Claude Code Mastery
borghei/Claude-Skills
A skill your agent uses when the user asks to "optimize CLAUDE.md", "create a new skill", "write a custom agent", "configure hooks", "manage context window", "set up MCP servers", "scaffold a skill…
Writing and improving agent skills: description as routing signal, progressive disclosure, token budgets, testing before shipping, and improving from repeated mistakes.
Install Skill Authoring
$ npx skills add damianvtran/local-operator --skill skill-authoring -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install damianvtran/local-operator skill-authoring --agent claude-codeProject scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/damianvtran/local-operator.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/local_operator/skills/builtin/skill-authoring .claude/skills/skill-authoring && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.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/
Install the "skill-authoring" agent skill from https://github.com/damianvtran/local-operator/tree/main/local_operator/skills/builtin/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 install https://github.com/damianvtran/local-operator/tree/main/local_operator/skills/builtin/skill-authoringType 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.
$ npx skills add damianvtran/local-operator --skill skill-authoring -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install damianvtran/local-operator skill-authoring --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/damianvtran/local-operator.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/local_operator/skills/builtin/skill-authoring .agents/skills/skill-authoring && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "skill-authoring" agent skill from https://github.com/damianvtran/local-operator/tree/main/local_operator/skills/builtin/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.
$ npx skills add damianvtran/local-operator --skill skill-authoring -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install damianvtran/local-operator skill-authoring --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/damianvtran/local-operator.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/local_operator/skills/builtin/skill-authoring .cursor/skills/skill-authoring && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.
Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/
Install the "skill-authoring" agent skill from https://github.com/damianvtran/local-operator/tree/main/local_operator/skills/builtin/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 https://github.com/damianvtran/local-operator.git --path local_operator/skills/builtin/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.
$ npx skills add damianvtran/local-operator --skill skill-authoring -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install damianvtran/local-operator skill-authoring --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/damianvtran/local-operator.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/local_operator/skills/builtin/skill-authoring .gemini/skills/skill-authoring && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.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/
Install the "skill-authoring" agent skill from https://github.com/damianvtran/local-operator/tree/main/local_operator/skills/builtin/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.
$ gh skill install damianvtran/local-operator skill-authoringInstalls 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).
$ npx skills add damianvtran/local-operator --skill skill-authoring -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/damianvtran/local-operator.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/local_operator/skills/builtin/skill-authoring .github/skills/skill-authoring && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.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/
Install the "skill-authoring" agent skill from https://github.com/damianvtran/local-operator/tree/main/local_operator/skills/builtin/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.
$ npx skills add damianvtran/local-operator --skill skill-authoring -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install damianvtran/local-operator skill-authoring --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/damianvtran/local-operator.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/local_operator/skills/builtin/skill-authoring .opencode/skills/skill-authoring && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.
OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "skill-authoring" agent skill from https://github.com/damianvtran/local-operator/tree/main/local_operator/skills/builtin/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
- 217
- Token cost
- ~748 tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 406 words
- Files
- 2 (incl. references)
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- MIT
At a glance
Writing and improving agent skills: description as routing signal, progressive disclosure, token budgets, testing before shipping, and improving from repeated mistakes.
- Reviewing a skill
- SKILL.md covers Structure, The description is the routing…, Body rules and Test before shipping, plus 2 more sections
- Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md
- Tasks that involve Skill authoring
What it does
Skill Authoring is an agent skill from damianvtran/local-operator. Writing and improving agent skills: description as routing signal, progressive disclosure, token budgets, testing before shipping, and improving from repeated mistakes. Use when authoring, editing, or reviewing a skill.
Its SKILL.md is about 750 tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 2 other files, including reference files (for example `references/template.md`).
It sits in Agent Workflows, covering Skill authoring and LLM cost and token optimization. The repository describes itself as: An open-source AI agent hub for your own machine: build organizations of collaborating agents that message each other, run in the background around the clock, and share your… The licence is MIT.
When your agent uses it
- Reviewing a skill
- Tasks that involve Skill authoring
- Tasks that involve LLM cost and token optimization
Example prompts
- “/skill-authoring”
What it can do on your machine
Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 05e4c97. 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
No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md.
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
No URLs in SKILL.md.
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.
Context cost
Skill Authoring loads about 748 tokens when it runs, and up to ~1.1k if it reads all its reference files. Until then it costs about 59 tokens; SKILL.md has 406 words of instructions outside code blocks.
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 damianvtran/local-operator at commit 05e4c97, republished under its MIT licence (© damianvtran). 406 words, ~748 tokens.
Download SKILL.mdSave it as
.claude/skills/skill-authoring/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 1 other file; get the full folder from GitHub.- name
- skill-authoring
- description
- Writing and improving agent skills: description as routing signal, progressive disclosure, token budgets, testing before shipping, and improving from repeated mistakes. Use when authoring, editing, or reviewing a skill.
Skill authoring
A skill is instructions that route: the description selects it, the body runs it. Write for both, and test before shipping.
Structure
SKILL.mdfrontmatter:name(kebab-case, equal to the directory name) anddescription. Flags and loading rules:guide://extensions.- Body: the procedure, imperative, in the fewest lines that stay complete. Lead with the steps; put the why in one clause where a step would look arbitrary without it.
