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Reduced description lengths

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Matt Pocock 2026-06-17 15:15:11 +01:00
parent 460f19f240
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10 changed files with 15 additions and 8 deletions
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skills/productivity/writing-great-skills/SKILL.md
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@ -19,6 +19,14 @@ Pick model-invocation only when the agent must reach the skill on its own, or an
When user-invoked skills multiply past what you can remember, that piled-up cognitive load is cured by a **router skill**: one user-invoked skill that names the others and when to reach for each.
## Writing the description
A model-invoked **description** does two jobs — state what the skill is, and list the **branches** that should trigger it. Every word increases **context load**, so a description earns even harder pruning than the body:
- **Front-load the skill's leading word** — the description is where it does its invocation work.
- **One trigger per branch.** Synonyms that rename a single branch are **duplication** — "build features using TDD … asks for test-first development" is one branch written twice. Collapse them; keep only genuinely distinct branches.
- **Cut identity that's already in the body.** Keep the description to triggers, plus any "when another skill needs…" reach clause.
## Information hierarchy
A skill is built from two content types — **steps** and **reference** — that mix freely: a skill can be all steps, all reference, or both. The core decision is which to use and where each sits on the **information hierarchy**, a ladder ranked by how immediately the agent needs the material: