Write Guide

What it does

When your agent uses it

• Converting feature documentation
• Skill knowledge into step-by-step learning content

Example prompts

• “Use the write-guide skill to generate technical guides that teach real-world use cases through progressive examples”
• “/write-guide”

Workflow steps

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

1. 1Research: Check available skills for relevant features. Read existing docs for context and linking opportunities.
2. 2Plan: Outline sections. Verify scope (one problem, 2-4 steps). Each step needs a friction point and resolution.
3. 3Write: Follow the template above. Apply the rules below.
4. 4Review: Re-read the rules, verify, then present.

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit a32ddfd. 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 (its code samples are markdown).

  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

Write Guide loads about 1.6k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 133 tokens; SKILL.md has 552 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it

~133

When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches

~1.6k

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

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 vercel/next.js at commit a32ddfd, republished under its MIT licence (© vercel). 552 words, ~1,578 tokens.

name

write-guide

description

Generates technical guides that teach real-world use cases through progressive examples. **Auto-activation:** User asks to write, create, or draft a guide or tutorial. Also use when converting feature documentation, API references, or skill knowledge into step-by-step learning content. **Input sources:** Feature skills, API documentation, existing code examples, or user-provided specifications. **Output type:** A markdown guide with YAML frontmatter, introduction, 2-4 progressive steps, and next steps section.

agent

Plan

context

fork

metadata.internal

true

---
title: {Action-oriented, e.g., "Building X" or "How to Y"}
description: {One sentence}
nav_title: {Short title for navigation}
---

{What the reader will accomplish and why it matters. The friction and how this approach resolves it. 2 paragraphs max.}

## Example

As an example, we'll build {what we're building}.

We'll start with {step 1}, then {step 2}, and {step 3}.

{Source code link.}

### Step 1: {Action-oriented title}

{Brief context, 1-2 sentences.}

```tsx filename="path/to/file.tsx"
// Minimal working code
```

{Explain what happens.}

{Introduce friction: warning, limitation, or constraint.}

{Resolution: explain the choice, apply the fix.}

{Verify the fix with observable proof.}

### Step 2: {Action-oriented title}

{Same pattern: context → code → explain → friction → resolution → proof.}

### Step 3: {Action-oriented title}

{Same pattern.}

## Next steps

You now know how to {summary}.

Next, learn how to:

- [Related guide 1]()
- [Related guide 2]()

© vercel, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

Just SKILL.md in .agents/skills/write-guide of vercel/next.js.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit a32ddfd