Create Skill - Skill Creation Framework

When to Activate This Skill

• "Create a new skill for X"

• "Build a skill that does Y"

• "Add a skill for Z"

• "Update/improve existing skill"

• "Structure a skill properly"

• User wants to extend Kai's capabilities

Core Skill Creation Workflow

Step 1: Understand the Purpose

Ask these questions:

• What does this skill do? (Clear, specific purpose)

• When should it activate? (Trigger conditions)

• What tools/commands does it use? (Dependencies)

• Is it simple or complex? (Determines structure)

Step 2: Choose Skill Type

Simple Skill (SKILL.md only):

• Single focused capability

• Minimal dependencies

• Quick reference suffices

• Examples: fabric-patterns, youtube-extraction

Complex Skill (SKILL.md + CLAUDE.md + supporting files):

• Multi-step workflows

• Extensive context needed

• Multiple sub-components

• Examples: development, website, consulting

Step 3: Create Directory Structure

Simple skill

${PAI_DIR}/skills/[skill-name]/ └── SKILL.md

Complex skill

${PAI_DIR}/skills/[skill-name]/ ├── SKILL.md # Quick reference ├── CLAUDE.md # Full context └── [subdirectories]/ # Supporting resources

Step 4: Write SKILL.md (Required)

Use this structure:

name: skill-name description: Clear description of what skill does and when to use it. Should match activation triggers.

Skill Name

When to Activate This Skill

• Trigger condition 1
• Trigger condition 2
• User phrase examples

[Main Content Sections]

• Core workflow
• Key commands
• Examples
• Best practices

Supplementary Resources

For detailed context: read ${PAI_DIR}/skills/[skill-name]/CLAUDE.md

Step 5: Write CLAUDE.md (If Complex)

Include:

• Comprehensive methodology

• Detailed workflows

• Component documentation

• Advanced usage patterns

• Integration instructions

• Troubleshooting guides

Step 6: Add to Global Context

Update ${PAI_DIR}/global/KAI.md available_skills section to include the new skill so it shows up in the system prompt.

Step 7: Test the Skill

• Trigger it with natural language

• Verify it loads correctly

• Check all references work

• Validate against examples

Skill Naming Conventions

• Lowercase with hyphens: create-skill , web-scraping

• Descriptive, not generic: fabric-patterns not text-processing

• Action or domain focused: ai-image-generation , chrome-devtools

Description Best Practices

Your description should:

• Clearly state what the skill does

• Include trigger phrases (e.g., "USE WHEN user says...")

• Mention key tools/methods used

• Be concise but complete (1-3 sentences)

Good examples:

• "Multi-source comprehensive research using perplexity-researcher, claude-researcher, and gemini-researcher agents. Launches up to 10 parallel research agents for fast results. USE WHEN user says 'do research', 'research X', 'find information about'..."

• "Chrome DevTools MCP for web application debugging, visual testing, and browser automation. The ONLY acceptable way to debug web apps - NEVER use curl, fetch, or wget."

Templates Available

• simple-skill-template.md

• For straightforward capabilities

• complex-skill-template.md

• For multi-component skills

• skill-with-agents-template.md

• For skills using sub-agents

Supplementary Resources

For complete guide with examples: read ${PAI_DIR}/skills/create-skill/CLAUDE.md

For templates: ls ${PAI_DIR}/skills/create-skill/templates/

Key Principles

• Progressive disclosure: SKILL.md = quick reference, CLAUDE.md = deep dive

• Clear activation triggers: User should know when skill applies

• Executable instructions: Imperative/infinitive form (verb-first)

• Context inheritance: Skills inherit global context automatically

• No duplication: Reference global context, don't duplicate it

• Self-contained: Skill should work independently

• Discoverable: Description enables Kai to match user intent