create-skill

Create Skill

This skill helps you scaffold new agent skills that conform to the Agent Skills specification and the dotnet/skills repository conventions.

When to Use

• Creating a new skill from scratch
• Generating a SKILL.md file with proper frontmatter
• Setting up the skill directory structure with optional folders
• Ensuring compliance with agentskills.io specification

When Not to Use

• Modifying existing skills (edit directly instead)
• Creating custom agents (use the agents/ directory pattern)

Inputs

Input	Required	Description
Skill name	Yes	Lowercase, alphanumeric, hyphens only (e.g., code-review, ci-triage)
Description	Yes	What the skill does and when agents should use it (1-1024 chars)
Purpose	Yes	One paragraph describing the outcome
Workflow steps	Recommended	Numbered steps the agent should follow

Workflow

Step 1: Validate the skill name

Ensure the name:

• Contains only lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens
• Does not start or end with a hyphen
• Does not contain consecutive hyphens
• Is between 1-64 characters

Step 2: Create the skill directory

skills/<skill-name>/
└── SKILL.md

Step 3: Generate SKILL.md with frontmatter

Create the file with required YAML frontmatter:

---
name: <skill-name>
description: <description of what the skill does and when to use it>
---

Step 4: Add body content sections

Include these recommended sections:

1. Purpose: One paragraph describing the outcome
2. When to Use: Bullet list of appropriate scenarios
3. When Not to Use: Boundaries and exclusions
4. Inputs: Table of required and optional inputs
5. Workflow: Numbered steps with checkpoints
6. Validation: How to confirm the skill worked correctly
7. Common Pitfalls: Known traps and how to avoid them

Step 5: Add optional directories (if needed)

skills/<skill-name>/
├── SKILL.md
├── scripts/       # Executable code agents can run
├── references/    # Additional documentation loaded on demand
└── assets/        # Templates, images, data files