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I make skills for «this is how I like to do things in this company / project». Query test database, git branch names, commit message style, which cloud things c

by pletnes 12d ago

I make skills for «this is how I like to do things in this company / project». Query test database, git branch names, commit message style, which cloud things can be inspected like logs etc. I don’t see the point in trying to teach the models things that is in the documentation of git, python, what have you. They already know.

stanmancan 12d ago
Isn’t that what the agents.md in your project is for?
- paool 12d ago
  I try to keep agents/Claude.md as tiny as possible. With high level "truths" that don't change. Stack used, invariants, file structure, and some scripts. Skills are more for things you do often. I run mutation tests, type check,linting,etc. I _could_ just prompt and copy/paste the same prompt each time I need to, or I can just run /tests. I also have skills for specialized tasks I need every once in a while, like a ux skill, a text skill optimized for xyz, etc.
- jpalomaki 12d ago
  Depends on how much information and details you have. The agents.md always goes into context. Detailed testing or process information might be excessive, when agent is working on UI. Skills are pulled when needed.
  - distances 12d ago
    I handle the context problem by splitting the details to dozens of small md files. Agents.md acts as a router that directs the llm to correct documentation file/folder according to the task at hand. This documentation is its own git repo, and the agents.md file has an explicit instruction to update the docs when it has learned something general that can be useful in future sessions. I then occasionally review and prune those docs.
    - oakesm9 12d ago
      That's exactly what skills do. The description in the front-matter (at the top of the skill markdown file) is the only thing in the context and used by the agent to determine when to read in the rest of the skill file.
- jve 12d ago
  Skills are evaluated by short description whether to read them into context. Skills itself may be lengthy so...
- jbeninger 12d ago
  It's possible I invented skills before they were common. I've always had some instructions in agents.md that are something like "when working with typescript, read prompts/conventions.ts.md, when working with our fooBar module, read prompts/foobar.md" I'm not sure if this differs greatly from skills. Maybe my wording makes these "skills" less likely to be read at the correct times, but I haven't seen an issue.
- notatoad 11d ago
  yes, it is. it's almost exactly the same thing. skills are just an agents.md broken up into chunks so you can manage and share them separately. unfortunately there's no real good workflow for managing or sharing them separately, so most people end up treating them exactly the same way they do agents.md.
- chachachainsaw 10d ago
  Most guidance I’ve read, and experienced success with, is keeping a lean agents.md file and building out a tree of docs or skills that an agent can navigate via progressive disclosure.

by pletnes 12d ago

stanmancan 12d ago

Isn’t that what the agents.md in your project is for?

paool 12d ago
I try to keep agents/Claude.md as tiny as possible. With high level "truths" that don't change. Stack used, invariants, file structure, and some scripts. Skills are more for things you do often. I run mutation tests, type check,linting,etc. I _could_ just prompt and copy/paste the same prompt each time I need to, or I can just run /tests. I also have skills for specialized tasks I need every once in a while, like a ux skill, a text skill optimized for xyz, etc.
jpalomaki 12d ago
Depends on how much information and details you have. The agents.md always goes into context. Detailed testing or process information might be excessive, when agent is working on UI. Skills are pulled when needed.
- distances 12d ago
  I handle the context problem by splitting the details to dozens of small md files. Agents.md acts as a router that directs the llm to correct documentation file/folder according to the task at hand. This documentation is its own git repo, and the agents.md file has an explicit instruction to update the docs when it has learned something general that can be useful in future sessions. I then occasionally review and prune those docs.
  - oakesm9 12d ago
    That's exactly what skills do. The description in the front-matter (at the top of the skill markdown file) is the only thing in the context and used by the agent to determine when to read in the rest of the skill file.
jve 12d ago
Skills are evaluated by short description whether to read them into context. Skills itself may be lengthy so...
jbeninger 12d ago
It's possible I invented skills before they were common. I've always had some instructions in agents.md that are something like "when working with typescript, read prompts/conventions.ts.md, when working with our fooBar module, read prompts/foobar.md" I'm not sure if this differs greatly from skills. Maybe my wording makes these "skills" less likely to be read at the correct times, but I haven't seen an issue.
notatoad 11d ago
yes, it is. it's almost exactly the same thing. skills are just an agents.md broken up into chunks so you can manage and share them separately. unfortunately there's no real good workflow for managing or sharing them separately, so most people end up treating them exactly the same way they do agents.md.
chachachainsaw 10d ago
Most guidance I’ve read, and experienced success with, is keeping a lean agents.md file and building out a tree of docs or skills that an agent can navigate via progressive disclosure.