What is a Claude Code Skill?

A specialized capability that enhances Claude's behavior during specific tasks by providing domain-specific guidance, best practices, and implementation patterns via a SKILL.md file.

What is the purpose of the description field in the YAML frontmatter?

The description field enables skill discovery; it should clearly state what the skill does and define the specific trigger conditions for when Claude should use it.

What is the recommended length for a SKILL.md file?

To maintain context efficiency, a SKILL.md file should be kept under 500 lines. Detailed content should be moved to separate reference files using progressive disclosure.

How should I name my custom Claude Code skills?

Skills should use the gerund form (verb + -ing), such as 'processing-pdfs' or 'reviewing-code', using only lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens.

Why should I avoid using XML tags in my skills?

Anthropic's official specification for skills recommends standard Markdown headings over XML tags to ensure optimal parsing and clarity within the Claude Code environment.

Agent Skill Architect

Name: Agent Skill Architect
Author: 8b-is

by8b-is

Developer Tools

Standardizes the creation, auditing, and refinement of Claude Code Skills using Anthropic’s official specifications and prompting best practices.

About

This skill provides expert guidance for developers looking to extend Claude Code's capabilities through custom skill definitions. It ensures that SKILL.md files are properly structured using YAML frontmatter and standard Markdown, adheres to progressive disclosure principles to keep contexts lean, and follows naming conventions that optimize discovery. Whether you are building a simple single-file skill or a complex multi-file system with reference documentation and utility scripts, this tool audits your work against official rubrics to ensure peak performance and reliability.

Key Features

Guides the organization of complex logic into external reference files and utility scripts
Implements progressive disclosure patterns to maintain skill files under 500 lines
Generates Anthropic-spec compliant SKILL.md files with validated YAML frontmatter
Provides automated auditing against naming conventions and structural best practices
0 GitHub stars
Offers templates for common patterns including workflows, decision trees, and report generation

Use Cases

Auditing and refactoring legacy skills to improve discovery and model performance
Structuring complex engineering workflows into manageable, modular skill ecosystems
Authoring new Claude Code skills from scratch using standardized templates and triggers

About

Key Features

Guides the organization of complex logic into external reference files and utility scripts
Implements progressive disclosure patterns to maintain skill files under 500 lines
Generates Anthropic-spec compliant SKILL.md files with validated YAML frontmatter
Provides automated auditing against naming conventions and structural best practices
0 GitHub stars
Offers templates for common patterns including workflows, decision trees, and report generation

Use Cases

Auditing and refactoring legacy skills to improve discovery and model performance
Structuring complex engineering workflows into manageable, modular skill ecosystems
Authoring new Claude Code skills from scratch using standardized templates and triggers