Skill Creator
Azure/azqr
Create new skills, modify and improve existing skills, and measure skill performance.
How to write SKILL.md files that trigger reliably, for any tool (open spec).
Install Writing Skills
$ npx skills add xiaolai/nlpm --skill writing-skills -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install xiaolai/nlpm writing-skills --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/xiaolai/nlpm.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/nlpm/writing-skills .claude/skills/writing-skills && 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 "writing-skills" agent skill from https://github.com/xiaolai/nlpm/tree/main/skills/nlpm/writing-skills into .claude/skills/writing-skills/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "writing-skills", 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/xiaolai/nlpm/tree/main/skills/nlpm/writing-skillsType 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 xiaolai/nlpm --skill writing-skills -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install xiaolai/nlpm writing-skills --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/xiaolai/nlpm.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/nlpm/writing-skills .agents/skills/writing-skills && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "writing-skills" agent skill from https://github.com/xiaolai/nlpm/tree/main/skills/nlpm/writing-skills into .agents/skills/writing-skills/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "writing-skills", 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 xiaolai/nlpm --skill writing-skills -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install xiaolai/nlpm writing-skills --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/xiaolai/nlpm.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/nlpm/writing-skills .cursor/skills/writing-skills && 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 "writing-skills" agent skill from https://github.com/xiaolai/nlpm/tree/main/skills/nlpm/writing-skills into .cursor/skills/writing-skills/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "writing-skills", 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/xiaolai/nlpm.git --path skills/nlpm/writing-skills--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 xiaolai/nlpm --skill writing-skills -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install xiaolai/nlpm writing-skills --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/xiaolai/nlpm.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/nlpm/writing-skills .gemini/skills/writing-skills && 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 "writing-skills" agent skill from https://github.com/xiaolai/nlpm/tree/main/skills/nlpm/writing-skills into .gemini/skills/writing-skills/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "writing-skills", 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 xiaolai/nlpm writing-skillsInstalls 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 xiaolai/nlpm --skill writing-skills -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/xiaolai/nlpm.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/nlpm/writing-skills .github/skills/writing-skills && 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 "writing-skills" agent skill from https://github.com/xiaolai/nlpm/tree/main/skills/nlpm/writing-skills into .github/skills/writing-skills/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "writing-skills", 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 xiaolai/nlpm --skill writing-skills -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install xiaolai/nlpm writing-skills --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/xiaolai/nlpm.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/nlpm/writing-skills .opencode/skills/writing-skills && 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 "writing-skills" agent skill from https://github.com/xiaolai/nlpm/tree/main/skills/nlpm/writing-skills into .opencode/skills/writing-skills/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "writing-skills", 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
writing-skills- GitHub stars
- 150
- Token cost
- ~1.9k tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 655 words
- Files
- 1
- Skills in repo
- 15
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- ISC
At a glance
How to write SKILL.md files that trigger reliably, for any tool (open spec).
- Works in 6 steps: The Description is Everything → Body Structure → Progressive Disclosure → …
- For any tool (open spec)
- SKILL.md covers 1. The Description is Everything, 2. Body Structure, 3. Progressive Disclosure and 4. Worked Example: Improving a…, plus 2 more sections
- Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md
What it does
Writing Skills is an agent skill from xiaolai/nlpm. How to write SKILL.md files that trigger reliably, for any tool (open spec).
Its SKILL.md is about 1.9k 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 Agent Workflows, covering Skill authoring. The repository describes itself as: Natural-Language Programming Manager — scan, lint, and score NL artifacts with Claude-native quality scoring. The licence is ISC.
When your agent uses it
- For any tool (open spec)
- Tasks that involve Skill authoring
Example prompts
- “/writing-skills”
Requirements
- Python 3
- Node.js
- Docker
Workflow steps
6 steps, taken from the step headings in SKILL.md.
What it can do on your machine
Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit bfa2fc2. 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 yaml and 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
Writing Skills loads about 1.9k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 23 tokens; SKILL.md has 655 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 xiaolai/nlpm at commit bfa2fc2, republished under its ISC licence (© xiaolai). 655 words, ~1,934 tokens.
Download SKILL.mdSave it as
.claude/skills/writing-skills/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).- name
- writing-skills
- description
- How to write SKILL.md files that trigger reliably, for any tool (open spec).
- version
- 0.2.0
- user-invocable
- false
Writing Skills
Scope: covers SKILL.md authoring. SKILL.md is the cross-tool open standard (agentskills.io) — the same file works in Claude Code (
.claude/skills/), Codex CLI (.agents/skills/), and Antigravity (.agent/skills/). Onlynameanddescriptionare required by the spec; per-tool extras (Claude'smodel:/allowed-tools:, Codex'sagents/openai.yamlsidecar) live in[[nlpm:conventions-claude]]/[[nlpm:conventions-codex]]/[[nlpm:conventions-antigravity]]. For agent writing, see [[writing-agents]]. For plugin architecture, see [[writing-plugins]].
