Createskill

Systematic skill creation framework for building consistent, well-structured Claude Code skills.

Context Detection

This skill activates when:

• User wants to create a new skill
• User asks to validate, update, or fix an existing skill
• User mentions skill structure, compliance, or canonicalization
• User is working in /home/vincent/.config/claude/skills/ directory
• User asks about skill creation best practices or framework

TitleCase Naming Convention

All naming must use TitleCase (PascalCase).

Wrong (NEVER use):

• createskill, create-skill, CREATE_SKILL
• create.md, update-info.md, SYNC_REPO.md

Workflow Routing

When executing a workflow, output this notification directly:

Running the **WorkflowName** workflow from the **Createskill** skill...

Skill Structure Requirements

Required Components

Every skill must have:

1. SKILL.md - Main skill file with:

   • YAML frontmatter (name, description)
   • Clear purpose and scope
   • Workflow routing table
   • Usage examples

2. workflows/ directory - Contains workflow markdown files

3. tools/ directory - Contains tool scripts (optional)

YAML Frontmatter Format

---
name: SkillName
description: Single-line description. USE WHEN triggers go here.
---

Critical Rules:

• name must be TitleCase
• description must be ONE LINE (no newlines)
• Include "USE WHEN" triggers in description

Markdown Body Structure

Required sections in order:

1. # [Skill Name] - H1 heading matching the name
2. Brief overview - What this skill does
3. Workflow Routing - Table of workflows
4. Examples - Usage examples (at least one)

Examples

Example 1: Create a new skill from scratch

User: "Create a skill for managing my Docker containers"
→ Invokes CreateSkill workflow
→ Creates skill directory with TitleCase naming
→ Creates SKILL.md with proper frontmatter
→ Creates workflows/ and tools/ directories
→ Generates USE WHEN triggers based on purpose

Example 2: Validate an existing skill

User: "Validate the golang skill"
→ Invokes ValidateSkill workflow
→ Checks SKILL.md structure and naming
→ Verifies TitleCase naming throughout
→ Verifies USE WHEN triggers are clear
→ Reports any compliance issues

Best Practices

Naming

• Use TitleCase for all directories and files
• Keep names descriptive but concise
• Match skill directory name to YAML name field

Description Field

• Keep it to ONE LINE only
• Include clear USE WHEN triggers
• Focus on when to invoke the skill, not just what it does

Workflows

• Name workflows with clear action verbs (Create, Update, Validate)
• Keep workflows focused on single tasks
• Use TitleCase.md naming

Tools

• Prefer shell scripts for tools (simplicity, portability)
• Use Python only when complexity requires it (complex parsing, data structures)
• Avoid TypeScript - not preferred for skill tools
• Name tools with TitleCase.sh or TitleCase.py
• Keep tools focused and single-purpose

Dependency Management:

• For shell scripts with dependencies: Use nix-shell shebang for maximum portability

  #!/usr/bin/env nix-shell
  #! nix-shell -i bash -p jq curl
  

• For Python scripts with dependencies: Use uv shebang for isolated environments

  #!/usr/bin/env -S uv run --quiet --script
  # /// script
  # dependencies = ["requests", "click"]
  # ///
  

• This makes scripts portable without requiring global installation of dependencies

Examples

• Provide at least one concrete example
• Show the trigger phrase and expected behavior
• Demonstrate the value of the skill

Integration

This skill works with your existing skills:

• References .config/claude/skills/ directory structure
• Follows patterns from CORE, golang, nix, homelab, notes skills
• Validates against established conventions