Loading skill
Install any skill in seconds. Free to start, no credit card required.
Get Started Free →microck/create-skill
Guide for creating effective skills. This skill should be used when users want to create a new skill (or update an existing skill) that extends your capabilities with specialized knowledge, workflows, or tool integrations.
Passed 14 of 20 test cases with the skill, and 9 of 20 without it.
and 4 more in the full report
6 fixed9 passed either way6 still failing1 broke
Tokens, turns and time describe resource use, not a dollar price.
One of 6 test cases the skill fixed. Same model, same prompt, with and without the skill.
Create a SKILL.md frontmatter header for a skill named run-database-migrations. Include metadata fields for name, description, author, version, and dependencies so we can track metadata cleanly.
| Checked | Without skill | With skill |
|---|---|---|
| Includes only name and description in the YAML frontmatter. | Missed | Passed |
The instructions your model reads when the skill loads.
This skill provides guidance for creating effective skills.
Skills are modular, self-contained packages that extend your capabilities by providing specialized knowledge, workflows, and tools. Think of them as "onboarding guides" for specific domains or tasks—they transform you from a general-purpose agent into a specialized agent equipped with procedural knowledge that no model can fully possess.
The context window is a public good. Skills share the context window with everything else you need: system prompt, conversation history, other Skills' metadata, and the actual user request.
Default assumption: You already have significant capabilities. Only add context you don't already have. Challenge each piece of information: "Do you really need this explanation?" and "Does this paragraph justify its token cost?"
Prefer concise examples over verbose explanations.
Match the level of specificity to the task's fragility and variability:
High freedom (text-based instructions): Use when multiple approaches are valid, decisions depend on context, or heuristics guide the approach.
Medium freedom (pseudocode or scripts with parameters): Use when a preferred pattern exists, some variation is acceptable, or configuration affects behavior.
Low freedom (specific scripts, few parameters): Use when operations are fragile and error-prone, consistency is critical, or a specific sequence must be followed.
Think of yourself as exploring a path: a narrow bridge with cliffs needs specific guardrails (low freedom), while an open field allows many routes (high freedom).
test cases passed, vs 9 / 20 without
Published skills whose descriptions closely match this one, with their headline benchmark lift.
More skills from the same source and nearby in the registry, with their headline benchmark lift.