Diagram Design
cathrynlavery/diagram-design
Creates branded diagrams, from architecture, flowchart and sequence to charts and maps, as self-contained HTML with inline SVG, with import from draw.io, Mermaid and Excalidraw.
A skill your agent uses when writing, reviewing, or maintaining code comments.
Install Effective Commenting Strategies
$ npx skills add kitchen-engineer42/pdf2skills --skill effective-commenting-strategies -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install kitchen-engineer42/pdf2skills effective-commenting-strategies --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/kitchen-engineer42/pdf2skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/'skills_samples/Steve McConnell Code Complete A Practical Handbook of Software Construction_output/effective-commenting-strategies' .claude/skills/effective-commenting-strategies && 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 "effective-commenting-strategies" agent skill from https://github.com/kitchen-engineer42/pdf2skills/tree/main/skills_samples/Steve%20McConnell%20Code%20Complete%20A%20Practical%20Handbook%20of%20Software%20Construction_output/effective-commenting-strategies into .claude/skills/effective-commenting-strategies/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "effective-commenting-strategies", 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/kitchen-engineer42/pdf2skills/tree/main/skills_samples/Steve%20McConnell%20Code%20Complete%20A%20Practical%20Handbook%20of%20Software%20Construction_output/effective-commenting-strategiesType 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 kitchen-engineer42/pdf2skills --skill effective-commenting-strategies -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install kitchen-engineer42/pdf2skills effective-commenting-strategies --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/kitchen-engineer42/pdf2skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/'skills_samples/Steve McConnell Code Complete A Practical Handbook of Software Construction_output/effective-commenting-strategies' .agents/skills/effective-commenting-strategies && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "effective-commenting-strategies" agent skill from https://github.com/kitchen-engineer42/pdf2skills/tree/main/skills_samples/Steve%20McConnell%20Code%20Complete%20A%20Practical%20Handbook%20of%20Software%20Construction_output/effective-commenting-strategies into .agents/skills/effective-commenting-strategies/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "effective-commenting-strategies", 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 kitchen-engineer42/pdf2skills --skill effective-commenting-strategies -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install kitchen-engineer42/pdf2skills effective-commenting-strategies --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/kitchen-engineer42/pdf2skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/'skills_samples/Steve McConnell Code Complete A Practical Handbook of Software Construction_output/effective-commenting-strategies' .cursor/skills/effective-commenting-strategies && 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 "effective-commenting-strategies" agent skill from https://github.com/kitchen-engineer42/pdf2skills/tree/main/skills_samples/Steve%20McConnell%20Code%20Complete%20A%20Practical%20Handbook%20of%20Software%20Construction_output/effective-commenting-strategies into .cursor/skills/effective-commenting-strategies/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "effective-commenting-strategies", 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/kitchen-engineer42/pdf2skills.git --path 'skills_samples/Steve McConnell Code Complete A Practical Handbook of Software Construction_output/effective-commenting-strategies'--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 kitchen-engineer42/pdf2skills --skill effective-commenting-strategies -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install kitchen-engineer42/pdf2skills effective-commenting-strategies --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/kitchen-engineer42/pdf2skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/'skills_samples/Steve McConnell Code Complete A Practical Handbook of Software Construction_output/effective-commenting-strategies' .gemini/skills/effective-commenting-strategies && 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 "effective-commenting-strategies" agent skill from https://github.com/kitchen-engineer42/pdf2skills/tree/main/skills_samples/Steve%20McConnell%20Code%20Complete%20A%20Practical%20Handbook%20of%20Software%20Construction_output/effective-commenting-strategies into .gemini/skills/effective-commenting-strategies/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "effective-commenting-strategies", 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 kitchen-engineer42/pdf2skills effective-commenting-strategiesInstalls 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 kitchen-engineer42/pdf2skills --skill effective-commenting-strategies -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/kitchen-engineer42/pdf2skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/'skills_samples/Steve McConnell Code Complete A Practical Handbook of Software Construction_output/effective-commenting-strategies' .github/skills/effective-commenting-strategies && 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 "effective-commenting-strategies" agent skill from https://github.com/kitchen-engineer42/pdf2skills/tree/main/skills_samples/Steve%20McConnell%20Code%20Complete%20A%20Practical%20Handbook%20of%20Software%20Construction_output/effective-commenting-strategies into .github/skills/effective-commenting-strategies/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "effective-commenting-strategies", 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 kitchen-engineer42/pdf2skills --skill effective-commenting-strategies -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install kitchen-engineer42/pdf2skills effective-commenting-strategies --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/kitchen-engineer42/pdf2skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/'skills_samples/Steve McConnell Code Complete A Practical Handbook of Software Construction_output/effective-commenting-strategies' .opencode/skills/effective-commenting-strategies && 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 "effective-commenting-strategies" agent skill from https://github.com/kitchen-engineer42/pdf2skills/tree/main/skills_samples/Steve%20McConnell%20Code%20Complete%20A%20Practical%20Handbook%20of%20Software%20Construction_output/effective-commenting-strategies into .opencode/skills/effective-commenting-strategies/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "effective-commenting-strategies", 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
effective-commenting-strategies- GitHub stars
- 134
- Token cost
- ~1.3k tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 597 words
- Files
- 1
- Skills in repo
- 21
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- None found
At a glance
A skill your agent uses when writing, reviewing, or maintaining code comments.
