Capability
- metadata
{
"author": "Microsoft",
"version": "1.0.1"
}
Topics
- Documentation
- skill-authoring
- specification
- agentskills
- guidelines
- frontmatter
- validation
What it does
Provides guidelines for authoring Agent Skills that comply with the agentskills.io specification, including frontmatter structure, token budgets, progressive disclosure patterns, and validation procedures. Use this when creating a new skill, reviewing a skill PR for compliance, or checking if a skill follows best practices.
Generated from the current SKILL.md.
Frequently asked
What are the token limits for a skill?
SKILL.md must stay under 5000 tokens (soft limit ~500), and each reference file under 1000 tokens. References load only when explicitly linked, not on activation.
What should the description field contain?
The description must explain WHAT the skill does and WHEN to use it, be ≤60 words, and include a WHEN: clause with quoted trigger phrases.
How do references get loaded?
References are just-in-time loaded only when explicitly linked via [text](references/file.md) in the SKILL.md. Link to files, not folders, and each file loads in full.
What structure should a skill have?
A skill requires SKILL.md with frontmatter (name, description) and instructions. References and scripts directories are optional for detailed docs and executable code.
How do I validate my skill before submission?
Run npm run references to check for broken links and npm run tokens -- check to verify token limits. Use the checklist in references/CHECKLIST.md before submitting.
Generated from the current SKILL.md. These answers refresh after source changes.
