Apply when context is filling up: large outputs, long files, repeated reads, fan-out planning. Route bulk to subagents; keep summaries in the main thread, not raw payloads.
SkillScore52Maintained
On-demandOn-demand: invoked explicitly — never occupies your agent's context until called.
◆AI Engineer pack
Last verified 10/8/2026
What it changes
Passed 12 of 23 test cases with the skill, and 11 of 23 without it.
Without skill48%
With skill52%
Checks it passed that the model alone missed
Sets explicit turn limits per web scraping phase.
Splits the migration task into capped phased batches.
Limits file reads strictly to payment service dependency files.
3 fixed9 passed either way9 still failing2 broke
Pass-rate lift
+4 pp
Tokens
-29%
Agent turns
0%
Response time
-38%
Model gemini-3.6-flashMeasured 10/8/2026v112 of 23 cases passed with skill
Tokens, turns and time describe resource use, not a dollar price.
See it in action
One of 3 test cases the skill fixed. Same model, same prompt, with and without the skill.
1 of 3
Prompt
A developer asks an AI coding assistant to upgrade a single dependency in services/payment/package.json. The assistant's default routine is to perform a full codebase sweep reading every file in services/ and libs/. How should this workflow be modified?
What was checked, without and with the skill
Checked
Without skill
With skill
Limits file reads strictly to payment service dependency files.
Missed
Passed
case-08 · gemini-3.6-flash · 10/8/2026 · answers are capped and redacted
What's inside
The instructions your model reads when the skill loads.
SKILL.md11 linessingle file
Guard the Context Window
The context window is finite and non-renewable within a session. Every token should be worth its cost.
Isolate large payloads. Route verbose outputs, screenshots, and large documents to subagents. The main context gets summaries, not raw data.
Don't read what you won't use. Read selectively based on relevance. If a file isn't needed for the current task, skip it.
Keep frequently used content inline. Templates and references used on every invocation belong in the skill file, not in separate files that cost a read each time.
Size phases and cap scope. Limit files per phase, set turn budgets, account for mechanism costs.