Skill Creator - SOTA Pattern

Workflow

1. Gather requirements: Ask user for skill purpose, trigger conditions, and key workflow steps

2. Design check: Ensure skill is justified (not a simple task, needs reusability)

3. Create structure:

   • ~/.claude/skills/[skill-name]/SKILL.md (compact, <200 words)
   • ~/.claude/skills/[skill-name]/EXAMPLES.md (optional, loaded only on demand)
   • ~/.claude/skills/[skill-name]/GUIDE.md (optional, loaded only on demand)

4. Generate SKILL.md following SOTA pattern:

   • YAML frontmatter: name, description, version
   • Clear workflow (numbered steps)
   • Try-first approach (don't read configs unnecessarily)
   • Lazy loading (load details only when needed)
   • Key principle statement
   • Optional: "See EXAMPLES.md" or "See GUIDE.md" (but don't auto-load)

5. Create optional docs only if skill is complex:

   • EXAMPLES.md: Detailed usage examples
   • GUIDE.md: Advanced patterns, troubleshooting, edge cases

6. Update skill registry: Add to ~/.claude/skills/README.md if exists

SOTA Design Principles

Target: <200 words in SKILL.md Pattern: Try operations first, handle errors gracefully Loading: Lazy load everything (even docs) Config: Don't read unless absolutely necessary Separation: Examples/guides in separate files, loaded only when needed

Key Principle

Skills are for recurring workflows, not one-off tasks. Minimize context by keeping SKILL.md ultra-compact and deferring all details to optional, on-demand files.

Optional docs: EXAMPLES.md, GUIDE.md (load manually when needed)