gh-cskiro-claudex-meta-tools/skills/skill-creator/workflow/guided-creation.md

Guided Creation Workflow

Detailed step-by-step process for Mode 1: Interactive skill creation.

Step 1: Basic Information

Ask user for:

Skill Name

• Format: kebab-case (lowercase, hyphens)
• Validate: no spaces, descriptive
• Examples: "code-formatter", "test-generator", "api-validator"
• Check: name doesn't conflict with existing skills

Brief Description

• 1-2 sentences for metadata
• Used in plugin.json and SKILL.md frontmatter
• Should clearly state what skill does

Author Name

• Default: Connor
• Used in all metadata files

Step 2: Skill Purpose & Category

Detailed Description

• 2-4 sentences for SKILL.md Overview
• Explains full capabilities

Category Selection

Present options from data/categories.yaml:

• analysis: Code analysis, auditing, quality checking
• tooling: Development tools, configuration validators
• productivity: Developer workflow, automation, insights
• devops: Infrastructure, deployment, monitoring

Suggest category based on skill purpose, allow user to confirm/change.

Trigger Phrases

• Ask for 3-5 phrases users might say
• Provide examples based on similar skills
• Generate suggestions if needed

Use Cases

• 3-5 concrete scenarios
• Specific, actionable situations

Step 3: Complexity Assessment

Determine skill type through questions:

Question 1: "Does this skill have multiple distinct modes or workflows?"

• Yes → Complex (mode-based)
• No → Continue

Question 2: "Does this skill process data from files or generate reports?"

• Yes → Complex (data-processing)
• No → Continue

Question 3: "Does this skill need reference materials?"

• Yes → Standard
• No → Minimal

Reference: data/skill-types.yaml

Step 4: Structure Customization

Based on type, ask about optional directories:

For Standard or Complex skills:

• "Will you need reference data files?" → create data/
• "Will you need example outputs?" → create examples/
• "Will you need reusable templates?" → create templates/

For Complex (mode-based) skills:

• "How many modes does this skill have?" (2-5 typical)
• For each mode:
  • Mode name
  • When to use (trigger phrases)
  • Primary action

For Complex (data-processing) skills:

• "What data sources will you process?"
• "What output formats do you need?"
• Always create scripts/ directory

Step 5: Pattern Selection

Select from patterns/ based on skill type:

• Minimal → phase-based.md
• Standard → phase-based.md or validation.md
• Complex (mode-based) → mode-based.md
• Complex (data-processing) → data-processing.md

Present pattern to user: "I'll use the [pattern] pattern, which means..."

Step 6: Generation

Create Directory Structure

mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills/[skill-name]/{required,optional-dirs}

Generate Files from Templates

Using Jinja2 templates:

• SKILL.md from templates/SKILL.md.j2
• README.md from templates/README.md.j2
• plugin.json from templates/plugin.json.j2
• CHANGELOG.md from templates/CHANGELOG.md.j2

Apply Pattern-Specific Content

• Include pattern guidance in sections
• Add pattern templates if needed
• Create mode files if mode-based

Mark Customization Points

• Add TODO comments where needed
• Provide inline guidance
• Reference examples/

Step 7: Quality Validation

Run validation using data/quality-checklist.md:

1. File Existence: Verify all required files
2. Syntax Validation: Check YAML/JSON
3. Content Completeness: No empty required sections
4. Security Check: No secrets
5. Naming Conventions: Verify kebab-case
6. Quality Score: Calculate A-F grade

Validation Report Format

# Skill Quality Report: [skill-name]

## Status: [PASS/NEEDS WORK]

### Files Generated
✅ SKILL.md
✅ README.md
✅ plugin.json
✅ CHANGELOG.md

### Quality Score: [Grade]

### Items Needing Customization
- [ ] SKILL.md: Complete "Response Style" section
- [ ] SKILL.md: Fill in workflow details
- [ ] README.md: Add concrete usage examples

### Validation Results
✅ No security issues
✅ Valid YAML frontmatter
✅ Valid JSON in plugin.json
✅ Proper naming conventions

Step 8: Installation & Next Steps

Verify Installation

ls -la ~/.claude/skills/[skill-name]/

Testing Guidance

## Test Your Skill

Try these trigger phrases in a new Claude session:
1. "[trigger-phrase-1]"
2. "[trigger-phrase-2]"
3. "[trigger-phrase-3]"

Expected behavior: [What should happen]

Customization TODO List

• List all sections marked with TODO
• Prioritize by importance
• Provide examples for each

Next Steps

## Next Steps

1. Review generated files in ~/.claude/skills/[skill-name]/
2. Customize sections marked with TODO
3. Add reference materials to data/ (if applicable)
4. Create example outputs in examples/ (if applicable)
5. Test trigger phrases in new Claude session
6. Iterate on description and workflow
7. Run validation again
8. Ready to use or submit to marketplace!

Information Summary

By end of guided creation, you should have:

Field	Source	Used In
Skill name	User input	Directory, all files
Brief description	User input	plugin.json, frontmatter
Detailed description	User input	SKILL.md Overview
Author	User input (default: Connor)	All metadata
Category	User selection	plugin.json
Trigger phrases	User input	SKILL.md
Use cases	User input	SKILL.md
Skill type	Assessment	Structure decisions
Pattern	Auto-selected	SKILL.md structure
Optional dirs	User input	Directory structure