Skill Improvement Methodology

Skill Improvement Methodology

Iteratively improve a Claude Code skill using the skill-reviewer agent until it meets quality standards.

Prerequisites

Requires the `plugin-dev` plugin which provides the `skill-reviewer` agent.

Verify it's enabled: run `/plugins` — `plugin-dev` should appear in the list. If missing, install from the Trail of Bits plugin repository.

Core Loop

• **Review** - Call skill-reviewer on the target skill
• **Categorize** - Parse issues by severity
• **Fix** - Address critical and major issues
• **Evaluate** - Check minor issues for validity before fixing
• **Repeat** - Continue until quality bar is met

When to Use

• Improving a skill with multiple quality issues
• Iterating on a new skill until it meets standards
• Automated fix-review cycles instead of manual editing
• Consistent quality enforcement across skills

When NOT to Use

• **One-time review**: Use `/skill-reviewer` directly instead
• **Quick single fixes**: Edit the file directly
• **Non-skill files**: Only works on SKILL.md files
• **Experimental skills**: Manual iteration gives more control during exploration

Issue Categorization

Critical Issues (MUST fix immediately)

These block skill loading or cause runtime failures:

• Missing required frontmatter fields (name, description) — Claude cannot index or trigger the skill
• Invalid YAML frontmatter syntax — Parsing fails, skill won't load
• Referenced files that don't exist — Runtime errors when Claude follows links
• Broken file paths — Same as above, leads to tool failures

Major Issues (MUST fix)

These significantly degrade skill effectiveness:

• Weak or vague trigger descriptions — Claude may not recognize when to use the skill
• Wrong writing voice (second person "you" instead of imperative) — Inconsistent with Claude's execution model
• SKILL.md exceeds 500 lines without using references/ — Overloads context, reduces comprehension
• Missing "When to Use" or "When NOT to Use" sections — Required by project quality standards
• Description doesn't specify when to trigger — Skill may never be selected

Minor Issues (Evaluate before fixing)

These are polish items that may or may not improve the skill:

• Subjective style preferences — Reviewer may have different taste than author
• Optional enhancements — May add complexity without proportional value
• "Nice to have" improvements — Consider cost-benefit before implementing
• Formatting suggestions — Often valid but low impact

Minor Issue Evaluation

Before implementing any minor issue fix, evaluate:

• **Is this a genuine improvement?** - Does it add real value or just satisfy a preference?
• **Could this be a false positive?** - Is the reviewer misunderstanding context?
• **Would this actually help Claude use the skill?** - Focus on functional improvements

Only implement minor fixes that are clearly beneficial. Skill-reviewer may produce false positives.

Invoking skill-reviewer

Use the skill-reviewer agent from the plugin-dev plugin. Request a review by asking Claude to:

> Review the skill at [SKILL_PATH] using the plugin-dev:skill-reviewer agent. Provide a detailed quality assessment with issues categorized by severity.

Replace `[SKILL_PATH]` with the absolute path to the skill directory (e.g., `/path/to/plugins/my-plugin/skills/my-skill`).

Example Fix Cycle

**Iteration 1 — skill-reviewer output:**

Critical: SKILL.md:1 - Missing required 'name' fi

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