- name
- skill-extractor
- description
- Extract reusable skills from conversation patterns. Use when asked to "turn this into a skill," "extract a skill," or "I keep doing this task repeatedly.
Skill Extractor
Transform repeated conversation patterns into reusable SKILL.md files.
Workflow
1. Gather Evidence
Ask: "Share a conversation excerpt where Claude did this task well, or describe a task you do repeatedly."
Accept:
- Pasted conversation excerpts
- Task descriptions with examples
- Multiple examples to find common patterns
2. Identify the Pattern
Analyze for these elements:
| Element | Find This |
|---|---|
| Trigger | What phrase starts this workflow? |
| Input | What does user provide? |
| Transform | What does Claude do with it? |
| Output | What format/structure results? |
| Quality | What separates good from bad? |
3. Validate
Confirm: "It sounds like you want to [workflow]. Is that right?"
Refine: "What would you change? What context made it work?"
4. Generate SKILL.md
Output a complete skill file following the format in references/skill-template.md.
5. Test
Run the extracted skill on fresh input. Iterate until it works reliably.
Skill Archetypes
| Type | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Transformer | Format A → Format B | Notes → Email |
| Analyzer | Input → Assessment | Code → Review |
| Generator | Parameters → Content | Topic → Blog |
| Synthesizer | Many → One | Feedback → Themes |
Viability Check
Strong candidates:
- Done 3+ times with similar structure
- Clear input → output transformation
- Required specific prompting to work
- Explainable to a colleague
Weak candidates:
- One-off creative tasks
- Simple Q&A (no workflow)
- Requires external data
- Too vague to define success
Output Deliverables
Provide:
- SKILL.md — Complete, ready to use
- Test prompt — Verify it works
- Usage examples — How to invoke
- Refinement notes — Next iteration
Example Extraction
User says: "I keep asking Claude to turn meeting notes into weekly updates."
Extracted pattern:
- Trigger: "write weekly update" / "summarize this week"
- Input: Bullet points from meetings
- Transform: Organize by Accomplishments/In Progress/Blockers
- Output: Professional email format
- Quality: Outcome-focused, not activity-focused
Result: See references/example-extractions.md for the full weekly-update-writer skill.
References
references/skill-template.md— Standard skill formatreferences/example-extractions.md— Before/after examples