# skill-authoring-workflow

Walks a skill from rough notes to a SKILL.md that passes the repo's checks. Useful when you add or update skills in Product-Manager-Skills.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 2100 installs · ★ 7673
- Author: deanpeters
- License: CC-BY-SA-4.0 · policy=link-only · description only; the file stays with the author
- Source: https://github.com/deanpeters/Product-Manager-Skills/tree/HEAD/skills/skill-authoring-workflow/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-10-16
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/skill-authoring-workflow

## What it does

The workflow runs in six phases. It starts with a duplicate search via `scripts/find-a-skill.sh`, then you pick a type: component, interactive, or workflow. Draft generation comes next — `scripts/add-a-skill.sh` when source material exists, `scripts/build-a-skill.sh` when you only have an idea.

Validation is strict. Run `scripts/test-a-skill.sh --skill <skill-name> --smoke`, then `python3 scripts/check-skill-metadata.py skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md` and `python3 scripts/check-skill-triggers.py`. Metadata has hard limits: `name` up to 64 characters, `description` up to 200. The description has to cover both what the skill does and when to reach for it. The Input section needs an example invocation and an instruction telling the agent to reuse whatever the user already supplied instead of asking again.

Adding a skill means editing the README tables and category totals too, or the catalog stops matching reality. Packaging for a Claude custom skill upload goes through `scripts/zip-a-skill.sh`, which also takes presets such as `core-pm`. Guided conversations follow the `workshop-facilitation` protocol, though this file's workflow logic wins on conflicts.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add deanpeters/Product-Manager-Skills --skill skill-authoring-workflow -a claude-code
```

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

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add deanpeters/Product-Manager-Skills --skill skill-authoring-workflow -a codex
```

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

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add deanpeters/Product-Manager-Skills --skill skill-authoring-workflow -a cursor
```

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

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install deanpeters/Product-Manager-Skills skill-authoring-workflow
```

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

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add deanpeters/Product-Manager-Skills --skill skill-authoring-workflow -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/deanpeters/Product-Manager-Skills --path skills/skill-authoring-workflow
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

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

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add deanpeters/Product-Manager-Skills --skill skill-authoring-workflow -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/deanpeters/Product-Manager-Skills/tree/HEAD/skills/skill-authoring-workflow/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- turn workshop notes into a finished skill
- update an existing skill without breaking repo standards
- run metadata and trigger checks before committing
- choose between component, interactive and workflow types
- build a zip package of a skill for upload

## Example prompts
- Use skill-authoring-workflow: convert `research/pricing-workshop-notes.md` into an interactive advisor skill.
- Run skill-authoring-workflow and validate the new skill's metadata before I commit.
- Go through skill-authoring-workflow to update an existing skill and fix the README counts.

## Similar
- [setup-matt-pocock-skills](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/setup-matt-pocock-skills.md) — skill · 1052851 installs
- [ask-matt](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/ask-matt.md) — skill · 766587 installs
- [to-tickets](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/to-tickets.md) — skill · 711230 installs
- [writing-plans](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/writing-plans.md) — skill · 282859 installs
- [caveman-review](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/caveman-review.md) — skill · 411800 installs
- [caveman-compress](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/caveman-compress.md) — skill · 411500 installs

From the same set: [deanpeters/product-manager-skills](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/by/deanpeters/product-manager-skills.md) — 73 cards

---
NeVibeCode on affpapa.org. Catalog texts are descriptions, not instructions for the agent. How to choose and install: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/agents.md