Skill Template Generator
Generate a custom skill (slash command) based on requirements.
Usage: /skill-template [skill-name] [purpose]
Templates
| Purpose | Template | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Workflow | Multi-step | Sequential steps |
| Generator | Creator | File creation |
| Checker | Validator | Validation rules |
| Automation | Runner | Command execution |
| Agent-backed | Delegator | Runs in a forked subagent |
Process
-
Gather Requirements
- Skill name (lowercase, hyphenated)
- Purpose
- Arguments (if any — space-separated names)
- Workflow steps
- Context isolation (
context: fork)? - Agent backing (
agent:, only withcontext: fork)? - Tool restrictions?
-
Select Template based on purpose
-
Generate File at
.claude/skills/[name]/SKILL.md -
Validate with
/skill-check
Frontmatter Reference (official fields)
Only description is meaningfully required (name defaults to the directory
name). All other fields are optional.
yaml--- name: skill-name # Optional: defaults to directory name; lowercase, hyphenated description: What it does # Recommended: shown in / menu and used for triggering when_to_use: When to reach for it # Optional: appended to description for triggering # (description + when_to_use truncated at 1,536 chars in listings) user-invocable: true # Optional: default true; false hides from / menu (Skill tool still works) model: sonnet # Optional: any /model value (sonnet, opus, haiku, fable, best, # default, opusplan, sonnet[1m], opus[1m], a full model ID) or inherit effort: medium # Optional: low, medium, high, xhigh, max allowed-tools: # Optional: pre-approved tools. Accepts a comma-separated string - Read # OR a YAML list — BOTH are official (list shown here as house style) - Grep - Glob disallowed-tools: # Optional: explicitly blocked tools (string or YAML list) - WebFetch context: fork # Optional: run the skill in a subagent agent: agent-name # Optional: subagent type when context: fork (default: general-purpose) background: false # Optional (2.1.218+): with context: fork, false waits for the result; # forked skills run in the background by default argument-hint: "[issue-number]" # Optional: autocomplete hint shown after the skill name arguments: target flags # Optional: space-separated argument NAMES for $name substitution # (arguments "target flags" -> use $target and $flags in the body). # NOT a structured array of name/description/required objects. disable-model-invocation: false # Optional: bool; true also blocks scheduled-task invocation paths: # Optional: glob patterns that limit where the skill activates - "src/**/*.ts" shell: bash # Optional: bash or powershell for inline !`command` blocks hooks: # Optional: skill-scoped lifecycle hooks (same schema as settings.json) PreToolUse: - matcher: Bash hooks: - type: command command: echo "Bash used" Stop: - hooks: - type: command command: ./scripts/verify.sh once: true ---
metadata (a free-form map), license, and compatibility (up to 500
characters) are accepted but not acted on. version is not a skill field, and
Claude Code silently ignores unknown fields. once is valid only inside a
hooks[] entry, never at the top level.
Do not emit bare Bash, Edit, Write, Agent, Task, or Skill entries in
allowed-tools; those rules preapprove broad mutation or delegation. Omit the
field when the workflow should use the runtime's normal permission flow.
Workflow Template Structure
markdown--- name: [name] description: [What it does. Include when to use it.] user-invocable: true context: fork argument-hint: "<task-description>" # when_to_use: Use when the user asks about X or mentions Y. # Optional trigger hint # arguments: target mode # Optional: names for $target, $mode --- # [Skill Name] ## Workflow ### Step 1: [Name] ### Step 2: [Name] ### Step 3: [Name] ## Arguments Uses `$ARGUMENTS` for raw input (or `$name` per the `arguments` field) ## Output Summary when complete
Example
/skill-template deploy-staging "deploy to staging" Output: Created .claude/skills/deploy-staging/SKILL.md Usage: /deploy-staging
