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Audit a skill against Anthropic skill-creator standards

SKILL.md

Full skill instructions

/​local:audit-skill

Audit a skill against the Anthropic skill-creator standards and provide structured recommendations for improvement.

Usage

# By skill name (looks in .claude/​skills/)
/​local:audit-skill dignified-python

# By file path
/​local:audit-skill /​path/​to/​skill/​SKILL.md

Agent Instructions

Execute the skill audit workflow following these phases carefully.

Phase 1: Resolve Target Skill

Determine the skill to audit based on the argument provided: $ARGUMENTS

Resolution logic:

  1. If the argument contains /, treat it as a file path
    • If it ends with SKILL.md, use the parent directory
    • Otherwise, assume it's the skill directory and look for SKILL.md inside
  2. If the argument does not contain /, treat it as a skill name
    • Look for .claude/​skills/<skill-name>/​SKILL.md

Validation:

  • Confirm the resolved path exists
  • If not found, display an error message and stop:
    Error: Skill not found at <resolved-path>
    

Phase 2: Fetch Standards from GitHub

Fetch the authoritative skill-creator standards from Anthropic's GitHub repository.

Step 2.1: Discover repository structure

Use WebFetch to browse the skill-creator directory and discover all available files:

  1. https://github.com/​anthropics/​skills/​tree/​main/​skills/​skill-creator

    • Prompt: "List all files and directories in this skill-creator folder"
  2. For each subdirectory found (e.g., references/, scripts/), fetch its contents:

    • https://github.com/​anthropics/​skills/​tree/​main/​skills/​skill-creator/<subdir>
    • Prompt: "List all files in this directory"

Step 2.2: Fetch discovered files

For each .md file discovered, fetch its contents using raw URLs:

  • Base URL: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/​anthropics/​skills/​main/​skills/​skill-creator/
  • Example: For SKILL.md → https://raw.githubusercontent.com/​anthropics/​skills/​main/​skills/​skill-creator/​SKILL.md
  • Example: For references/​output-patterns.md → https://raw.githubusercontent.com/​anthropics/​skills/​main/​skills/​skill-creator/​references/​output-patterns.md

Use prompts that extract the relevant guidance from each file.

Error handling:

  • If directory listing fails, fall back to known files: SKILL.md, references/​output-patterns.md, references/​workflows.md
  • If any file fetch fails, note it and continue with available standards
  • At minimum, the main SKILL.md must be fetched successfully

Phase 3: Read Target Skill

3.1 Read the SKILL.md file:

  • Use Read tool to get the full content of the target skill's SKILL.md

3.2 List directory contents:

  • Use Bash to list the skill directory structure
  • Identify what exists in scripts/, references/, assets/

3.3 Read bundled resources:

  • Read files in references/ to understand what documentation is bundled
  • Note scripts and assets without reading them fully (just note their presence)

Phase 4: Analyze Against Standards

Evaluate the skill against these criteria based on the fetched standards:

4.1 Frontmatter Quality
CheckCriteria
name fieldExists and matches directory name
description fieldExplains what the skill does AND when to use it
Third personDescription uses "This skill should be used when..." not "Use this skill when..."
4.2 Structure
CheckCriteria
SKILL.md sizeLess than 5,000 words (progressive disclosure)
No READMENo README.md or other auxiliary top-level docs
Clean organizationBundled resources in proper directories
4.3 Writing Style
CheckCriteria
Imperative formUses "Do X" not "You should do X"
Verb-firstInstructions start with verbs
ConciseNo unnecessary verbosity
No second personAvoids "you" in instructions
4.4 Progressive Disclosure
CheckCriteria
Core in SKILL.mdEssential workflow is in main file
Details in referencesDetailed information moved to references/
No duplicationInformation lives in one place only
Size appropriateSKILL.md < 5k words, references for larger content
4.5 Resource Organization
CheckCriteria
scripts/Executable code for deterministic tasks
references/Documentation loaded into context as needed
assets/Output files (templates, images, fonts)
Proper separationEach file in correct directory type
4.6 Local Conventions (erk-specific)

These are project-specific conventions that differ from or extend Anthropic's standards:

CheckCriteria
No embedded scriptsSkills MUST NOT have a scripts/ directory; use erk exec commands instead
erk exec patternExecutable logic lives in src/​erk/​cli/​commands/​exec/​scripts/ and is invoked via erk exec <script-name>

Rationale: Centralizing scripts in erk exec provides:

  • Single location for all executable scripts
  • Consistent CLI interface (erk exec <name>)
  • Easier testing and maintenance
  • No need to discover/​read scripts from skill directories

Phase 5: Generate Report

Present the audit findings in this structured format:

## Skill Audit: <skill-name>

### Summary

[1-2 sentence overview of skill health and main areas for improvement]

### Compliance Scorecard

| Criterion              | Status         | Notes               |
| ---------------------- | -------------- | ------------------- |
| Frontmatter            | PASS/​WARN/​FAIL | [Brief explanation] |
| Structure              | PASS/​WARN/​FAIL | [Brief explanation] |
| Writing Style          | PASS/​WARN/​FAIL | [Brief explanation] |
| Progressive Disclosure | PASS/​WARN/​FAIL | [Brief explanation] |
| Resource Organization  | PASS/​WARN/​FAIL | [Brief explanation] |
| Local Conventions      | PASS/​WARN/​FAIL | [Brief explanation] |

### Recommendations

[Numbered list of specific, actionable recommendations ordered by priority]

1. [Most critical issue and how to fix it]
2. [Second priority item]
   ...

### Detailed Findings

#### Frontmatter

[Expanded analysis]

#### Structure

[Expanded analysis]

#### Writing Style

[Specific examples of issues if any]

#### Progressive Disclosure

[Analysis of information organization]

#### Resource Organization

[Analysis of bundled resources]

#### Local Conventions

[Analysis of erk-specific patterns: no scripts/ directory, erk exec usage]

Status definitions:

  • PASS: Fully compliant with standards
  • WARN: Minor issues or room for improvement
  • FAIL: Does not meet standards, needs correction

Key Principles

  1. Be specific - Cite exact lines or sections when identifying issues
  2. Be actionable - Every recommendation should be implementable
  3. Prioritize - Order recommendations by impact
  4. Be fair - Acknowledge what the skill does well
  5. Reference standards - Connect findings back to the fetched standards

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