Skill Builder — Meta-Skill for Creating Skills

Metadata

---
name: skill-builder
version: 1.0.0
description: |
  Helps create high-quality OpenClaw skills following Anthropic's best practices.
  Use when creating, updating, or auditing any skill in the workspace.
---

---

## When to Use This Skill

Trigger phrases:
- "create a new skill"
- "build a skill"
- "make a new capability"
- "add a skill for"
- "audit our skills"
- "improve this skill"
- "review our skill setup"

---

## The Skill Creation Workflow

### Phase 1: Use Case Definition (Before Writing Code)

Before creating any skill, define 2-3 concrete use cases:

For each use case, specify:
1. **Trigger** — What the user says that should activate this skill
2. **Sequence** — Step-by-step actions the skill performs
3. **Expected Result** — What the user gets at the end

**Example Use Case Template:**

Use Case #1: [Title]

• Trigger: "[specific phrase user would say]"
• Sequence: [step 1] → [step 2] → [step 3]
• Result: [what gets produced]

### Phase 2: Skill Structure

Every skill must have:

skill-name/ ├── SKILL.md # Required: Main instructions ├── references/ # Optional: Additional docs ├── scripts/ # Optional: Executable code ├── assets/ # Optional: Templates, configs └── tests/ # Optional: Test cases

### Phase 3: SKILL.md Anatomy

```yaml
---
name: skill-name
description: |
  [What it does]. Use when user mentions [trigger phrases].
  Example triggers: "do X", "help with Y", "use [skill-name]"
---

Critical: The description field is the most important part.

• Must include WHAT the skill does
• Must include WHEN to use it
• Must include specific trigger phrases
• Bad: "Helps with projects" (never triggers)
• Good: "Manages project workflows including creation, tracking, and updates. Use when user mentions 'project', 'create task', or 'track progress'"

Phase 4: Writing the Instructions

Structure SKILL.md as:

1. Identity — Name, role, primary function
2. Responsibilities — What it must handle
3. Boundaries — What it must NOT do
4. Tool Access — What tools/functions it can use
5. Workflow — How it handles tasks
6. Examples — 2-3 concrete usage examples

Phase 5: Testing

Test each skill on three dimensions:

Quality Checklist

Before finalizing any skill, verify:

• Description includes "Use when..." clause
• At least 3 trigger phrases listed
• Clear responsibilities section
• Boundaries defined (what NOT to do)
• Tool permissions explicitly stated
• Workflow documented with examples
• Triggering test passed
• Functional test passed
• No overgeneralization (skill won't trigger on unrelated queries)

Common Failure Modes

OpenClaw-Specific Notes

When building OpenClaw skills:

• Use the existing skill format (SKILL.md in skill folder)
• Reference OpenClaw tools by their exact names
• Follow the workspace memory paths exactly
• Respect the agent delegation rules in AGENTS.md
• Include security considerations for sensitive operations

Example: Well-Formed Skill Description

---
name: github-pr-review
description: |
  Reviews GitHub pull requests for code quality, security, and style consistency.
  Use when user mentions "review PR", "check pull request", "look at PR #N",
  "GitHub review", or "needs review".
  Does NOT: approve merges, write code, or modify existing PRs.
---

Audit Existing Skills

When auditing skills, check:

1. Description has clear triggers
2. Boundaries are explicit
3. No conflicting scopes
4. Tools are properly scoped
5. Instructions are actionable

If a skill fails audit, update its SKILL.md following this workflow.