterns related to this skill
  • Code examples that demonstrate the pattern
  • Common files/modules involved

3. Gather Context

Use AskUserQuestion tool to ask 2-3 clarifying questions:

  • When should developers use this pattern?
  • Are there any anti-patterns or common mistakes to avoid?
  • Any project-specific conventions for this task?

4. Create Skill Structure

mkdir -p .claude/skills/[skill-slug]

5. Populate SKILL.md

Create .claude/skills/[skill-slug]/SKILL.md:

# Skill: [Name]

## When to Use

- [Situation 1 - based on analysis]
- [Situation 2]
- [Situation 3]

## Step by Step

### 1. [First Step]

[Explanation]

```[language]
# Code example from this codebase
[actual code found in the project]

2. [Second Step]

[Explanation]

[code example]

3. [Third Step]

[Explanation]

[code example]

Anti-Patterns

Don't:

  • [Bad practice 1 - why it's bad]
  • [Bad practice 2 - why it's bad]

Do:

  • [Good practice 1]
  • [Good practice 2]

Examples from This Codebase

[Example 1 Name]

Located at: [file path]

[relevant code snippet]

[Example 2 Name]

Located at: [file path]

[relevant code snippet]

Related

  • [Link to related ADR if applicable]
  • [Link to related skill if applicable]

## Output

Created: .claude/skills/[slug]/SKILL.md

Skill: [Name]

Steps documented: X Examples included: X from codebase Anti-patterns: X identified


## If You Get Stuck

If you cannot make progress after 3 attempts at the same step:
1. Stop immediately
2. Explain what you're trying to do and what's blocking you
3. **Use AskUserQuestion tool** to ask the user how to proceed

Never loop indefinitely. If you find yourself repeating the same actions without progress, stop and ask for help.
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