1. The Description is Everything
The description field determines when Claude loads this skill. It is not a summary -- it is a trigger mechanism.
Bad (score 55):
description: "Helpful skill for React development"Good (score 95):
description: "Use when building React components, debugging re-renders, optimizing performance with useMemo/useCallback, or fixing hook dependency arrays"Description Checklist
| Criterion | Test |
|---|---|
| 3+ trigger phrases | Count distinct action phrases separated by commas |
| Action-oriented | Starts with "Use when..." or "How to..." |
| Includes tool/framework name | The technology name appears explicitly |
| Matches real queries | Would a user's actual question contain any of your trigger words? |
Trigger Phrase Construction
Map real user queries to trigger phrases:
| User says | Trigger phrase to include |
|---|---|
| "My component re-renders too much" | "debugging re-renders" |
| "How do I memoize this?" | "optimizing performance with useMemo/useCallback" |
| "My useEffect runs in a loop" | "fixing hook dependency arrays" |
| "I need a new component for..." | "building React components" |
Rule: if you can't list 3 real user queries that match your description, rewrite it.
2. Body Structure
Section Order
- Scope note (if related skills exist) -- tells Claude when to use THIS skill vs another
- Most commonly needed patterns -- what users ask about 80% of the time
- Decision matrices -- when to use A vs B (tables)
- Worked examples -- before/after with scores
- Common mistakes -- anti-patterns to avoid
- References -- links to deep dives
Heading Rules
- H1 (
#): skill title only (one per file) - H2 (
##): major sections (numbered:## 1. Section Name) - H3 (
###): subsections within a major section - Never skip heading levels (no H2 followed directly by H4)
Code Examples
Every code example must show the problem, then the solution:
### Bad (breaks on concurrent requests)
` ` `python
global_state = {} # shared mutable state
` ` `
### Good (request-scoped)
` ` `python
def handler(request):
state = {} # local to this request
` ` `Rules for code examples:
- Runnable, not pseudocode
- Contextual -- show enough surrounding code to understand placement
- Annotated -- comment the critical line, not every line
3. Progressive Disclosure
Keep SKILL.md under 500 lines. Use the file system for depth:
skills/my-domain/my-skill/
SKILL.md # core patterns (< 500 lines)
references/ # deep dives, edge cases, full API docs
advanced.md
api-reference.md
examples/ # working code samples
basic-setup.ts
advanced-config.ts
scripts/ # utility scripts
validate.shWhen to Extract to references/
| Content type | Keep in SKILL.md? | Extract to references/? |
|---|---|---|
| Top 5 patterns everyone needs | Yes | No |
| Full API reference (50+ entries) | No | Yes |
| Edge cases (< 5% of users) | No | Yes |
| Configuration matrix (20+ options) | No | Yes |
| Quick decision table (< 10 rows) | Yes | No |
4. Worked Example: Improving a Skill
Show full SKILL.md (261 more words)Show less
Before (score 55/100)
---
name: docker-helper
description: "Information about Docker"
version: 0.1.0
---# Docker Helper
Docker is a containerization platform. Here are some useful commands.
## Commands
- `docker build` - builds an image
- `docker run` - runs a container
- `docker ps` - lists containers
## Dockerfile
A Dockerfile contains instructions for building an image.
## Docker Compose
Docker Compose is for multi-container applications.Problems:
- Description is a label, not a trigger mechanism (0 trigger phrases)
- Body teaches theory Claude already knows from training
- No code examples showing problem/solution
- No decision matrices
- No scope note
After (score 92/100)
---
name: docker-helper
description: "Use when writing Dockerfiles, debugging container networking, optimizing image size with multi-stage builds, or configuring Docker Compose services. Covers build cache, volume mounts, health checks, and compose profiles."
version: 0.1.0
---# Docker Helper
> Scope: covers Docker CLI, Dockerfiles, and Compose. For Kubernetes deployment, see [[k8s-deploy]].
## 1. Image Size Optimization
### Before (1.2 GB)
` ` `dockerfile
FROM node:20
COPY . .
RUN npm install
RUN npm run build
CMD ["node", "dist/index.js"]
` ` `
### After (148 MB -- 88% smaller)
` ` `dockerfile
FROM node:20-slim AS build
WORKDIR /app
COPY package*.json ./
RUN npm ci --only=production
COPY . .
RUN npm run build
FROM node:20-slim
WORKDIR /app
COPY --from=build /app/dist ./dist
COPY --from=build /app/node_modules ./node_modules
CMD ["node", "dist/index.js"]
` ` `
Key changes: multi-stage build, slim base, copy only production artifacts.
