template-skill-enhanced
Original:🇺🇸 English
Translated
Enhanced skill template with progressive disclosure, bundled resources, and quality rubrics. Use when creating new skills that need structured tiers, reference files, validation rubrics, or advanced bundling patterns beyond the basic template.
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NPX Install
npx skill4agent add nickcrew/claude-ctx-plugin template-skill-enhancedTags
Translated version includes tags in frontmatterSKILL.md Content
View Translation Comparison →Enhanced Skill Template
A production-ready skill template demonstrating progressive disclosure, bundled resource patterns, and quality validation. Use this template when creating skills that require tiered content loading, reference file organization, or structured quality scoring.
When to Use This Skill
- Creating a new skill that needs progressive disclosure (tiered content loading)
- Building skills with bundled resources (references, examples, validation rubrics)
- Designing skills that exceed basic template complexity
- Setting up skills with quality targets and scoring rubrics
- Avoid using for simple, single-purpose skills — use instead
template-skill
Workflow
Step 1: Set Up Frontmatter
Define metadata with kebab-case name, quoted description including a "Use when" clause, version, and tags:
yaml
---
name: my-new-skill
description: "Clear description of what this skill does. Use when [specific trigger condition]."
version: 1.0.0
tags: [domain, category]
---Step 2: Write Core Principles (Tier 1 — Always Loaded)
The first section loads immediately on activation. Keep it under ~1000 tokens:
markdown
## Core Principles
### Principle 1: Foundation Concept
Explanation with a concise code example:
\`\`\`python
# Demonstrate the concept clearly
def foundation_example(input_data):
validated = validate(input_data)
return transform(validated)
\`\`\`
**Key Points:**
- Critical aspect that must be understood
- Common misconception to avoidStep 3: Add Implementation Patterns (Tier 2 — Loaded When Needed)
Detailed patterns for common scenarios (~1500 tokens):
markdown
### Pattern: Descriptive Name
**Problem**: What specific problem this solves
**Solution**: High-level approach
\`\`\`python
def pattern_implementation(input_data):
validate(input_data)
result = transform(input_data)
return format_output(result)
\`\`\`
**Trade-offs**:
| Aspect | Benefit | Cost |
|--------|---------|------|
| Performance | Fast execution | Higher memory |
| Maintainability | Clear structure | More boilerplate |Step 4: Add Advanced Usage (Tier 3 — Complex Scenarios)
Reserve for sophisticated implementations (~2000+ tokens). Include edge cases:
| Scenario | Expected Behavior | Handling Strategy |
|---|---|---|
| Empty input | Graceful failure | Return default or descriptive error |
| Invalid format | Validation error | Clear error message with fix guidance |
| Resource exhaustion | Graceful degradation | Backoff and retry logic |
Step 5: Organize Bundled Resources
Create sibling directories for heavy content:
skills/my-new-skill/
├── SKILL.md # Core skill (under token budget)
├── references/
│ ├── README.md # Guide to reference docs
│ └── detailed-patterns.md # Extended pattern documentation
├── examples/
│ └── basic.md # Annotated usage example
└── validation/
└── rubric.yaml # Quality scoring rubricStep 6: Define Quality Targets
Set measurable quality criteria:
yaml
quality_targets:
clarity: ">= 4/5"
completeness: ">= 4/5"
accuracy: ">= 5/5"
usefulness: ">= 4/5"Step 7: Validate the Skill
bash
cortex skills validate my-new-skill
cortex skills info my-new-skill --show-tokensEnsure total token count stays within 500–8,000 tokens per CONTRIBUTING guidelines.
Best Practices
- Progressive disclosure: Keep Tier 1 concise — load detail on demand
- Bundled resources: Move lengthy examples and deep-dives to or
references/examples/ - Quality rubrics: Define scoring criteria in so skill outputs can be evaluated consistently
validation/rubric.yaml - Token budget: Core SKILL.md should stay under token limits; offload heavy content to sibling files
- Real examples: Replace all placeholder content with domain-specific, working code
- Kebab-case naming: Directories and skill names use lowercase hyphen-case
Anti-Patterns
- Placeholder content in production: Shipping or
[Pattern Name]— always fill in real contentexample_code_here() - Monolithic skills: Putting everything in SKILL.md instead of using bundled resources
- Missing "Use when" clause: Description must include activation context
- Ignoring token budgets: Skills over 8,000 tokens slow activation and may be truncated