Skill Template Generator

Given a structured pattern description (from codebase-pattern-analyzer or manual analysis), generate a valid SKILL.md file that OpenSpace can register, select for tasks, and evolve over time.

When to Use

• After extracting a pattern from a reference codebase, you need to package it as a reusable skill
• You want to create a new skill that teaches an agent how to perform a specific kind of task
• You are converting informal documentation or code examples into the SKILL.md format

SKILL.md Format

Every skill is a directory containing at minimum a SKILL.md file:

my-skill-name/
├── SKILL.md            # Required — the skill definition
├── scripts/            # Optional — helper scripts
├── references/         # Optional — reference data files
└── assets/             # Optional — images, templates

Frontmatter (Required)

The file MUST start with YAML frontmatter containing exactly two fields:

---
name: my-skill-name
description: One-sentence description of what this skill teaches. Must be specific enough for LLM skill selection to match it to relevant tasks.
---

Rules:

• name must match the directory name (kebab-case, lowercase)
• description should be 15-40 words, include key terms an LLM would search for
• No other frontmatter fields — everything else goes in the markdown body

Body Structure

The markdown body follows this template:

# [Skill Title]

[1-2 sentence summary of what this skill enables]

## When to Use

- [Trigger condition 1]
- [Trigger condition 2]
- [Trigger condition 3]

## [Core Content Sections]

[Step-by-step instructions, code templates, API references, etc.]

## Key Patterns

1. [Convention or best practice 1]
2. [Convention or best practice 2]
...

Step 1: Determine Skill Category

Match the pattern to one of three OpenSpace categories:

Category	Use When	Example
tool_guide	The skill teaches how to use a specific tool or technique	"How to analyze a codebase", "How to use Finnhub API"
workflow	The skill prescribes an end-to-end procedure with ordered steps	"Create a panel component", "Set up API proxy endpoint"
reference	The skill provides knowledge that informs decisions	"WorldMonitor architecture index", "News API comparison"

The category affects how OpenSpace judges the skill during execution analysis:

• workflow: Was the agent able to follow the prescribed steps?
• tool_guide: Did the agent use the described tool/approach?
• reference: Did the knowledge influence agent decisions?

Step 2: Write the Description

The description field is the most critical line — it determines whether OpenSpace selects this skill for a given task.

Good descriptions (specific, searchable):

• "Create a dashboard panel component using vanilla TypeScript DOM API, following the worldmonitor Panel architecture."
• "Integrate with Finnhub Stock API for real-time and historical stock market data."
• "CSS grid layout system for a responsive panel dashboard with dark theme."

Bad descriptions (vague, generic):

• "A useful skill for building things."
• "TypeScript patterns."
• "How to make a panel."

Formula: [Action verb] + [specific subject] + [key technology/approach] + [context/project reference]

Step 3: Write Actionable Instructions

The body must be concrete enough that an AI agent can follow it without guessing.

For Workflow Skills

Include:

1. File paths — exact paths where files should be created (src/components/MyPanel.ts)
2. Code templates — complete, runnable code blocks (not pseudocode)
3. Import statements — every import the code needs
4. Interface definitions — typed data shapes
5. Integration points — how this connects to other parts of the project

Use {baseDir} for paths relative to the skill directory:

Read the reference file at {baseDir}/references/example.json

For Tool Guide Skills

Include:

1. API endpoints — full URLs with parameter documentation
2. Auth mechanism — how to authenticate (query param, header, etc.)
3. Response shapes — JSON examples with field descriptions
4. Rate limits — free tier limitations
5. Error handling — common errors and how to handle them

For Reference Skills

Include:

1. Structured index — tables, lists, or maps of the reference material
2. Key file paths — where to find specific things in the reference codebase
3. Architecture decisions — WHY certain patterns were chosen
4. Comparison tables — alternatives and tradeoffs

Step 4: Add Dependency Hints

If the skill depends on patterns from other skills, mention them explicitly:

## Prerequisites

This skill builds on:
- `panel-component` — for the Panel base class
- `data-service` — for the circuit breaker pattern
- `api-proxy-endpoint` — for server-side API key isolation

This helps OpenSpace understand skill composition when DERIVING new skills.

Step 5: Validate the Skill

Before saving, verify:

1. Frontmatter is valid YAML — no tabs, proper indentation, quotes around special chars
2. Name matches directory — name: foo-bar lives in foo-bar/SKILL.md
3. Code blocks are complete — every snippet can be copy-pasted and run
4. No broken references — all file paths and URLs are valid
5. Description is specific — would an LLM pick this skill for the right task?

Example: Converting a Pattern to a Skill

Input (from codebase-pattern-analyzer):

Pattern: Circuit Breaker Data Service
Source: worldmonitor/src/services/*.ts
Category: service
Structure: Module-level CircuitBreaker instance, async fetch functions, typed interfaces
Key code: createCircuitBreaker({ name, cacheTtlMs }), breaker.execute(fn, default)

Output (data-service/SKILL.md):

---
name: data-service
description: Create data fetching services with circuit breaker pattern for API resilience. Services handle fetch, cache, retry, and expose typed data to panel components.
---

# Data Service Pattern

Each panel's data comes from a dedicated service module in `src/services/`. ...

## Circuit Breaker

[Full implementation code]

## Service Module Pattern

[Template with typed interfaces, breaker usage, export functions]

## Key Patterns

1. One circuit breaker per API endpoint
2. Export typed interfaces for data shapes
3. Wrap fetch calls in breaker.execute(fn, defaultValue)
...

Evolution Hooks

Skills generated by this workflow are designed to evolve:

• FIX: When an API changes or code pattern breaks, OpenSpace updates the skill in-place
• DERIVED: When a new panel needs a similar service, OpenSpace derives a specialized version
• CAPTURED: When an agent discovers a novel pattern during execution, OpenSpace captures it as a new skill

The better the initial skill quality, the better the evolved descendants.