- References (
references/*.md, at most 3): deeper material only some tasks need. The body must stand alone without them. Template:references/template.md. - Budgets: description 220 characters or less; body 120 lines and about 6 KB or less. Every session lists the description, so cut hard.
The description is the routing signal
- It is the only text seen before a skill is read. It must contain the task vocabulary a user would actually type.
- Third person, one or two sentences: what the skill does, then "Use when ..." for the trigger.
- Test it: write three prompts that should select the skill and two that should not. If the description cannot separate them, rewrite it.
Body rules
- Imperative voice; checklists and tables over prose.
- Add a red-flags section wherever the failure mode is an agent rationalising a shortcut; those are the costly failures.
- State constraints where they matter ("never install a browser engine", budgets, portability rules).
- Do not restate what the model already knows, and do not duplicate agent role instructions; skills are shared knowledge, roles are assignments.
Show full SKILL.md (164 more words)Show less
Test before shipping
- Dry-run: hand the skill and a realistic task to a fresh agent context; watch whether the procedure is followable as written. Ambiguity shows up as invented steps.
- Pilot prompts: selection fires on the should-list and stays quiet on the should-not-list.
- Budget check: measure description characters, body lines, and bytes mechanically after every edit.
Improvement loop
Fix a repeated mistake at the HIGHEST enforceable level: lint, then test, then prose. A rule in tooling cannot be forgotten; a rule in prose can.
| Level | Example | Use when |
|---|---|---|
| Tooling or lint | A checker that fails on the pattern | The rule is mechanical |
| Test | A test encoding the expected behaviour | The rule is behavioural |
| Skill prose | A red-flag line in the skill | The rule needs judgement |
Keep a rule-to-enforcement table in the skill when several rules exist; anything enforced below its level is a known gap, not a fix.
Where skills live
- Roots, discovery order, and precedence:
guide://skills. - Format mechanics:
guide://extensions. Template to copy:references/template.md.
© damianvtran, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file
Files
SKILL.md and 1 other file (references) in local_operator/skills/builtin/skill-authoring of damianvtran/local-operator.
- SKILL.md
- references/template.md
Open the folder on GitHubat commit 05e4c97
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 | Stars | Used in | Tokens | Auto-check | Licence | Repo updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skill Authoring this skilldamianvtran/local-operator | 217 | — | ~748 | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Claude Code Masteryborghei/Claude-Skills | 891 | — | ~1.9k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Skill CreatorAzure/azqr | 796 | 89 repos | ~8.2k | Automated safety check: Pass | Apache-2.0 | |
| Claude Code Skill Developer Guidediet103/claude-code-infrastructure-showcase | 10k | 11 repos | ~3.5k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Darwin Skill Optimizeralchaincyf/darwin-skill | 6.2k | 1 repos | ~4.7k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Claude Code Command Developmentanthropics/claude-plugins-official | 38k | 10 repos | ~4.8k | Automated safety check: Pass | Apache-2.0 |
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A guide to creating and managing Claude Code skills with auto-activation: skill-rules.json triggers, hooks, enforcement levels, YAML frontmatter and progressive disclosure.
Darwin Skill Optimizer
alchaincyf/darwin-skill
Scores SKILL.md files on a nine-dimension rubric, then improves them in a keep-or-revert loop with independent judge agents, test prompts, git history and human checkpoints.
- Official
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anthropics/claude-plugins-official
Explains how to write Claude Code slash commands: Markdown files with YAML frontmatter, arguments, file references, bash context and interactive prompts.
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Related
Categories
Questions about Skill Authoring
What does Skill Authoring do?
Writing and improving agent skills: description as routing signal, progressive disclosure, token budgets, testing before shipping, and improving from repeated mistakes. Skill Authoring is an agent skill from damianvtran/local-operator. Writing and improving agent skills: description as routing signal, progressive disclosure, token budgets, testing before shipping, and improving from repeated mistakes.
When should I use Skill Authoring?
Skill Authoring fits situations like: reviewing a skill; tasks that involve Skill authoring; tasks that involve LLM cost and token optimization.
How do I install Skill Authoring in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add damianvtran/local-operator --skill skill-authoring -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (local_operator/skills/builtin/skill-authoring in damianvtran/local-operator) 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 damianvtran/local-operator --skill skill-authoring -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (local_operator/skills/builtin/skill-authoring in damianvtran/local-operator) 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 damianvtran/local-operator --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?
SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Skill Authoring is instructions for the agent only.
Does Skill Authoring access the network?
SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. 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 (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.
How many tokens does Skill Authoring use?
About 748 tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 3k 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 332 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: Claude Code Mastery (borghei/Claude-Skills, 891 stars), Skill Creator (Azure/azqr, 796 stars), Claude Code Skill Developer Guide (diet103/claude-code-infrastructure-showcase, 10k stars) and Darwin Skill Optimizer (alchaincyf/darwin-skill, 6.2k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
Who maintains Skill Authoring?
damianvtran (a GitHub user) maintains it in damianvtran/local-operator, which has 217 GitHub stars. The repository was last updated on October 11, 2026.
Source: damianvtran/local-operator on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.