- Works in 4 steps: Recognize the pattern: Effective PPP… → Understand the nature: Comment quantity… → Focus on efficiency: Don't count… → …
- Maintaining code comments
- SKILL.md covers When to Use, Core Principle: Intent Over…, Comment Types and Maintainable Comment Style, plus 2 more sections
- Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md
What it does
Effective Commenting Strategies is an agent skill from kitchen-engineer42/pdf2skills. Use this skill when writing, reviewing, or maintaining code comments. Apply these strategies to ensure comments explain intent rather than repeat code, use maintainable styles, and follow density guidelines. This skill covers comment types, style best practices, and performance considerations.
Its SKILL.md is about 1.3k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.
It sits in Development, covering Technical documentation. The repository describes itself as: Convert a book into skills directly callable to Claude Code.
When your agent uses it
- Maintaining code comments
- Tasks that involve Technical documentation
Example prompts
- “/effective-commenting-strategies”
Workflow steps
4 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.
- Recognize the pattern: Effective PPP naturally results in "a comment every few lines"
- Understand the nature: Comment quantity is a side effect of the process, not a goal
- Focus on efficiency: Don't count comments—evaluate whether each comment is effective
- Assess sufficiency: Comments are sufficient if they
What it can do on your machine
Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 0d70065. 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
Effective Commenting Strategies loads about 1.3k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 82 tokens; SKILL.md has 597 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
Without a licence we can't republish the file, so here is its outline and opening line. It has 597 words (~1,264 tokens).
“Good comments explain the "why" behind code, not the "what." Use these strategies to write comments that enhance code maintainability without creating maintenance burden.”
- name
- effective-commenting-strategies
Files
Just SKILL.md in skills_samples/Steve McConnell Code Complete A Practical Handbook of Software Construction_output/effective-commenting-strategies of kitchen-engineer42/pdf2skills.
Open the folder on GitHubat commit 0d70065
Compare with similar skills
Effective Commenting Strategies 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Effective Commenting Strategies this skillkitchen-engineer42/pdf2skills | 134 | — | ~1.3k | Automated safety check: Pass | None | |
| Diagram Designcathrynlavery/diagram-design | 47k | 1 repos | ~7.5k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Simple Englishmoeru-ai/airi | 50k | 2 repos | ~4.6k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Doc SyncJetBrains/ideavim | 10k | 2 repos | ~2.6k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Mailspring App ScreenshotsFoundry376/Mailspring | 18k | — | ~1.5k | Automated safety check: Pass | GPL-3.0 | |
| Draw.io Diagram StudioAgents365-ai/drawio-skill | 10k | — | ~2.4k | Automated safety check: Notes | MIT |
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More from kitchen-engineer42/pdf2skills
All 21 skills in this repoCode Commenting Strategy
kitchen-engineer42/pdf2skills
Apply strategic approaches to code commenting including when to comment, optimal comment density, performance considerations, and integration with development workflow.
Software Engineering Standards
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Reference and apply IEEE, ISO/IEC, and other software engineering standards for development, quality assurance, and project management.
Software Engineering Standards Reference
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A skill your agent uses when you need to reference, cite, or apply software engineering standards.
Complex Conditional Refactoring
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Refactor complex case statements and deeply nested code using appropriate strategies.
Pseudocode Programming Process
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A skill your agent uses when implementing complex logic, developing functions, or designing algorithms.
Class Organization And Layout
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Related
Categories
Questions about Effective Commenting Strategies
What does Effective Commenting Strategies do?
A skill your agent uses when writing, reviewing, or maintaining code comments. Effective Commenting Strategies is an agent skill from kitchen-engineer42/pdf2skills. Use this skill when writing, reviewing, or maintaining code comments.
When should I use Effective Commenting Strategies?
Effective Commenting Strategies fits situations like: maintaining code comments; tasks that involve Technical documentation.
How do I install Effective Commenting Strategies in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add kitchen-engineer42/pdf2skills --skill effective-commenting-strategies -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills_samples/Steve McConnell Code Complete A Practical Handbook of Software Construction_output/effective-commenting-strategies in kitchen-engineer42/pdf2skills) into .claude/skills/effective-commenting-strategies in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install Effective Commenting Strategies in Codex?
Run `npx skills add kitchen-engineer42/pdf2skills --skill effective-commenting-strategies -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills_samples/Steve McConnell Code Complete A Practical Handbook of Software Construction_output/effective-commenting-strategies in kitchen-engineer42/pdf2skills) into .agents/skills/effective-commenting-strategies in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use Effective Commenting Strategies 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 kitchen-engineer42/pdf2skills --skill effective-commenting-strategies -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/effective-commenting-strategies, .gemini/skills/effective-commenting-strategies, .github/skills/effective-commenting-strategies and .opencode/skills/effective-commenting-strategies in your project.
What does Effective Commenting Strategies need to run?
SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Effective Commenting Strategies is instructions for the agent only.
Does Effective Commenting Strategies 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 Effective Commenting Strategies 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 Effective Commenting Strategies use?
No licence was found for Effective Commenting Strategies or its repository. Without one, default copyright applies: ask the author before reusing or redistributing it.
How many tokens does Effective Commenting Strategies use?
About 1.3k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 5.1k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.
What are the alternatives to Effective Commenting Strategies?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with Effective Commenting Strategies: Diagram Design (cathrynlavery/diagram-design, 47k stars), Simple English (moeru-ai/airi, 50k stars), Doc Sync (JetBrains/ideavim, 10k stars) and Mailspring App Screenshots (Foundry376/Mailspring, 18k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
Who maintains Effective Commenting Strategies?
kitchen-engineer42 (a GitHub user) maintains it in kitchen-engineer42/pdf2skills, which has 134 GitHub stars. The repository holds 21 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on February 24, 2026.
Source: kitchen-engineer42/pdf2skills on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.