Agent skill

Skill Health Check

by sd0xdev in sd0xdev/sd0x-harness

Validate skill quality against routing, progressive loading, and verification criteria.

MITAuto-check passedDevelopment

Install Skill Health Check

skills CLI
$ npx skills add sd0xdev/sd0x-harness --skill skill-health-check -a claude-code

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

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install sd0xdev/sd0x-harness skill-health-check --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/sd0xdev/sd0x-harness.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/skill-health-check .claude/skills/skill-health-check && 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/

Facts

Skill name
skill-health-check
GitHub stars
192
Token cost
~1.3k tokens
SKILL.md length
430 words
Files
3 (incl. scripts, references)
Skills in repo
89
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

Validate skill quality against routing, progressive loading, and verification criteria.

  • Works in 2 steps: Automated Lint → Manual Review (when comprehensive audit…
  • : auditing skills
  • SKILL.md covers Trigger, When NOT to Use, Core Principle and Workflow, plus 4 more sections
  • Runs JavaScript scripts from its folder; calls node

What it does

Skill Health Check is an agent skill from sd0xdev/sd0x-harness. Validate skill quality against routing, progressive loading, and verification criteria. Use when: auditing skills, checking skill health, reviewing skill design. Not for: code review (use codex-code-review) or doc review (use doc-review). Output: health report with per-skill ratings + Gate.

Its SKILL.md is about 1.3k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 4 other files, including scripts and reference files (for example `references/routing-signature-guide.md` and `scripts/skill-lint.js`).

It sits in Development, covering Code review. The repository describes itself as: The harness layer for Claude Code — a reference implementation of harness engineering with hook-enforced dual review, state-machine gates that survive context compaction, and… The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

  • : auditing skills
  • Checking skill health
  • Reviewing skill design

Example prompts

  • “/skill-health-check”

Requirements

  • Node.js
  • Pre-approved tools (allowed-tools): Read, Grep, Glob, Bash(node:*)

Workflow steps

2 steps, taken from the step headings in SKILL.md.

  1. Automated Lint
  2. Manual Review (when comprehensive audit requested)

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit a4d4bc1. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves these tools, so the agent can use them without asking each time:

    • Read
    • Grep
    • Glob
    • Bash(node:*)

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    Ships 1 file in scripts/ (JavaScript), which the agent can run.

    Shell commands in SKILL.md call:

    • node

    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 Health Check loads about 1.3k tokens when it runs, and up to ~1.9k if it reads all its reference files. Until then it costs about 78 tokens; SKILL.md has 430 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~78
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~1.3k
With references · SKILL.md plus every file in references/, read only if the agent opens them
~1.9k

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); the scripts in this folder are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from sd0xdev/sd0x-harness at commit a4d4bc1, republished under its MIT licence (© sd0xdev). 430 words, ~1,289 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/skill-health-check/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 2 other files; get the full folder from GitHub.
name
skill-health-check
description
Validate skill quality against routing, progressive loading, and verification criteria. Use when: auditing skills, checking skill health, reviewing skill design. Not for: code review (use codex-code-review) or doc review (use doc-review). Output: health report with per-skill ratings + Gate.
allowed-tools
Read, Grep, Glob, Bash(node:*)
context
fork

Skill Health Check

Trigger

  • Keywords: skill health, skill audit, skill lint, check skills, skill quality, validate skills

When NOT to Use

  • Code review (use /codex-review-fast)
  • Document review (use /codex-review-doc)
  • Creating new skills (use skill-creator plugin, external)
  • .claude directory structure check (use /claude-health)

Core Principle

Skills are on-demand context packages. Their value comes from routing precision (right skill triggers at right time) and context efficiency (minimum tokens for maximum capability). A poorly routed skill wastes context on every mismatch; a well-routed skill transforms a generalist into a specialist at exactly the right moment.

Workflow

Run automated lint → Review manual dimensions → Produce integrated report → Gate
Step 1: Automated Lint
bash
node skills/skill-health-check/scripts/skill-lint.js --fix-hint

Script I/O contract:

ParameterDescription
--skills-dir <path>Skills directory (default: ./skills)
--agents-dir <path>Agents directory (default: ./agents)
--jsonOutput JSON instead of markdown
--fix-hintInclude fix suggestions
Exit 0All pass
Exit 1Warnings only (P2)
Exit 2Errors found (P0/P1)

Per-skill checks (11 items):

#CheckSeverityCriteria
1Frontmatter existsP0name + description required
2Routing signatureP1Description has at least 2 of 3 routing cues (Use/Avoid/Output); 0 cues = P1, 1 cue = P2
3When NOT sectionP1Body has "When NOT to Use" heading
4Output sectionP2Body defines expected deliverable
5Verification sectionP2Body has verification checklist
6References routingP2Each reference file mentioned in body
7Scripts contractP2Each script filename referenced in SKILL.md body
8Line countP2Warning >150, flag >250
9Agent entitlementP2Body describes Agent() dispatch but allowed-tools lacks Agent
10Task entitlementP2Body describes Task() dispatch but allowed-tools lacks Task
11Cross-skill ref pathP1Bare ref paths not found locally but existing in another skill → must use @skills/<parent>/ prefix

Cross-skill checks (3 items):

#CheckSeverityCriteria
12Description overlapP2Jaccard similarity >60% flagged
13Agent ref validityP1subagent_type references in skills must exist in agents/
14Agent tools syntaxP2Agent .md tools field uses canonical format (ToolName or Bash(<prefix>:*))
Show full SKILL.md (114 more words)Show less
Step 2: Manual Review (when comprehensive audit requested)

Read flagged skills and evaluate:

DimensionQuestionRating
Why > WhatDoes skill explain underlying principles, not just steps?⭐1-5
Scope fitnessIs the skill focused? Could it be split?⭐1-5
Progressive loadingIs heavy content in references/, not inline?⭐1-5
Routing precisionWould a user's request unambiguously trigger this skill?⭐1-5

Only run Step 2 when user explicitly requests deep audit. Default: Step 1 only.

