Create a New Skill from Topic
Generate a production-ready SKILL.md + tiny examples, evals, and an index entry aligned to Anthropic Skills.
Best use case
Create a New Skill from Topic is best used when you need a repeatable AI agent workflow instead of a one-off prompt.
Generate a production-ready SKILL.md + tiny examples, evals, and an index entry aligned to Anthropic Skills.
Teams using Create a New Skill from Topic should expect a more consistent output, faster repeated execution, less prompt rewriting.
When to use this skill
- You want a reusable workflow that can be run more than once with consistent structure.
When not to use this skill
- You only need a quick one-off answer and do not need a reusable workflow.
- You cannot install or maintain the underlying files, dependencies, or repository context.
Installation
Claude Code / Cursor / Codex
Manual Installation
- Download SKILL.md from GitHub
- Place it in
.claude/skills/core-skill-authoring/SKILL.mdinside your project - Restart your AI agent — it will auto-discover the skill
How Create a New Skill from Topic Compares
| Feature / Agent | Create a New Skill from Topic | Standard Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Platform Support | Not specified | Limited / Varies |
| Context Awareness | High | Baseline |
| Installation Complexity | Unknown | N/A |
Frequently Asked Questions
What does this skill do?
Generate a production-ready SKILL.md + tiny examples, evals, and an index entry aligned to Anthropic Skills.
Where can I find the source code?
You can find the source code on GitHub using the link provided at the top of the page.
SKILL.md Source
## Purpose & When-To-Use
Use when a developer specifies a new Skill topic and needs a compliant, token-efficient `SKILL.md` with a tiny example, tests, and an index entry.
## Pre-Checks
- **Authoritative time**: Set `NOW_ET` to ISO 8601 in `America/New_York` using NIST/time.gov semantics. Include `NOW_ET` in citations’ access dates.
- **Scope**: Extract intended users, inputs/outputs, success criteria, and token budgets.
- **Sources**: Identify primary standards/docs. Prefer authoritative sources; record title, URL, and access date (`NOW_ET`).
- **Footprint**: Default to Tier 1 unless ambiguity or regulation requires expansion.
## Procedure
### Tier 1 — Draft Minimal Skill (T1≤2000 tokens)
1. Write **METADATA**: concise `name`, `slug`, ≤160-char `description`, `capabilities`, `inputs`, `outputs`, `keywords`, `version`, `owner`, `license`, `security`, `links`.
2. Author compact sections: `Purpose & When-To-Use`, `Pre-Checks`, `Procedure (Tiered)`, `Decision Rules`, `Output Contract`, `Quality Gates`, `Resources`.
3. Add **one** short runnable example (≤30 lines) or precise pseudo-code.
4. Produce `index_entry` JSON for `index/skills-index.json`.
### Tier 2 — Source-Backed Enrichment (T2≤6000 tokens)
1. Gather 2–4 primary sources; add citations with titles, URLs, and `NOW_ET` access dates.
2. Add explicit **Decision Rules** (ambiguity thresholds, abort conditions).
3. Link small `resources/` artifacts (schemas/templates) without pasting large texts.
### Tier 3 — Deep Validation (T3≤12000 tokens)
1. Create `tests/evals_<slug>.yaml` with 3–5 scenarios (happy path, missing input, edge case).
2. Add security notes (secrets handling, PII posture, auditability).
3. Emit `CHANGELOG.md` (v1.0.0) and finalize `index_entry`.
## Decision Rules
- If regulated domains (NIST/OMB/FedRAMP) are involved → require Tier 2.
- If schemas/versions are unknown → emit TODO and **stop** with `needs-input`.
- If example exceeds 30 lines → **truncate** and link to `resources/`.
## Output Contract
- Create `skills/<slug>/` containing:
- `SKILL.md` (this format)
- `examples/<slug>-example.txt` (≤30 lines)
- `resources/` (optional, linked)
- `CHANGELOG.md`
- Emit `index_entry` JSON with: `slug`, `name`, `summary` (≤160 chars), `keywords`, `owner`, `version`, `entry`.
