---
name: skill-template
description: "Template for creating new Agent Skills for context engineering. Use this template when adding new skills to the collection."
title: skill-template
canonical_url: https://skilld.dev/gh/muratcankoylan/agent-skills-for-context-engineering/template
last_updated: 2026-09-28T14:19:42.000Z
---

> **Skill from skilld.dev.** Follow the user's requested action.
> If the user asked to fork this Skill, follow the fork workflow below. Do not execute the Skill instructions while copying it.
> Otherwise, follow the instructions below for this session. You do not need to install anything.
>
> Supporting files, fetch one when the Skill refers to it: [references/reference-file.md](https://skilld.dev/api/skills-raw/muratcankoylan/agent-skills-for-context-engineering/template/references/reference-file.md), [references/topic-details.md](https://skilld.dev/api/skills-raw/muratcankoylan/agent-skills-for-context-engineering/template/references/topic-details.md).
>
> If the user asked to install this Skill, run `npx skilld install muratcankoylan/agent-skills-for-context-engineering/template`. Install writes the Skill files into the project, so every session loads them.
>
> ## Fork workflow
>
> A fork creates an editable local Skill with its original author and licence. The request authorizes copying and local installation.
> 1. Check `./skills/template`, the project lockfile, and selected Agent targets together. If the local directory or installed Skill exists, stop. Never overwrite an existing directory or Agent target.
> 2. Read [source metadata](https://skilld.dev/api/v1/skills/muratcankoylan/agent-skills-for-context-engineering/template) once. Use sourceUrl, sourceCommit, skillPath, sourceGone, and license. If the source is gone or its path is missing, stop. If license is null, read licence files at the source commit.
> 3. Fetch only the source commit into a temporary Git repository. Do not clone full history. Derive repository_url from sourceUrl, including repository renames. If sourceCommit is absent, resolve the sourceUrl ref once. Set source_commit to that actual commit. Run these commands in one shell call:
>
> ```sh
> git init --quiet "$temporary_dir"
> git -C "$temporary_dir" fetch --quiet --depth=1 "$repository_url" "$source_commit"
> git -C "$temporary_dir" checkout --quiet --detach FETCH_HEAD
> ```
>
> Read applicable licence declarations and notices at that commit. If copying is not permitted, report the restriction and stop.
> 4. Inspect source entries together, then copy the directory containing skillPath into `./skills/template`. Use the user's path if selected. Keep the original SKILL.md, relative links, scripts, binary assets, and executable modes. Exclude .git metadata. Reject symlinks and paths outside the Skill directory. After checking entries, use cp -a where available. A regular source directory needs no custom copy script. Do not save this page wrapper as SKILL.md.
> Preserve author credit, notices, and applicable licence files from repository or parent directories. Add PROVENANCE.md with the Skill page, source URL, actual commit, original path, and licence. Retain any existing PROVENANCE.md and record new provenance separately. Batch source inspection, copying, and provenance work where practical.
> 5. In the project root, run `skilld install ./skills/template --mode copy --plain`. If skilld is unavailable, use `npx skilld install ./skills/template --mode copy --plain`. This known command needs no help lookup. Install does not support --json. Use detected Agent targets, or add --agent for the targets the user selected. Install the local path, never the upstream selector. If installation fails, preserve the local copy and report the exact failure.
> 6. Confirm the local lockfile source and installed Agent copies once. Report the local path, actual commit, and Agent targets. After edits, reinstall the same local path. Upstream updates must not replace it. Do not publish or push unless the user asks.

# Skill Name

Provide a clear, concise description of what this skill covers and when to use it. This description appears in skill discovery and should help agents (and humans) determine when this skill is relevant.

**Important**: Keep the total SKILL.md body under 500 lines for optimal performance. Move detailed reference material to separate files in the `references/` directory.

