skill-creator

Skill Creator

Use this skill to create small, useful codewhale skills that match the runtime this repository actually ships.

What A Skill Is

A skill is a local folder with a SKILL.md file. Codewhale reads the skill name and description during discovery, then loads the body only when the user or task matches the skill.

Discovery paths, in precedence order:

• <workspace>/.agents/skills
• <workspace>/skills
• <workspace>/.opencode/skills
• <workspace>/.claude/skills
• <workspace>/.cursor/skills
• <workspace>/.codewhale/skills
• ~/.agents/skills
• ~/.claude/skills
• ~/.codewhale/skills

Use skills for model instructions, workflows, and lightweight conventions. Use MCP for live external APIs or durable tools. Use hooks for automatic local events. To distribute a skill through a plugin bundle, give the bundle a plugin.json whose net.codewhale extension points skills.path at a directory holding <name>/SKILL.md folders; each skill then loads namespaced as <plugin>:<skill> after review, trust, and enablement. A bare SKILL.md directory is discoverable on the skills paths above but is not a plugin bundle and cannot be installed through /plugin install.

Minimum Shape

my-skill/
`-- SKILL.md

---
name: my-skill
description: Use when Codewhale should follow this specific workflow.
---

# My Skill

Instructions for the agent.

Frontmatter parsing is intentionally simple. Keep name and description as plain single-line values. Use lower-case hyphen-case names.

Writing Rules

• Make the description action-oriented and trigger-specific. It is the main signal Codewhale sees before loading the body.
• Keep the body operational. Include what to do, what to avoid, and how to verify the result.
• Do not include general programming advice, marketing copy, or long background material.
• Move bulky details to references/ and mention exactly when to open them.
• Add scripts/ only for deterministic helpers that are worth maintaining.
• Add assets/ only for templates, fixtures, examples, or files reused by the workflow.
• Do not assume scripts are safe to run. Community skill scripts require user intent and trust review.

Creation Workflow

1. Define the skill boundary in one sentence.
2. Decide whether a skill is the right surface:
   • Instructional workflow: skill
   • External service/API: MCP server plus an optional skill
   • Repeated shell helper: local tool or script plus an optional skill
   • Packaging multiple pieces: plugin scaffold plus skill/MCP activation notes
3. Create <skill-name>/SKILL.md.
4. Write frontmatter with name and description.
5. Write a concise body with:
   • trigger and scope
   • required inputs or assumptions
   • step-by-step workflow
   • validation checks
   • safety notes
6. Add companion files only when they reduce real complexity.
7. Validate by loading the skill through /skills or by running the relevant skill discovery tests if editing this repository.

Updating Existing Skills

• Preserve the user's local intent. Avoid replacing a working skill wholesale unless the user asked for a rewrite.
• Tighten descriptions when the skill is under-triggering or over-triggering.
• Remove stale tool names, unavailable dependencies, and copied instructions from other agents that do not apply to codewhale.
• Keep examples short and directly tied to this runtime's commands and tools.

Validation Checklist

• SKILL.md starts with ---.
• name matches the directory name unless there is a deliberate reason.
• description says when to use the skill, not just what it is.
• The body references only tools, commands, and paths that exist or are clearly optional.
• Any scripts or external-service steps explain credential and trust handling.