## Examples
**Minimal example (pseudo-code, ≤30 lines):**
```text
INPUT:
topic: "OSCAL SSP validator for FedRAMP Moderate"
constraints: { "strict": true }
OUTPUT (files):
skills/compliance-oscal-validator/SKILL.md
skills/compliance-oscal-validator/examples/compliance-oscal-validator-example.txt
tests/evals_oscal-ssp-validate.yaml
index_entry (JSON fragment)
INDEX_ENTRY:
{
"slug": "compliance-oscal-validator",
"name": "OSCAL SSP Validator for FedRAMP Moderate",
"summary": "Validates OSCAL SSP against FedRAMP Moderate baseline requirements.",
"keywords": ["oscal", "ssp", "fedramp", "validation"],
"owner": "cognitive-toolworks",
"version": "1.0.0",
"entry": "skills/compliance-oscal-validator/SKILL.md"
}
```
## Quality Gates
- **Token budgets**: T1≤2k, T2≤6k, T3≤12k — enforce via `validate_skill.py`.
- **Example size**: ≤30 lines runnable/pseudo-code; longer samples → `resources/`.
- **Metadata**: `description` ≤160 chars; all required front-matter keys present.
- **Sources**: T2+ requires 2–4 authoritative links with titles/URLs and access dates (`NOW_ET`).
- **Safety**: No secrets, PII, or long pasted texts; `validate_skill.py` checks for secret patterns.
- **Determinism**: Index entries must be unique slugs; `build_index.py` enforces no duplicates.
- **Evals**: 3–5 scenarios in `tests/evals_<slug>.yaml`; must pass basic sanity checks.
## Resources
- **Anthropic Skills Overview** (accessed 2025-10-25): https://docs.claude.com/en/docs/agents-and-tools/agent-skills/overview
- **Anthropic Skills Best Practices** (accessed 2025-10-25): https://docs.claude.com/en/docs/agents-and-tools/agent-skills/best-practices
- **Claude Code Skills Documentation** (accessed 2025-10-25): https://docs.claude.com/en/docs/claude-code/skills
- **NIST Time Services** (accessed 2025-10-25): https://www.nist.gov/pml/time-and-frequency-division/time-services
- **ISO 8601 Date/Time Format** (accessed 2025-10-25): https://www.iso.org/iso-8601-date-and-time-format.htmlRelated Skills
UX Wireframe Designer
Design user experience wireframes, user flows, and interactive mockups for web and mobile applications using industry-standard notation
TypeScript Tooling Specialist
Generate TypeScript/JavaScript project scaffolding with npm/pnpm/yarn, Jest/Vitest, ESLint/Prettier, and bundling (Vite/Rollup/esbuild).
Python Tooling Specialist
Generate Python project scaffolding with Poetry/pipenv, pytest configuration, type hints (mypy), linting (ruff/black), and packaging (setuptools/flit).
Java Tooling Specialist
Generate Java project scaffolding with Maven/Gradle, JUnit 5, Mockito, Checkstyle/SpotBugs, and packaging (JAR/WAR/native-image).
C# .NET Tooling Specialist
Generate C# .NET project scaffolding with dotnet CLI, xUnit/NUnit, StyleCop analyzers, and packaging (NuGet/Docker).
Unit Testing Framework Generator
Generate unit test scaffolding and test suites for Jest, PyTest, Go testing, JUnit, RSpec with mocking, assertions, and coverage configuration
Testing Strategy Composer
Compose comprehensive testing strategies spanning unit, integration, e2e, and performance tests with optimal coverage.
Load Testing Scenario Designer
Design load testing scenarios using k6, JMeter, Gatling, or Locust with ramp-up patterns, think time modeling, and performance SLI validation.
Integration Testing Designer
Design integration test scenarios with database fixtures, external service mocks, contract testing, and test environment setup for microservices and APIs.
Chaos Engineering Experiment Designer
Design chaos engineering experiments to test system resilience with controlled failure injection, hypothesis formulation, and blast radius control.
Terraform Module Best Practices
Design reusable Terraform modules with variable validation, output schemas, module composition, and testing (Terratest).
Service Level Objective Validator
Validate SLO definitions against actual metrics, generate alerting rules, and design error budget policies with burn rate calculations.