Passed 19 of 22 test cases with the skill, and 14 of 22 without it.
Without skill64%
With skill86%
Checks it passed that the model alone missed
warns against dropping spend below minimum viable thresholds
allocates between 10% and 15% of total budget to experimentation
identifies analytics-analyst as the agent handling performance modeling
and 4 more in the full report
6 fixed13 passed either way2 still failing1 broke
Pass-rate lift
+23 pp
Tokens
+39%
Agent turns
0%
Response time
0%
Model gemini-3.6-flashMeasured 8/17/2026v1 · latest is v219 of 22 cases passed with skill
Tokens, turns and time describe resource use, not a dollar price.
This benchmark measured an earlier version of the skill.
See it in action
One of 6 test cases the skill fixed. Same model, same prompt, with and without the skill.
1 of 6
Prompt
Where in the local file system does the optimization workflow check to identify the currently active brand slug before reading brand profiles?
What was checked, without and with the skill
Checked
Without skill
With skill
checks `~/.claude-marketing/brands/_active-brand.json` for active brand slug
Missed
Passed
case-20 · gemini-3.6-flash · 8/17/2026 · answers are capped and redacted
What's inside
The instructions your model reads when the skill loads.
SKILL.md56 linessingle file
/digital-marketing-pro:budget-optimizer
Script location. If your host does not set ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}, the scripts are in this plugin's scripts/ folder, next to skills/. Run them with Python 3.10 or newer: python, or python3 where python is not found (macOS, many Linux systems).
Purpose
Data-driven marketing budget optimization across channels using performance data and industry benchmarks. Analyzes current spend efficiency, models diminishing returns per channel, and produces an optimized allocation with projected ROI improvement and a phased reallocation timeline.
Input Required
The user must provide (or will be prompted for):
Current budget by channel: How spend is distributed today (e.g., paid search, paid social, SEO, email, content, display, affiliate, events, etc.)
Performance data by channel: Key metrics per channel — spend, revenue or conversions, CPA, ROAS, and conversion volume over the measurement period
Total budget available: Overall marketing budget for the optimization period (monthly, quarterly, or annual)
Business goals: Primary objective — maximize revenue, minimize CPA, hit a specific lead or revenue target, balance growth with efficiency
Constraints: Minimum spend requirements, channel mandates from leadership, seasonal considerations, contractual commitments, or platform minimums
Measurement period: Timeframe the performance data covers (last 30, 60, 90 days, or custom range)
Attribution model: How conversions are currently attributed (last-click, first-click, linear, data-driven, or unknown)
Seasonality factors: Upcoming seasonal peaks, promotional periods, or industry events that affect channel performance
Historical context: Whether performance data reflects a typical period or was influenced by one-time events (product launch, viral moment, outage)
Process
Load brand context: Read ~/.claude-marketing/brands/_active-brand.json for the active slug, then load ~/.claude-marketing/brands/{slug}/profile.json. Apply brand voice, compliance rules for target markets (skills/context-engine/compliance-rules.md), and industry context. Also check for guidelines at ~/.claude-marketing/brands/{slug}/guidelines/_manifest.json — if present, load restrictions and relevant category files. Check for custom templates at ~/.claude-marketing/brands/{slug}/templates/. Check for agency SOPs at ~/.claude-marketing/sops/. If no brand exists, ask: "Set up a brand first (/digital-marketing-pro:brand-setup)?" — or proceed with defaults.
Run budget-optimizer.py script: Execute python "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/budget-optimizer.py" --channels '[{"name":"google_ads","spend":10000,"roas":4.2}]' --total-budget {amount} (--total-budget is required; pass channel data via --channels JSON or --file) to compute baseline efficiency metrics and generate optimization scenarios
Calculate efficiency metrics per channel: Compute ROAS, CPA, cost per lead, revenue per dollar, contribution margin, and marginal cost of acquisition for each channel
Rank channels by marginal efficiency: Order channels by incremental return per additional dollar spent, accounting for current saturation levels and historical performance trends
Apply diminishing returns model: Model how each channel's efficiency degrades as spend increases — identify the inflection point and saturation ceiling for each channel
Generate optimized allocation: Redistribute budget to maximize the stated objective while respecting all constraints and minimum viable spend thresholds
Compare current vs optimized: Build a side-by-side comparison showing spend shifts, projected metric changes, and net improvement across all KPIs
Project ROI improvement: Estimate total revenue, conversion volume, ROAS, and CPA gains from the reallocation with confidence intervals
Account for minimum viable spend thresholds: Ensure no channel drops below the minimum spend needed to generate meaningful data, maintain auction competitiveness, or fulfill contractual obligations
Include testing budget: Reserve 10-15% of total budget for experimentation — new channels, creative testing, audience expansion, or emerging platforms
Flag attribution caveats: Note where attribution model limitations may skew efficiency calculations and recommend adjustments
Create reallocation timeline: Phase budget shifts over 4-8 weeks to avoid performance disruption — gradual ramp-up and ramp-down with weekly checkpoints and rollback triggers