/skill-forge

Parameter System

The $ARGUMENTS Variable

Skills receive user input through the $ARGUMENTS variable. This includes everything the user types after the skill invocation.

Example: /my-skill article.md --style dark --quick → $ARGUMENTS = article.md --style dark --quick

Designing Parameters

Basic Structure

Document parameters as a table in SKILL.md:

## Options

| Option | Description | Default |
|--------|-------------|---------|
| `<content>` | Input file or text | Required |
| `--style <name>` | Visual style | auto |
| `--quick` | Skip confirmation gates | false |
| `--lang <code>` | Output language | en |

Parameter Types

1. Positional: <content> — the main input
2. Named flags: --style dark — configuration with a value
3. Boolean flags: --quick — toggle behavior (no value)
4. Partial execution: --outline-only, --images-only — run only part of the workflow
5. Selective redo: --regenerate 3 — redo a specific item without rerunning everything

Argument Hint

Add argument-hint to frontmatter so users see parameter suggestions when typing /:

argument-hint: [content] [--style name] [--quick] [--lang code]

Advanced Patterns

Partial Execution

Let users run only part of the workflow instead of start-to-finish:

/slide-deck content.md --outline-only     # Only generate outline
/slide-deck content.md --prompts-only     # Only generate image prompts
/slide-deck slide-deck/topic/ --images-only  # Only generate images

In SKILL.md, check the flag and skip to the relevant step:

## Step 1: Parse Arguments

$ARGUMENTS

If `--outline-only`: Execute Steps 1-3 only, then output.
If `--images-only`: Skip to Step 7, load existing prompts.
If `--regenerate N`: Skip to Step 7, regenerate only slide N.
Otherwise: Execute full workflow.

Independent Dimensions

Design parameters to be independently combinable — any combination is valid:

/cover-image article.md --type conceptual --palette warm --rendering flat-vector
/cover-image article.md --quick                # Skip confirmation, full auto
/cover-image article.md --ref style-ref.png    # Use reference image

Each dimension (type, palette, rendering) is independent. The user can set any, all, or none.

Quick Mode

A --quick flag that skips confirmation gates is a common and useful pattern:

## Step 2: Confirm Options ⚠️ REQUIRED

Unless `--quick` was passed:
- Present options to user
- Wait for confirmation

If `--quick`: Use auto-selected defaults and proceed.

This lets power users skip the interactive flow while keeping it safe by default.

Default Values

Always define sensible defaults for every parameter:

## Defaults

- `--style`: auto-detected from content
- `--lang`: same as input content
- `--slides`: 8-12 based on content length

This way, /my-skill content.md with zero flags still produces good output.