Official agent skill

Skill Authoring

Write Agent Skills that comply with the agentskills.io specification.

OfficialMITAuto-check passedAgent Workflows

Install Skill Authoring

skills CLI

$ npx skills add Azure/azure-sdk-tools --skill skill-authoring -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install Azure/azure-sdk-tools skill-authoring --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/Azure/azure-sdk-tools.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/.github/skills/skill-authoring .claude/skills/skill-authoring && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Paste into Claude Code

Install the "skill-authoring" agent skill from https://github.com/Azure/azure-sdk-tools/tree/main/.github/skills/skill-authoring into .claude/skills/skill-authoring/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "skill-authoring", then confirm the skill loads.

Claude Code copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

$skill-installer

$skill-installer install https://github.com/Azure/azure-sdk-tools/tree/main/.github/skills/skill-authoring

Type this inside Codex. $skill-installer <name> installs a curated skill from openai/skills. The installer writes to $CODEX_HOME/skills (default ~/.codex/skills). Restart Codex if the skill does not show up.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add Azure/azure-sdk-tools --skill skill-authoring -a codex

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install Azure/azure-sdk-tools skill-authoring --agent codex

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/Azure/azure-sdk-tools.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/.github/skills/skill-authoring .agents/skills/skill-authoring && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.

Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/

Paste into Codex

Install the "skill-authoring" agent skill from https://github.com/Azure/azure-sdk-tools/tree/main/.github/skills/skill-authoring into .agents/skills/skill-authoring/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "skill-authoring", then confirm the skill loads.

Codex copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add Azure/azure-sdk-tools --skill skill-authoring -a cursor

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install Azure/azure-sdk-tools skill-authoring --agent cursor

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/Azure/azure-sdk-tools.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/.github/skills/skill-authoring .cursor/skills/skill-authoring && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.

Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/

Paste into Cursor

Install the "skill-authoring" agent skill from https://github.com/Azure/azure-sdk-tools/tree/main/.github/skills/skill-authoring into .cursor/skills/skill-authoring/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "skill-authoring", then confirm the skill loads.

Cursor copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

gemini skills install

$ gemini skills install https://github.com/Azure/azure-sdk-tools.git --path .github/skills/skill-authoring

--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add Azure/azure-sdk-tools --skill skill-authoring -a gemini-cli

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install Azure/azure-sdk-tools skill-authoring --agent gemini-cli

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/Azure/azure-sdk-tools.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/.github/skills/skill-authoring .gemini/skills/skill-authoring && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.gemini/skills/ instead of .gemini/skills for a personal install, then run /skills reload.

Gemini CLI skills documentation · loads skills from .gemini/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into Gemini CLI

Install the "skill-authoring" agent skill from https://github.com/Azure/azure-sdk-tools/tree/main/.github/skills/skill-authoring into .gemini/skills/skill-authoring/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "skill-authoring", then confirm the skill loads.

Gemini CLI copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install Azure/azure-sdk-tools skill-authoring

Installs for Copilot at project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Preview a skill first with gh skill preview. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

skills CLI

$ npx skills add Azure/azure-sdk-tools --skill skill-authoring -a github-copilot

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/Azure/azure-sdk-tools.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/.github/skills/skill-authoring .github/skills/skill-authoring && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.copilot/skills/ instead of .github/skills for a personal install. Commit .github/skills so cloud agent and code review can use it.

GitHub Copilot skills documentation · loads skills from .github/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into GitHub Copilot

Install the "skill-authoring" agent skill from https://github.com/Azure/azure-sdk-tools/tree/main/.github/skills/skill-authoring into .github/skills/skill-authoring/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "skill-authoring", then confirm the skill loads.

GitHub Copilot copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add Azure/azure-sdk-tools --skill skill-authoring -a opencode

OpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install Azure/azure-sdk-tools skill-authoring --agent opencode

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/Azure/azure-sdk-tools.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/.github/skills/skill-authoring .opencode/skills/skill-authoring && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.

OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into OpenCode

Install the "skill-authoring" agent skill from https://github.com/Azure/azure-sdk-tools/tree/main/.github/skills/skill-authoring into .opencode/skills/skill-authoring/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "skill-authoring", then confirm the skill loads.

OpenCode copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

Facts

Skill name: skill-authoring
GitHub stars: 134
Token cost: ~687 tokens
SKILL.md length: 268 words
Files: 6 (incl. references)
Skills in repo: 35
Repo updated: Oct 8, 2026
First seen: Oct 7, 2026
Licence: MIT

At a glance

Write Agent Skills that comply with the agentskills.io specification.

Works in 3 steps: Create skill directory with SKILL.md → Add frontmatter: name, description,… → Run vally lint {skill-name} to validate
: general documentation
SKILL.md covers Triggers, Rules, Structure and Formatting, plus 6 more sections
Calls npm

What it does

Skill Authoring is an agent skill from Azure/azure-sdk-tools, published by the product's own GitHub organization. Write Agent Skills that comply with the agentskills.io specification. WHEN: "create a skill", "new skill", "write a skill", "skill template", "skill structure", "review skill", "skill PR", "skill compliance", "SKILL.md format", "skill frontmatter", "skill best practices". DO NOT USE FOR: general documentation. INVOKES: vally CLI.

Its SKILL.md is about 690 tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 7 other files, including reference files (for example `evals/eval.yaml`, `evals/trigger.eval.yaml` and `references/guidelines.md`). Compatibility notes: copilot-chat

It sits in Agent Workflows, covering Skill authoring. The repository describes itself as: Tools repository leveraged by the Azure SDK team. The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

: general documentation
Tasks that involve Skill authoring

Example prompts

“create a skill”
“new skill”
“write a skill”
“/skill-authoring”

Requirements

Compatibility (from SKILL.md): copilot-chat

Workflow steps

3 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.

Create skill directory with SKILL.md
Add frontmatter: name, description, license
Run vally lint {skill-name} to validate

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 6e4fb2b. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

Tool permissions
Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.
From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.
Runs code
Shell commands in SKILL.md call:
- npm
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
No URLs in SKILL.md. Its commands use npm, which can reach the network depending on how they are called.
From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.
Credentials
Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.
From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.
Compatibility
copilot-chat
From compatibility in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

Context cost

Skill Authoring loads about 687 tokens when it runs, and up to ~4.1k if it reads all its reference files. Until then it costs about 87 tokens; SKILL.md has 268 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it: ~87
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches: ~687
With references · SKILL.md plus every file in references/, read only if the agent opens them: ~4.1k

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from Azure/azure-sdk-tools at commit 6e4fb2b, republished under its MIT licence (© Azure). 268 words, ~687 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/skill-authoring/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 5 other files; get the full folder from GitHub.

name: skill-authoring
description: Write Agent Skills that comply with the agentskills.io specification. WHEN: "create a skill", "new skill", "write a skill", "skill template", "skill structure", "review skill", "skill PR", "skill compliance", "SKILL.md format", "skill frontmatter", "skill best practices". DO NOT USE FOR: general documentation. INVOKES: vally CLI.
compatibility: copilot-chat
license: MIT
metadata.author: Microsoft
metadata.version: 1.0.0

Skill Authoring Guide

This skill helps write Agent Skills that comply with the agentskills.io specification by defining valid frontmatter, structure, and routing patterns, while guiding authors toward compliant SKILL.md files, supporting references, and local validation with the vally CLI.

Triggers

USE FOR: write Agent Skills that comply with the agentskills.io specification; skill template; skill structure; review skill; skill PR; skill compliance; SKILL.md format; skill frontmatter; skill best practices WHEN: "create a skill", "new skill", "write a skill", "skill template", "skill structure", "review skill", "skill PR", "skill compliance", "SKILL.md format", "skill frontmatter", "skill best practices" DO NOT USE FOR: general documentation

Rules

name: 1-64 chars, lowercase + hyphens, match directory
description: inline double-quoted, ≤60 words, ≤1024 chars
Use WHEN: with quoted trigger phrases (preferred over USE FOR:)
SKILL.md: <500 tokens (soft), <5000 (hard)
references/*.md: <1000 tokens each

Structure

SKILL.md (required) — Frontmatter + instructions
references/ (optional) — Detailed docs, loaded on demand
scripts/ (optional) — Executable code

Formatting

run npm ci in .github/skills to install dependencies
run npm run format to auto-format markdown and yaml files using Prettier

Progressive Disclosure

Metadata loads at startup. SKILL.md on activation. References load when linked via markdown link.

MCP Tools

Tool	Purpose
None	CLI-only; uses local file tools

CLI fallback: Primary mode is CLI-based. No MCP servers required.