Output

markdown
# Skill Health Check Report

## Summary

| Metric | Value |
|--------|-------|
| Skills scanned | N |
| Checks passed | N |
| P0 (Must Fix) | N |
| P1 (Should Fix) | N |
| P2 (Suggestion) | N |

## Per-Skill Results

| Skill | Routing | When-NOT | Output | Verification | Refs | AgEnt | TskEnt | Lines | Status |
|-------|---------|----------|--------|--------------|------|-------|--------|-------|--------|
| name  | ✅/🟡/⚪ | ...    | ...    | ...          | ...  | ✅/⚪ | ✅/⚪  | N     | ✅/🟡/⚪/🔴 |

## P0 (Must Fix)
- **skill-name**: Issue → Fix recommendation

## P1 (Should Fix)
- **skill-name**: Issue → Fix recommendation

## P2 (Suggestion)
- **skill-name**: Issue → Fix recommendation

## Gate: ✅ All Pass / ⛔ N issues need fixing

Verification

  • Automated lint executed (exit code checked)
  • All P0/P1 findings have fix recommendations
  • Per-skill table includes all scanned skills
  • Gate sentinel present for hook parsing

References

  • references/routing-signature-guide.md — How to write effective routing signatures (read when fixing P1 routing issues)

Examples

Input: /skill-health-check
Action: Run skill-lint.js → Output markdown report + Gate

Input: /skill-health-check --deep
Action: Run skill-lint.js → Manual review of flagged skills → Integrated report

Input: Are my skills well-designed?
Action: Trigger health check → Report + improvement suggestions

© sd0xdev, 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 2 other files (scripts, references) in skills/skill-health-check of sd0xdev/sd0x-harness.

  • SKILL.md
  • references/routing-signature-guide.md
  • scripts/skill-lint.js

Open the folder on GitHubat commit a4d4bc1

Compare with similar skills

Skill Health Check 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 Health Check compared with similar skills
SkillStarsUsed inTokensAuto-checkLicenceRepo updated
Skill Health Check this skillsd0xdev/sd0x-harness192—~1.3kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
PR Babysitteropeninterpreter/openinterpreter69k3 repos~4.2kAutomated safety check: PassApache-2.0
Code Review ChecklistshareAI-lab/learn-claude-code78k5 repos~1.1kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Backend Code Reviewlangflow-ai/langflow155k—~3.5kAutomated safety check: NotesMIT
Mole Bug Patternstw93/Mole70k—~2kAutomated safety check: PassGPL-3.0
Backend Code Reviewlanggenius/dify158k—~676Automated safety check: PassCustom licence

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Categories

Questions about Skill Health Check

What does Skill Health Check do?

Validate skill quality against routing, progressive loading, and verification criteria. Skill Health Check is an agent skill from sd0xdev/sd0x-harness. Validate skill quality against routing, progressive loading, and verification criteria.

When should I use Skill Health Check?

Skill Health Check fits situations like: : auditing skills; checking skill health; reviewing skill design.

How do I install Skill Health Check in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add sd0xdev/sd0x-harness --skill skill-health-check -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/skill-health-check in sd0xdev/sd0x-harness) into .claude/skills/skill-health-check in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Skill Health Check in Codex?

Run `npx skills add sd0xdev/sd0x-harness --skill skill-health-check -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/skill-health-check in sd0xdev/sd0x-harness) into .agents/skills/skill-health-check in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Skill Health Check 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 sd0xdev/sd0x-harness --skill skill-health-check -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-health-check, .gemini/skills/skill-health-check, .github/skills/skill-health-check and .opencode/skills/skill-health-check in your project.

What does Skill Health Check need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Skill Health Check needs JavaScript for the scripts in its folder and the command-line tools its instructions call (node). Our summary lists: Node.js. Its frontmatter pre-approves these tools: Read, Grep, Glob, Bash(node:*).

Does Skill Health Check 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 Health Check 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. The check reads SKILL.md only: the scripts in the folder are not scanned, so read them before running anything.

What licence does Skill Health Check use?

Skill Health Check 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 Health Check use?

About 1.3k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 5.2k 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 562 tokens, read only when the agent opens those files.

What are the alternatives to Skill Health Check?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Skill Health Check: PR Babysitter (openinterpreter/openinterpreter, 69k stars), Code Review Checklist (shareAI-lab/learn-claude-code, 78k stars), Backend Code Review (langflow-ai/langflow, 155k stars) and Mole Bug Patterns (tw93/Mole, 70k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Skill Health Check?

sd0xdev (a GitHub user) maintains it in sd0xdev/sd0x-harness, which has 192 GitHub stars. The repository holds 89 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 8, 2026.

Source: sd0xdev/sd0x-harness on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.