/customaize-agent:apply-anthropic-skill-best-practices - Skill Optimization

Comprehensive guide for skill development based on Anthropic's official best practices. Use for complex skills requiring detailed structure and optimization.

• Purpose - Apply official guidelines to skill authoring
• Output - Optimized skill with improved discoverability

/customaize-agent:apply-anthropic-skill-best-practices ["skill path"]

Arguments

Optional skill name or path to skill being reviewed.

Usage Examples

# Optimize an existing skill
> /customaize-agent:apply-anthropic-skill-best-practices pdf-processing

# Review a skill by path
> /customaize-agent:apply-anthropic-skill-best-practices ~/.claude/skills/bigquery/

# Start optimization workflow
> /customaize-agent:apply-anthropic-skill-best-practices

How It Works

1. Structure Review: Checks skill organization

   • YAML frontmatter (name: 64 chars max, description: 1024 chars max)
   • SKILL.md body under 500 lines
   • Progressive disclosure with separate files
   • One-level-deep references

2. Description Optimization: Improves discoverability

   • Third-person writing (injected into system prompt)
   • "Use when..." trigger conditions
   • Specific keywords and terms
   • Both what it does AND when to use it

3. Content Guidelines: Applies best practices

   • Avoid time-sensitive information
   • Consistent terminology throughout
   • Concrete examples over abstract descriptions
   • Template patterns and examples patterns

4. Workflow Enhancement: Adds feedback loops

   • Clear sequential steps with checklists
   • Validation steps for critical operations
   • Conditional workflow patterns

5. Token Efficiency: Optimizes for context window

   • Remove redundant explanations
   • Challenge each paragraph's token cost
   • Use progressive disclosure appropriately

Key Principles

Best Practices

• Test with all models - What works for Opus may need more detail for Haiku
• Iterate with Claude - Use Claude A to design, Claude B to test
• Observe navigation - Watch how Claude actually uses the skill
• Build evaluations first - Create test scenarios BEFORE extensive documentation
• Gather team feedback - Address blind spots from different usage patterns