◆ Sparround

Project 2: write your own skill

Goal: turn one of your own procedures into a SKILL.md and attach it to a cron job.

This is the fastest route to real value from the agent: it learns what to do from a documented procedure rather than from your explanation each time. The result is both more consistent and cheaper — you are not retyping a long brief every run.

A good skill has four sections:

  • When to use — so the agent can select it; short and precise
  • Steps — numbered, each with a concrete command or decision
  • Pitfalls — the places you have got it wrong before; this section is the most valuable part
  • Verification — what "done" means, so the agent can check itself

There are two routes: write it by hand, or have the agent write it with /learn (you point at existing docs, a directory or a procedure, and it authors a standard-format SKILL.md).

The urge to grow a skill arrives on day one — resist it. A long SKILL.md enters the context in full when it loads. Move the details into references/: those are read only when needed (Level 2). Keep the description field especially short — it loads in every session.

Practice. After writing the skill, use it for a week and add every place the agent got it wrong to the "Pitfalls" section. Done means: the skill produces the right result three times in a row without any extra explanation from you.

📚 Sources and documentation