Name: Skill Quality Standards
Author: Skills Guide Bot

Automated summary

A standards reference that defines how to write and validate a SKILL.md: size limits, source confidence levels, required sections, and a verification checklist.

Strengths

Sets concrete numeric thresholds (400-1000 tokens target, 1500 hard cap, max 3 skills per task) with simple estimation rules
Enforces source traceability through HIGH/MEDIUM/LOW confidence tiers and a sources frontmatter field
Ships a reusable section skeleton (When to Use, Patterns, Anti-Patterns, Verification Checklist) plus an actionable checklist
Separates skill types (generic, domain, project) with their expected directory locations

Limitations

Offers few real code examples: it is a standard, not a hands-on authoring tutorial
Token estimates (1 word ≈ 1.3 tokens) are rough and tokenizer-dependent
Does not explain how to split an oversized skill or how to write frontmatter fields beyond sources

When to use it

Use it when drafting a new skill or auditing an existing one against size, sourcing, and structure requirements.

When not to use it

Not helpful for writing the actual domain knowledge inside a skill: it only covers form and quality rules, not the technical content itself.

Security analysis

Safe

Quality score85/100

The skill is a static reference document containing guidelines, patterns, and checklists for creating or validating skills. It declares no allowed tools and contains no executable commands, network operations, or destructive actions, so it poses no meaningful execution risk.

No concerns found

How this analysis is made

Examples

Create a new skill

Create a new skill for handling Stripe webhook retries, following the skill-quality-standards: keep it under 1000 tokens, include a sources block in the frontmatter, 2+ patterns with code, and an anti-patterns section.

Validate an existing skill

Validate .claude/skills/domain/payments/SKILL.md against the skill-quality-standards checklist and tell me which checks fail, especially token size and missing source links.

Split an oversized skill

My skill is around 2400 tokens. Using the skill-quality-standards size limits, propose how to split it into smaller skills and which parts to move to a generic vs project skill.

name: skill-quality-standards description: When creating or validating skills. Reference for SKILL-CREATOR and SKILL-VALIDATOR.

When to Use

When creating or validating skills. Reference for SKILL-CREATOR and SKILL-VALIDATOR.

Patterns

Size Limits

Target:  400-1000 tokens (optimal)
Maximum: 1500 tokens (hard limit)
Per task: max 3 skills loaded

Estimation:
  1 word ≈ 1.3 tokens
  1 code line ≈ 10 tokens
  Full skill ≈ 100-150 lines

Confidence Levels

HIGH:
  - 2+ authoritative sources (Tier 1-2)
  - Patterns tested in production
  - Official docs cited

MEDIUM:
  - 1 authoritative source
  - Community-validated patterns
  - Reputable tech blog

LOW:
  - Blog posts only
  - Experimental/unverified
  - No official source

Required Sections

---
[YAML frontmatter with metadata]
sources:
  - [URL or internal path]
---

## When to Use
[1-2 sentences - clear trigger]

## Patterns
[2-3 patterns with code examples]
[Each with source citation]

## Anti-Patterns
[What NOT to do + why]

## Verification Checklist
[Actionable checks]

Skill Types

Generic:    .claude/skills/generic/
            Tech-agnostic, reusable anywhere

Domain:     .claude/skills/domain/
            Industry-specific (fintech, healthcare)

Project:    .claude/skills/project/
            Repo-specific patterns

Anti-Patterns

Skills over 1500 tokens (split them)
Patterns without source links in frontmatter
Vague "When to Use" triggers
Theory without code examples
Missing anti-patterns section

Verification Checklist

[ ] Under 1500 tokens
[ ] Every pattern has source in frontmatter
[ ] "When to Use" is specific
[ ] 2+ patterns with code
[ ] Anti-patterns included
[ ] Checklist is actionable

From the file to a first result

The download contains exactly the content displayed on this page. This copy may differ from the latest version in the source repository.

View the source and supporting files

This download contains SKILL.md only. Any scripts, references, templates and dependencies are not included. Get the required files from the source, preserving their directory structure, before continuing.

1. Download the file

Download SKILL.md

From the root of a test project, save the file as .skill-downloads/skill-quality-standards-msih95g5/SKILL.md, or use the command below. This folder is for inspecting the skill before installation.

Command for macOS/Linux or WSL: requires a POSIX shell and curl. On Windows without WSL, use the download button and create the folder manually.

mkdir -p '.skill-downloads/skill-quality-standards-msih95g5' && curl --fail --show-error --location 'https://skills-guides.com/api/skills/skill-quality-standards-msih95g5/download' --output '.skill-downloads/skill-quality-standards-msih95g5/SKILL.md.part' && mv '.skill-downloads/skill-quality-standards-msih95g5/SKILL.md.part' '.skill-downloads/skill-quality-standards-msih95g5/SKILL.md'

2. Check prerequisites

Read SKILL.md before using it. If it references scripts or external services, inspect them and prepare the required access in your test environment.

No recognized prerequisites section in this file. This does not mean it is self-contained: libraries, tools and access requirements may be mentioned elsewhere in the content or source repository.

The platforms on this page are catalog indications. The paths below follow tool documentation; they do not prove this skill has been run in those tools. No minimum tool version is confirmed for this listing.

3. Load the skill

After inspection, copy the complete folder into your project using one of the commands below, then open a new tool session. The command stops if a folder with the same name already exists: compare the files before replacing it.

Claude Code

test -f '.skill-downloads/skill-quality-standards-msih95g5/SKILL.md' && test -s '.skill-downloads/skill-quality-standards-msih95g5/SKILL.md' && mkdir -p '.claude/skills' && test ! -e '.claude/skills/skill-quality-standards' && cp -R '.skill-downloads/skill-quality-standards-msih95g5' '.claude/skills/skill-quality-standards'

OpenSkills

OpenSkills must already be installed. The local install/read procedure is checked with OpenSkills 1.5.0, which requires Node.js ≥ 20.6.0. Catalog slugs are not resolved automatically.

Official OpenSkills installation

openskills install './.skill-downloads/skill-quality-standards-msih95g5'

openskills read 'skill-quality-standards-msih95g5'

Reading should display the installed file content and its base directory. It does not run the skill or install its dependencies.

For an agent that reads AGENTS.md, then sync the index. This command changes AGENTS.md: review the diff before using it.

openskills sync

Manual method or another tool: attach SKILL.md to a conversation, or open it in an agent that can read files. Include any required supporting resources. No universal folder is recognized by every tool.

4. Try a first task

Use a short, synthetic input: an API endpoint, a small document or an interface brief. In a new conversation, attach the file or give the agent its path, then adapt this request:

Read .skill-downloads/skill-quality-standards-msih95g5/SKILL.md and apply its instructions to this example: [describe a test input]. Identify any missing files, dependencies or access. Produce the result requested by the skill without inventing data or running unreviewed scripts.

Expected result: output matching the skill instructions, or a precise list of missing prerequisites. A read confirmation alone does not validate a first use. If an external resource is unavailable, that path remains untested.

Related skills

Supabase Docs Authoring

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Write, edit, and review Supabase documentation content including guides, tutorials, reference docs, and partials. Follow style guides and MDX/TOML validation rules.

Claude CodeintermediateSafe 108,544

Skills Guide Bot