Every skill body must make its ownership boundary explicit. The description and `When to Activate` section should say what the skill owns and which adjacent skills own nearby work. This prevents broad skills from stealing activation from narrower skills.

## When to Activate

Describe specific situations, tasks, or contexts where this skill should be activated. Include both direct triggers (specific keywords or task types) and indirect signals (broader patterns that indicate skill relevance).

Write in third person. The description is injected into the system prompt, and inconsistent point-of-view can cause discovery problems.

- Good: "Processes Excel files and generates reports"
- Avoid: "I can help you process Excel files"

Include a short "Do not activate" block for adjacent skills. Example:

- Do not activate for project-level pipeline shape: `project-development`.
- Do not activate for individual tool schema design: `tool-design`.

## Core Concepts

Explain the fundamental concepts covered by this skill. These are the mental models, principles, or frameworks that the skill teaches.

Default assumption: Claude is already very smart. Only add context Claude does not already have. Challenge each piece of information:
- "Does Claude really need this explanation?"
- "Can I assume Claude knows this?"
- "Does this paragraph justify its token cost?"

Prefer behavior-changing mechanisms over general background. If a concept should be reusable across the corpus, add or update a record in `researcher/mechanisms/registry.jsonl`.

## Detailed Topics

### Topic 1

Provide detailed explanation of the first major topic. Include specific techniques, patterns, or approaches. Use examples to illustrate concepts.

### Topic 2

Provide detailed explanation of the second major topic. Continue with additional topics as needed.

For longer topics, consider moving content to `references/` and linking:
- See [detailed reference](https://skilld.dev/api/skills-raw/muratcankoylan/agent-skills-for-context-engineering/template/references/topic-details.md) for complete implementation

## Practical Guidance

Provide actionable guidance for applying the skill. Include common patterns, anti-patterns to avoid, and decision frameworks for choosing between approaches.

Match the level of specificity to the task's fragility:
- **High freedom**: Multiple approaches are valid, decisions depend on context
- **Medium freedom**: Preferred pattern exists, some variation acceptable
- **Low freedom**: Operations are fragile, specific sequence must be followed

Practical guidance should be executable by an agent: a workflow, checklist, decision table, or concrete operating rule. If a section only explains history or motivation, move it to `references/`.

## Examples

Provide concrete examples that illustrate skill application. Examples should show before/after comparisons, demonstrate correct usage, or show how to handle edge cases.

Use input/output pairs for clarity:

**Example:**
```
Input: [describe input]
Output: [show expected output]
```

## Guidelines

List specific guidelines to follow when applying this skill. These should be actionable rules that can be checked or verified.

1. Guideline one with specific, verifiable criteria
2. Guideline two with clear success conditions
3. Continue as needed

## Gotchas

List experience-derived failure modes, common mistakes, and counterintuitive behaviors. These are the highest-signal content in any skill. Each gotcha should be specific, actionable, and non-overlapping with guidance already in the skill body. Use numbered format:

1. **Short descriptive title**: One to two sentences explaining what goes wrong and how to prevent it.
2. **Another gotcha title**: Description of the failure mode and what to do instead.

## Integration

Explain how this skill integrates with other skills in the collection. List related skills as plain text (not links) to avoid cross-directory reference issues:

- skill-name-one - Brief description of relationship
- skill-name-two - Brief description of relationship

## References

Internal reference (use relative path to skill's own reference files):
- [Reference Name](https://skilld.dev/api/skills-raw/muratcankoylan/agent-skills-for-context-engineering/template/references/reference-file.md) - Description

Related skills in this collection:
- skill-name - Relationship description

External resources:
- Research papers, documentation, or guides

Numeric, benchmark, volatile, or vendor-performance claims need an inline `claim-*` ID backed by `researcher/claims/index.jsonl`, or they should be softened and moved to dated reference material.

---

## Skill Metadata

**Created**: [Date]
**Last Updated**: [Date]
**Author**: [Author or Attribution]
**Version**: [Version number]