---

description: "Create a new skill for AI agents using meta-skill-creator"

Create Skill: $ARGUMENTS

Create a new skill that extends AI agent capabilities with specialized knowledge, workflows, or tool integrations.

Arguments

$ARGUMENTS should be the skill name in hyphen-case (e.g., pdf-editor, api-helper, brand-guidelines).

If no arguments provided, ask the user for:

1. Skill name (hyphen-case, e.g., my-new-skill)
2. Brief description of what the skill should do

Process

Step 1: Understand the Skill

Before creating, gather context:

• What functionality should this skill support?
• What are concrete examples of how it will be used?
• What would a user say that should trigger this skill?

Ask clarifying questions if the purpose is unclear.

Step 2: Plan Reusable Contents

Analyze what resources the skill needs:

• scripts/: Executable code for tasks that require deterministic reliability
• references/: Documentation loaded into context as needed (schemas, guides, patterns)
• assets/: Files used in output (templates, images, boilerplate)

Step 3: Initialize the Skill

Run the initialization script:

python meta-skill-creator/scripts/init_skill.py "$ARGUMENTS" --path ./skills

This creates:

• skills/$ARGUMENTS/SKILL.md - Main skill file with template
• skills/$ARGUMENTS/scripts/example.py - Example script
• skills/$ARGUMENTS/references/api_reference.md - Example reference
• skills/$ARGUMENTS/assets/example_asset.txt - Example asset

Step 4: Edit the Skill

Update the generated SKILL.md:

1. Frontmatter - Complete the description:

   ---
   name: $ARGUMENTS
   description: [Complete description of what skill does AND when to use it]
   ---
   

2. Body - Choose appropriate structure:

   • Workflow-Based: For sequential processes
   • Task-Based: For tool collections
   • Reference/Guidelines: For standards or specifications
   • Capabilities-Based: For integrated systems

3. Resources - Add/customize scripts, references, assets as needed

4. Clean up - Delete unused example files

Step 5: Validate the Skill

Run validation:

python meta-skill-creator/scripts/quick_validate.py ./skills/$ARGUMENTS

Fix any errors before proceeding.

Step 6: Package (Optional)

If ready for distribution:

python meta-skill-creator/scripts/package_skill.py ./skills/$ARGUMENTS

Creates $ARGUMENTS.skill file (zip format).

Guidelines

Naming Conventions

• Hyphen-case only: my-skill-name
• Lowercase letters, digits, and hyphens
• Max 64 characters
• No leading/trailing hyphens or consecutive hyphens

Description Best Practices

• Include what the skill does
• Include when to use it (triggers/contexts)
• Max 1024 characters
• No angle brackets

Keep It Concise

• Context window is shared - only add what the model doesn't know
• SKILL.md body should be under 500 lines
• Use references/ for detailed documentation

Output

When complete, report:

• Skill location: ./skills/$ARGUMENTS/
• Files created
• Next steps (edit SKILL.md, add resources, validate)

Example

/create-skill pdf-editor

Creates a skill at ./skills/pdf-editor/ with:

• SKILL.md template ready for PDF manipulation workflows
• Example resource directories
• Validation passing

Reference

See meta-skill-creator/SKILL.md for complete skill creation documentation.