Skill Audit
Audit a skill before calling it ready. Favor Tessl output, repo conventions, and the skill's actual file shape over taste.
Tessl is the skill-evaluation CLI this repo uses to review skills, score their quality, and suggest improvements. See tessl.io and the CLI docs. If npx tessl... or tessl... is unavailable, install or initialize Tessl before running the audit loop.
Principles
- Evidence beats hunches
- Discovery matters: score
nameanddescriptionbefore polishing the body - Keep
SKILL.mdlean; move depth intoreferences/or scripts only when they earn their keep - Prefer the smallest change set that improves activation, clarity, or verification
- Audit only the requested scope; flag adjacent issues separately
Handoffs
- Need to update AGENTS, README, or other repo docs beyond the skill surface -> use
docs - Need to prove a product or code change works on real surfaces -> use
verify - Need to review general code or a PR instead of a skill package -> use
review
Before You Start
- Define scope: one skill folder or the whole skills repo
- Load the target repo's guidance files such as
AGENTS.md,CLAUDE.md, or repo rules, when present - Read the target
SKILL.mdfirst, then nearbyreferences/,scripts/, andagents/openai.yamlonly as needed - Pick the right Tessl loop:
- single skill: npx tessl skill review --json skills/<name> - full repo batch: use a repo wrapper such as ./scripts/review-skills.sh if one exists; otherwise run direct Tessl reviews per skill - optimizer only when explicitly requested: npx tessl skill review --optimize --yes --max-iterations 1 skills/<name>
Workflow
1. Run Tessl first
Capture the score, summary, and concrete suggestions before proposing edits. Prefer per-skill --json when you need a narrow audit loop or structured output. If Tessl is missing, use npx tessl... first or follow the official docs before continuing.
2. Audit discovery
Use references/scorecard.md to check:
- whether
nameis specific and memorable - whether
descriptionstates what the skill does, when to use it, and its main boundary - whether likely user phrasing would activate the skill without extra prompting
Quick example:
- weak:
helper— "Helps with skills" - stronger:
skill-audit— "Audits existing skills with Tessl scoring, metadata checks, and repo conventions"
3. Audit workflow shape
Check that the skill tells the agent how to start, what evidence to gather, what not to change, and what "done" looks like.
Concrete failure signs:
- vague verbs like "help" without a workflow
- missing output expectations
- commands or paths that cannot be run as written
- a fragile task described with high-level prose instead of tighter guardrails
4. Audit progressive disclosure
Check whether detail belongs in SKILL.md, references/, or executable scripts:
- keep core workflow in
SKILL.md - move dense doctrine, examples, or score rubrics into
references/ - use scripts for repeated deterministic work instead of asking the model to recreate them
Use references/best-practices.md when the skill feels bloated, under-specified, or hard to trigger.
5. Audit repo fit
Check for repo-relative links, stale paths, duplicated guidance, and conflicts with the source repo's conventions.
6. Synthesize the smallest useful change set
Separate blockers from polish. If edits are requested, fix the highest-leverage issues first, rerun Tessl, and report what improved.
Output
After an audit, report:
- scope audited
- Tessl command and score
- strongest parts worth keeping
- prioritized findings with file references
- smallest recommended changes
- rerun status if edits were made
References
- references/scorecard.md — audit dimensions, severity, and a compact review template
- references/best-practices.md — distilled skill-authoring guidance from common repo conventions and Claude's skill best-practices guide