Create Catalyst Skill File

VerifiedSafe

Instructions to add a new skill to the catalyst-skills library, following a fan-out, reduce, verify, synthesize pattern.

Sby Skills Guide Bot
DocumentationIntermediate
108/8/2026
Claude Code
#skill-authoring#orchestration-pattern#catalyst-skills#markdown#documentation

Recommended for

Our review

This skill guides the creation of a new skill file in the catalyst-skills library using a structured template based on an orchestration pattern (fan out, reduce, verify, synthesize).

Strengths

  • Enforces a consistent, repeatable structure for every new skill.
  • Promotes parallel, independent investigation through the fan-out phase.
  • Includes skeptical verification steps that assume findings are false until proven.
  • Provides a worked example to make expected output concrete.

Limitations

  • Requires access to ORCHESTRATION-PROMPT.md and an existing skill file as reference.
  • Creates only a single markdown file; does not build framework or application code.
  • Output quality depends heavily on the clarity of the provided skill name.
When to use it

Use when you need to add a new, standardized skill to the catalyst-skills library following the orchestration pattern.

When not to use it

Do not use when building application code, modifying multiple files, or when the catalyst-skills library does not already exist.

Security analysis

Safe
Quality score90/100

The skill instructs reading two reference files and writing a new markdown file with a structured template. It does not involve execution of shell commands, external network calls, or any destructive actions. No sensitive data handling. Safe.

No concerns found

Examples

Create a code-review skill
Add a new skill to catalyst-skills/ called code-review that uses the fan-out/reduce/verify/synthesize pattern from ORCHESTRATION-PROMPT.md.
Add database migration validation skill
Create a new catalyst-skill for validating database migrations, following the exact structure of the existing skill files in catalyst-skills/.
Build incident postmortem skill
Add a skill named incident-postmortem to catalyst-skills/ with all required sections: Problem Pattern, Analysis Tasks, Deduplication, Verification Questions, Implementation Checklist, and a worked example.

Add a new skill to the catalyst-skills/ library.

Reference: Read ORCHESTRATION-PROMPT.md for the pattern (fan out, reduce, verify, synthesize). Reference: Read one existing file in catalyst-skills/ (any of them) to match the exact structure and tone.

Skill name: $ARGUMENTS

DO NOT BUILD framework code. Build ONE markdown file only: catalyst-skills/[skill-name].md

The file must include, in this order:

  1. Problem Pattern — when a ticket matches this skill
  2. Analysis Tasks — independent, parallelizable investigation tasks (FAN OUT)
  3. Deduplication — how to consolidate/filter findings (REDUCE)
  4. Verification Questions — skeptic checks with fresh context, assume false until proven (VERIFY)
  5. Implementation Checklist — concrete build steps (SYNTHESIZE)
  6. One worked example with a realistic ticket

Match the formatting, heading style, and level of specificity of the existing skill files exactly. This should feel like it belongs in the same library, not like a different author wrote it.

After creating the file, do not modify any other files.

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