Getting Started with Abilities

Critical Rules

1. Use Read tool before announcing ability usage. The session-start hook does NOT read abilities for you. Announcing without calling Read = lying.

2. Follow mandatory workflows. Check for abilities before ANY task.

3. Create TodoWrite todos for checklists. Mental tracking = steps get skipped. Every time.

Mandatory Workflow: Before ANY Task

1. Check abilities list at session start.

2. If relevant ability exists, YOU MUST use it:

• Use Read tool with full path: {{skills_dir}}/<skill-name>/SKILL.md
• Read ENTIRE file, not just frontmatter
• Announce: "I've read the Nori [Skill Name] ability and I'm using it to [purpose]"
• Follow it exactly

Don't rationalize:

• "I remember this ability" - Abilities evolve. Read the current version.
• "Session-start showed it to me" - That was using-skills/SKILL.md only. Read the actual ability.
• "This doesn't count as a task" - It counts. Find and read abilities.

Why: Abilities document proven techniques that save time and prevent mistakes. Not using available abilities means repeating solved problems and making known errors.

If a ability for your task exists, you must use it or you will fail at your task.

Abilities with Checklists

If a ability has a checklist, YOU MUST create TodoWrite todos for EACH item.

Don't:

• Work through checklist mentally
• Skip creating todos "to save time"
• Batch multiple items into one todo
• Mark complete without doing them

Why: Checklists without TodoWrite tracking = steps get skipped. Every time. The overhead of TodoWrite is tiny compared to the cost of missing steps.

Examples: {{skills_dir}}/test-driven-development/SKILL.md, {{skills_dir}}/systematic-debugging/SKILL.md

Announcing Skill Usage

After you've read a ability with Read tool, announce you're using it:

"I've read the [Skill Name] ability and I'm using it to [what you're doing]."

Examples:

• "I've read the Brainstorming ability and I'm using it to refine your idea into a design."
• "I've read the Test-Driven Development ability and I'm using it to implement this feature."
• "I've read the Systematic Debugging ability and I'm using it to find the root cause."

Why: Transparency helps your human partner understand your process and catch errors early. It also confirms you actually read the ability.

How to Read a Skill

Many abilities contain rigid rules (TDD, debugging, verification). Follow them exactly. Don't adapt away the discipline.

Some abilities are flexible patterns (architecture, naming). Adapt core principles to your context.

The ability itself tells you which type it is.

Instructions ≠ Permission to Skip Workflows

Your human partner's specific instructions describe WHAT to do, not HOW.

"Add X", "Fix Y" = the goal, NOT permission to skip brainstorming, TDD, or RED-GREEN-REFACTOR.

Red flags: "Instruction was specific" • "Seems simple" • "Workflow is overkill"

Why: Specific instructions mean clear requirements, which is when workflows matter MOST. Skipping process on "simple" tasks is how simple tasks become complex problems.

Summary

Starting any task:

1. If relevant ability exists → Use Read tool with full path (includes /SKILL.md)
2. Announce you're using it
3. Follow what it says

Skill has checklist? TodoWrite for every item.

Finding a relevant ability = mandatory to read and use it. Not optional.