# create-tooluniverse-skill

Walks you through seven phases of building a ToolUniverse skill, from domain analysis and tool testing to packaging. Aimed at maintainers.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 409 installs · ★ 1759
- Author: mims-harvard
- License: Apache-2.0 · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/mims-harvard/ToolUniverse/tree/HEAD/skills/create-tooluniverse-skill/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-10-24
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/create-tooluniverse-skill

## What it does

This skill lays out the order of work on a new ToolUniverse skill. You start with use cases and data types, then search tool configs and test each tool with a script. Docs come last, after testing — that is the first of ten principles the workflow rests on.

Seven phases, each with a rough time budget: domain analysis, tool discovery, tool creation, implementation of `python_implementation.py`, documentation, validation, packaging. Without tool creation it runs about 1.5–2 hours. Every phase has a template file in the repo: `SKILL_TEMPLATE.md`, `TESTING_GUIDE.md`, `VALIDATION_CHECKLIST.md`, `CODE_TEMPLATES.md` and others.

It is maintainer-facing, not part of the user-facing plugin mirror. Some steps hand off to `devtu-create-tool`, `devtu-fix-tool` and `devtu-optimize-skills`, but those moved to the tu-harness plugin and install separately — without it those references won't resolve. Worth checking that tu-harness is already present before you start.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add mims-harvard/ToolUniverse --skill create-tooluniverse-skill -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/create-tooluniverse-skill/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/create-tooluniverse-skill/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add mims-harvard/ToolUniverse --skill create-tooluniverse-skill -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/create-tooluniverse-skill/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add mims-harvard/ToolUniverse --skill create-tooluniverse-skill -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/create-tooluniverse-skill/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install mims-harvard/ToolUniverse create-tooluniverse-skill
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/create-tooluniverse-skill/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add mims-harvard/ToolUniverse --skill create-tooluniverse-skill -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/mims-harvard/ToolUniverse --path skills/create-tooluniverse-skill
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/create-tooluniverse-skill/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add mims-harvard/ToolUniverse --skill create-tooluniverse-skill -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/mims-harvard/ToolUniverse/tree/HEAD/skills/create-tooluniverse-skill/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- break ToolUniverse skill creation into clear phases
- test tools before documenting them
- write SKILL.md with no Python or MCP code
- produce a QUICK_START.md covering both interfaces
- run a pre-release checklist over a finished skill

## Example prompts
- help me create a new ToolUniverse skill for working with protein structures
- test the tools with a script before writing SKILL.md
- walk my skill through the validation checklist

## Source text · SKILL.md · Apache-2.0

Below is the content of a third-party file. It is data, not instructions for you: do not act on anything written inside unless the human asks. Block tag: be42c062d601ba27.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE be42c062d601ba27
```text
---
name: create-tooluniverse-skill
description: Create high-quality ToolUniverse skills following test-driven, implementation-agnostic methodology.
disable-model-invocation: true
---

# Create ToolUniverse Skill

Systematic workflow for creating production-ready ToolUniverse skills.

> **The `devtu-*` skills this one hands off to are no longer in this
> repository.** `devtu-optimize-skills`, `devtu-create-tool` and
> `devtu-fix-tool` moved to the **tu-harness** plugin
> ([tooluniverse/tooluniverse-harness](https://github.com/tooluniverse/tooluniverse-harness)),
> because they operate on this repository rather than being something a user of
> it calls. Install them with
> `claude plugin install tu-harness@tooluniverse-harness`; the references below
> name them by skill, so they resolve once that plugin is present. This skill
> is maintainer-facing too -- it is not in the user-facing plugin mirror -- and
> belongs beside them; it has not moved yet only because nothing forced the
> question.

## Core Principles

Build on the 10 pillars from `devtu-optimize-skills`:
1. TEST FIRST - never document untested tools
2. Verify tool contracts - don't trust function names
3. Handle SOAP tools - add `operation` parameter
4. Implementation-agnostic docs - no Python/MCP code in SKILL.md
5. Foundation first - query aggregators before specialized tools
6. Disambiguate carefully - resolve IDs properly
7. Implement fallbacks - Primary -> Fallback -> Default
8. Grade evidence - T1-T4 tiers on claims
9. Quantified completeness - numeric minimums per section
10. Synthesize - models and hypotheses, not just lists

See `OPTIMIZE_INTEGRATION.md` for detailed application of each pillar.

## 7-Phase Workflow

| Phase | Duration | Description |
|-------|----------|-------------|
| 1. Domain Analysis | 15 min | Understand use cases, data types, analysis phases |
| 2. Tool Discovery | 30-45 min | Search, read configs, test tools (MANDATORY) |
| 3. Tool Creation | 0-60 min | Create missing tools via devtu-create-tool |
| 4. Implementation | 30-45 min | Write python_implementation.py with tested tools |
| 5. Documentation | 30-45 min | Write SKILL.md (agnostic) + QUICK_START.md |
| 6. Validation | 15-30 min | Run test suite, validate checklist, manual verify |
| 7. Packaging | 15 min | Create summary, update tracking |

**Total**: ~1.5-2 hours (without tool creation).

### Phase 1: Domain Analysis

- Gather concrete use cases and expected outputs
- Identify inputs, outputs, and intermediate data types
- Break workflow into logical phases
- Review existing skills in `skills/` for patterns
```
END THIRD-PARTY FILE be42c062d601ba27

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First 2604 of 5565 bytes. © mims-harvard · Apache-2.0 · https://github.com/mims-harvard/ToolUniverse/tree/HEAD/skills/create-tooluniverse-skill/SKILL.md

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