vscode-sidebar-terminal: Skill for Claude Code

Create Skills

Build skills that trigger correctly, execute reliably, and stay concise.

Core Principles

• Use progressive disclosure:
  • Frontmatter (name, description) for trigger selection.
  • SKILL.md body for core workflow.
  • references/ for deep details loaded only when needed.
• Keep skills composable: avoid assumptions that this is the only active skill.
• Prefer deterministic scripts for fragile validation logic.

Workflow

1. Define 2-3 concrete use cases.
2. Draft trigger-strong frontmatter.
3. Design reusable resources (scripts/, references/, assets/).
4. Write actionable instructions and error handling.
5. Run triggering/functional/performance tests.
6. Iterate based on under-trigger/over-trigger signals.

1) Define Use Cases

Capture for each use case:

• User phrasing (what they actually say)
• Intended result
• Multi-step workflow and required tools (built-in and/or MCP)
• Failure points that need guardrails

If use cases are vague, ask targeted follow-up questions before authoring.

2) Frontmatter Design (Most Important)

Write only what is needed to trigger correctly.

Required fields:

• name: kebab-case, matches folder name
• description: include BOTH
  • What the skill does
  • When to use it (trigger phrases/context/file types)

Description formula:

• [What it does] + [When to use it] + [Key capabilities]

Good pattern:

• "Processes PDF legal documents for contract review. Use when users ask for clause extraction, risk flags, or redline summaries from .pdf contracts."

Bad pattern:

• "Helps with projects."

Precision controls:

• Add negative triggers to reduce over-triggering.
• Mention relevant file types when applicable.
• Keep wording aligned with real user phrases from use cases.

3) Resource Plan

• scripts/: deterministic checks/transforms used repeatedly
• references/: large docs, domain logic, variant-specific guidance
• assets/: templates and artifacts used in outputs

Rules:

• Keep SKILL.md compact; link to references/.
• Avoid extra docs in skill folder (README.md, changelog, etc.).