## 2. Base Image Selection
| Use case | Base image | Size |
|----------|-----------|------|
| Node.js production | node:20-slim | 180 MB |
| Node.js minimal | node:20-alpine | 130 MB |
| Python production | python:3.12-slim | 150 MB |
| Static files only | nginx:alpine | 40 MB |
| From scratch (Go/Rust) | scratch | < 20 MB |Changes made:
- Description: 0 trigger phrases -> 8 trigger phrases (+37 points)
- Scope note added (+5 points)
- Replaced theory with problem/solution examples (+25 points)
- Added decision matrix (+10 points)
- Removed content Claude knows from training (-15 lines, +5 points for conciseness)
5. Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Why it hurts | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Description is a feature list | Claude can't match user queries to the skill | Rewrite as trigger phrases starting with "Use when..." |
| Body teaches theory | Wastes tokens on content Claude already knows | Show patterns and decisions, not definitions |
| Over 500 lines | Bloats context window, penalized by linters | Extract to references/, keep core patterns only |
| No scope note | Claude doesn't know when to use THIS skill vs a related one | Add scope note referencing related skills |
| Pseudocode examples | Not actionable, can't be copy-pasted | Use runnable code with enough context |
| Every section has equal weight | Buries the most useful content | Lead with the 80% patterns, push edge cases to references/ |
6. Quality Checklist
Before shipping a skill, verify:
- Description has 3+ specific trigger phrases
- Description starts with "Use when..." or "How to..."
- Scope note present (if related skills exist)
- H2 sections numbered, H3 subsections under them
- Code examples show problem then solution
- Decision tables for A-vs-B choices
- Total lines < 500
- No content Claude already knows from training
- At least one worked example with before/after
© xiaolai, ISC. 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 skills/nlpm/writing-skills of xiaolai/nlpm.
Open the folder on GitHubat commit bfa2fc2
Compare with similar skills
Writing Skills 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Writing Skills this skillxiaolai/nlpm | 150 | — | ~1.9k | Automated safety check: Pass | ISC | |
| 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 | |
| Claude Code Plugin Structureanthropics/claude-plugins-official | 38k | 10 repos | ~3.4k | Automated safety check: Pass | Apache-2.0 |
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- Official
Claude Code Skill Developer Guide
diet103/claude-code-infrastructure-showcase
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
Claude Code Command Development
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.
- Official
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Explains the directory layout, plugin.json manifest and component organization of a Claude Code plugin, including auto-discovery and portable paths.
Skill Release Gate
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Evaluates an Agent Skill bundle before release for structure, trigger quality, artifact improvement, script correctness, safety, installed-tree integrity and host portability.
More from xiaolai/nlpm
All 15 skills in this repoConventions
xiaolai/nlpm
Universal NL conventions: SKILL.md open spec, AGENTS.md, vague quantifiers, naming.
Conventions Antigravity
xiaolai/nlpm
Antigravity and Gemini CLI artifact schemas: .gemini/ paths, extensions, hooks.
Conventions Codex
xiaolai/nlpm
Codex CLI artifact schemas: config.toml, .codex-plugin, skills, hooks, AGENTS.md.
Orchestration
xiaolai/nlpm
Multi-agent workflow patterns: parallel dispatch, pipelines, QC gates, retries.
Patterns
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NL artifact anti-patterns: vague quantifiers, bare prohibitions, oversized skills.
Scoring
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100-point NL artifact rubric: penalty tables per artifact type, calibration cases.
Related
Categories
Questions about Writing Skills
What does Writing Skills do?
How to write SKILL.md files that trigger reliably, for any tool (open spec). Writing Skills is an agent skill from xiaolai/nlpm.md files that trigger reliably, for any tool (open spec).
When should I use Writing Skills?
Writing Skills fits situations like: for any tool (open spec); tasks that involve Skill authoring.
How do I install Writing Skills in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add xiaolai/nlpm --skill writing-skills -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/nlpm/writing-skills in xiaolai/nlpm) into .claude/skills/writing-skills in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install Writing Skills in Codex?
Run `npx skills add xiaolai/nlpm --skill writing-skills -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/nlpm/writing-skills in xiaolai/nlpm) into .agents/skills/writing-skills in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use Writing Skills 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 xiaolai/nlpm --skill writing-skills -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/writing-skills, .gemini/skills/writing-skills, .github/skills/writing-skills and .opencode/skills/writing-skills in your project.
What does Writing Skills need to run?
SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Writing Skills is instructions for the agent only. Our summary lists: Python 3; Node.js; Docker.
Does Writing Skills 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 Writing Skills 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 Writing Skills use?
Writing Skills is published under the ISC licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.
How many tokens does Writing Skills use?
About 1.9k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 7.7k 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 Writing Skills?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with Writing Skills: Skill Creator (Azure/azqr, 796 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 Writing Skills?
xiaolai (a GitHub user) maintains it in xiaolai/nlpm, which has 150 GitHub stars. The repository holds 15 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 10, 2026.
Source: xiaolai/nlpm on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.