Make Skill Template
A meta-skill for creating new Agent Skills. Use this skill when you need to scaffold a new skill folder, generate a SKILL.md file, or help users understand the Agent Skills specification.
When to Use This Skill User asks to "create a skill", "make a new skill", or "scaffold a skill" User wants to add a specialized capability to their GitHub Copilot setup User needs help structuring a skill with bundled resources User wants to duplicate this template as a starting point Prerequisites Understanding of what the skill should accomplish A clear, keyword-rich description of capabilities and triggers Knowledge of any bundled resources needed (scripts, references, assets, templates) Creating a New Skill Step 1: Create the Skill Directory
Create a new folder with a lowercase, hyphenated name:
skills/
Step 2: Generate SKILL.md with Frontmatter
Every skill requires YAML frontmatter with name and description:
name:
Frontmatter Field Requirements Field Required Constraints name Yes 1-64 chars, lowercase letters/numbers/hyphens only, must match folder name description Yes 1-1024 chars, must describe WHAT it does AND WHEN to use it license No License name or reference to bundled LICENSE.txt compatibility No 1-500 chars, environment requirements if needed metadata No Key-value pairs for additional properties allowed-tools No Space-delimited list of pre-approved tools (experimental) Description Best Practices
CRITICAL: The description is the PRIMARY mechanism for automatic skill discovery. Include:
WHAT the skill does (capabilities) WHEN to use it (triggers, scenarios, file types) Keywords users might mention in prompts
Good example:
description: 'Toolkit for testing local web applications using Playwright. Use when asked to verify frontend functionality, debug UI behavior, capture browser screenshots, or view browser console logs. Supports Chrome, Firefox, and WebKit.'
Poor example:
description: 'Web testing helpers'
Step 3: Write the Skill Body
After the frontmatter, add markdown instructions. Recommended sections:
Section Purpose
Title Brief overview
When to Use This Skill Reinforces description triggers
Prerequisites Required tools, dependencies
Step-by-Step Workflows Numbered steps for tasks
Troubleshooting Common issues and solutions
References Links to bundled docs
Step 4: Add Optional Directories (If Needed) Folder Purpose When to Use scripts/ Executable code (Python, Bash, JS) Automation that performs operations references/ Documentation agent reads API references, schemas, guides assets/ Static files used AS-IS Images, fonts, templates templates/ Starter code agent modifies Scaffolds to extend Example: Complete Skill Structure my-awesome-skill/ ├── SKILL.md # Required instructions ├── LICENSE.txt # Optional license file ├── scripts/ │ └── helper.py # Executable automation ├── references/ │ ├── api-reference.md # Detailed docs │ └── examples.md # Usage examples ├── assets/ │ └── diagram.png # Static resources └── templates/ └── starter.ts # Code scaffold
Quick Start: Duplicate This Template Copy the make-skill-template/ folder Rename to your skill name (lowercase, hyphens) Update SKILL.md: Change name: to match folder name Write a keyword-rich description: Replace body content with your instructions Add bundled resources as needed Validate with npm run skill:validate Validation Checklist Folder name is lowercase with hyphens name field matches folder name exactly description is 10-1024 characters description explains WHAT and WHEN description is wrapped in single quotes Body content is under 500 lines Bundled assets are under 5MB each Troubleshooting Issue Solution Skill not discovered Improve description with more keywords and triggers Validation fails on name Ensure lowercase, no consecutive hyphens, matches folder Description too short Add capabilities, triggers, and keywords Assets not found Use relative paths from skill root References Agent Skills official spec: https://agentskills.io/specification