Steps

Create skill directory with SKILL.md
Add frontmatter: name, description, license
Run vally lint {skill-name} to validate

Examples

"Create a new skill for code review"
"Review my skill for compliance"

Troubleshooting

If vally lint reports broken links, verify reference file paths match exactly.

References

Guidelines — Writing and structure
Validation — Checks and procedures
Reference Guide — Budgets, loading, checklist

Files

SKILL.md and 5 other files (references) in .github/skills/skill-authoring of Azure/azure-sdk-tools.

SKILL.md
evals/eval.yaml
evals/trigger.eval.yaml
references/guidelines.md
references/reference-guide.md
references/validation.md

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 6e4fb2b

Compare with similar skills

Skill Authoring next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

Skill Authoring compared with similar skills
Skill	Stars	Used in	Tokens	Auto-check	Licence	Repo updated
Skill Authoring this skillAzure/azure-sdk-tools	134	—	~687	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	today
Skill CreatorAzure/azqr	795	89 repos	~8.2k	Automated safety check: Pass	Apache-2.0	2 days ago
Claude Code Skill Developer Guidediet103/claude-code-infrastructure-showcase	10k	11 repos	~3.5k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	2 mo ago
Darwin Skill Optimizeralchaincyf/darwin-skill	6.2k	1 repos	~4.7k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	19 days ago
Claude Code Command Developmentanthropics/claude-plugins-official	38k	10 repos	~4.8k	Automated safety check: Pass	Apache-2.0	today
Claude Code Plugin Structureanthropics/claude-plugins-official	38k	10 repos	~3.4k	Automated safety check: Pass	Apache-2.0	today

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Questions about Skill Authoring

What does Skill Authoring do?

Write Agent Skills that comply with the agentskills.io specification. Skill Authoring is an agent skill from Azure/azure-sdk-tools, published by the product's own GitHub organization.io specification.

When should I use Skill Authoring?

Skill Authoring fits situations like: : general documentation; tasks that involve Skill authoring.

How do I install Skill Authoring in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add Azure/azure-sdk-tools --skill skill-authoring -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (.github/skills/skill-authoring in Azure/azure-sdk-tools) into .claude/skills/skill-authoring in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Skill Authoring in Codex?

Run `npx skills add Azure/azure-sdk-tools --skill skill-authoring -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (.github/skills/skill-authoring in Azure/azure-sdk-tools) into .agents/skills/skill-authoring in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Skill Authoring in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add Azure/azure-sdk-tools --skill skill-authoring -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/skill-authoring, .gemini/skills/skill-authoring, .github/skills/skill-authoring and .opencode/skills/skill-authoring in your project.

What does Skill Authoring need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Skill Authoring needs the command-line tools its instructions call (npm). Compatibility (from SKILL.md): copilot-chat.

Does Skill Authoring access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Its commands use npm, which can reach the network depending on how they are called. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Skill Authoring safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does Skill Authoring use?

Skill Authoring is published under the MIT licence (declared in SKILL.md). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Skill Authoring use?

About 687 tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 2.7k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full. Its references folder adds about 3.4k tokens, read only when the agent opens those files.

What are the alternatives to Skill Authoring?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Skill Authoring: Skill Creator (Azure/azqr, 795 stars), Claude Code Skill Developer Guide (diet103/claude-code-infrastructure-showcase, 10k stars), Darwin Skill Optimizer (alchaincyf/darwin-skill, 6.2k stars) and Claude Code Command Development (anthropics/claude-plugins-official, 38k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Skill Authoring?

Azure (a GitHub organization, an official publisher) maintains it in Azure/azure-sdk-tools, which has 134 GitHub stars. The repository holds 35 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 8, 2026.

Source: Azure/azure-sdk-tools on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.

Install Skill Authoring

Facts

At a glance

What it does

When your agent uses it

Example prompts

Requirements

Workflow steps

What it can do on your machine

Tool permissions

Runs code

Network

Credentials

Compatibility

Context cost

Safety

SKILL.md

Skill Authoring Guide

Triggers

Rules

Structure

Formatting

Progressive Disclosure

MCP Tools

Steps

Examples

Troubleshooting

References

Files

Compare with similar skills

Similar skills

More from Azure/azure-sdk-tools

Related

Questions about Skill Authoring