— description: >- Guides users through creating effective Agent Skills. Use when you want to create, write, or author a new skill, or asks about skill structure, best practices, or SKILL.md format. — # Creating skills Skills are markdown (plus optional scripts) that teach the agent a focused workflow. **Keep SKILL.md short**—the context window is shared with chat, code, and other skills. ## Where skills live | Location | When to use | |———-|————-| | **`.claude/plugins/n8n/skills/<name>/`** | Default for n8n: team-shared, versioned, namespaced under `n8n:`. | | `~/.claude/skills/<name>/` | Personal skill for Claude Code across all projects. | | `~/.cursor/skills/<name>/` | Optional personal skill for Cursor only, global to your machine. | **Do not** put custom skills in `~/.cursor/skills-cursor/`—that is reserved for Cursor’s built-in skills. Prefer **plugin `.claude/plugins/n8n/skills/`** for anything that should match how the rest of the team works. ## Before you write: gather requirements Ask (or infer) briefly: 1. **Purpose** — one concrete task or workflow. 2. **Triggers** — when should the agent apply this skill? 3. **Gaps** — what does the agent *not* already know (project rules, URLs, formats)? 4. **Outputs** — templates, checklists, or strict formats? 5. **Examples** — follow an existing skill in `.claude/plugins/n8n/skills/` if one fits. Ask the user in plain language when you need more detail. ## File layout “` skill-name/ ├── SKILL.md # required ├── reference.md # optional — detail the agent reads only if needed ├── examples.md # optional └── scripts/ # optional “` ### Frontmatter (required) “`yaml — name: skill-name # lowercase, hyphens, max 64 chars description: >- # max 1024 chars, non-empty — see below … — “` **Description** (discovery is everything — third person, WHAT + WHEN, trigger words): – Good: `Extracts tables from PDFs and fills forms. Use when the user works with PDFs, forms, or document extraction.` – Bad: `Helps with documents` or `I can help you with PDFs` ## Authoring rules 1. **Concise** — assume the model is capable; only add non-obvious domain or project facts. 2. **Progressive disclosure** — essentials in `SKILL.md`; long reference in `reference.md`. Link **one level deep** from `SKILL.md`. 3. **Prefer one default** — e.g. one library or one workflow; add an escape hatch only if needed. 4. **Stable wording** — one term per concept; avoid dated “until month X” notes unless you tuck legacy bits behind a short “Deprecated” note. 5. **Paths** — forward slashes only (`scripts/foo.py`). **Rough size:** aim for **well under ~200 lines** in `SKILL.md`; if it grows, split detail out. ### Scope: one job per skill (and parent skills) – **Single responsibility** — one primary workflow or decision tree per skill. If triggers and steps diverge a lot (e.g. “create issue” vs “create PR” vs “full ticket → PR flow”), split into **smaller dedicated skills**. – **Prefer small + compose** — two or three focused skills keep irrelevant detail out of context until needed. A **parent** (orchestrator) skill can say *when* to follow each child workflow and link to their `SKILL.md`; avoid pasting full child content into the parent. – **When one large skill is OK** — a single end-to-end flow that always runs together and shares one tight checklist; ### MCPs, CLI tools, and other skills – **Prefer CLI and repo commands** when they solve the same problem — agents handle them well and they usually add less scaffolding noise to context than MCP tool discovery and schemas. Examples: `gh` for PRs/issues, `pnpm` scripts from `AGENTS.md`. – **MCPs are optional per user** — not everyone has the same servers enabled. If a skill **requires** a specific MCP to work as written, say so explicitly: – Put a hint in the **frontmatter description** (e.g. “Requires Linear MCP for …”) so mismatches are obvious early. – Add a short **Prerequisites** (or **Requirements**) block near the top: which integration, what it is used for, and a **fallback** (e.g. web UI, `gh`, or “ask the user to paste …”) when it is missing. – **Referencing other skills** — use the namespaced invocation name (e.g. `n8n:create-issue`) so the agent resolves the plugin skill. For human-readable links, give the path from the repo root (e.g. `.claude/plugins/n8n/skills/create-issue/SKILL.md`). From a sibling folder, a relative link works too: `[create-issue](../create-issue/SKILL.md)`. Parent skills should delegate steps instead of duplicating long procedures. ## Patterns (pick what fits) – **Template** — give the exact output shape (markdown/code blocks). – **Checklist** — numbered or `- [ ]` steps for multi-step work. – **Branching** — “If A → …; if B → …” at the top of a workflow. – **Scripts** — document run commands; say whether to **execute** or **read** the script. ## Workflow: create → verify 1. **Name + description** — hyphenated name; description with triggers. 2. **Outline** — minimal sections; link optional files. 3. **Implement** — `SKILL.md` first; add `reference.md` / `scripts/` only if they save tokens or reduce errors. 4. **Check** — third-person description; terminology consistent; no duplicate encyclopedic content the model already knows. ## Anti-patterns – Verbose tutorials (“what is a PDF”) inside the skill. – Many equivalent options with no default. – Vague names (`helper`, `utils`). – Deep chains of linked files. – Assuming an MCP or tool is present without stating it or offering a fallback. – One oversized skill that mixes unrelated workflows instead of smaller skills + a thin parent. ## Quick example stub “`markdown — name: my-workflow description: Does X using project convention Y. Use when the user asks for X or mentions Z. — # My workflow 1. … 2. … ## Output format Use a fenced code block for the exact shape reviewers should see. ## More detail See [reference.md](reference.md) if edge cases matter. “`