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timchap
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hermes-agent-skill-authoring

Guides authoring of in-repo SKILL.md files with frontmatter validation rules and structure conventions.

Updated Jul 10, 2026
Search Tags:#documentation#validation#skill authoring#conventions#frontmatter#skill.md#hermes agent
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/timchap/dot-hermes --skill hermes-agent-skill-authoring-timchap
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: hermes-agent-skill-authoring
Source: https://github.com/timchap/dot-hermes/tree/main/skills/meta/hermes-agent-skill-authoring
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/timchap/dot-hermes --skill hermes-agent-skill-authoring-timchap

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve? Writing a SKILL.md that passes the Hermes Agent validator and matches peer conventions requires knowing exact frontmatter rules, size limits, and directory placement, which are easy to get wrong without a reference. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Validator Rules Reference: Documents hard requirements from the skill manager validator, including frontmatter format, description length limits, and file size caps. - Peer-Matched Structure: Provides the standard section layout (Overview, When to Use, Common Pitfalls, Verification Checklist) used across in-repo skills. - Writing Quality Principles: Lists eight checks for process predictability, completion criteria, and pruning no-op prose. - Use Case: When asked to add a new skill to the hermes-agent repository, follow this guide to draft the SKILL.md, validate it locally with a YAML check, and commit it to the correct category directory. ## Quick Start Ask the agent to create a new in-repo skill under skills/<category>/<name>/ following the hermes-agent skill authoring conventions.

Frequently Asked Questions about hermes-agent-skill-authoring

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I create a SKILL.md file for Hermes Agent?▼

Write the file to skills/<category>/<name>/SKILL.md using write_file, starting with YAML frontmatter containing name and description fields. Do not use skill_manage(action='create'), which targets the user-local ~/.hermes/skills/ tree instead of the repo.

What frontmatter fields are required in a SKILL.md?▼

The validator requires the file to start with --- at byte zero, parse as a YAML mapping, and include name and description fields. Version, author, license, and metadata are not enforced but every peer skill includes them.

What is the maximum description length for a Hermes skill?▼

The description field is limited to 1024 characters, enforced as MAX_DESCRIPTION_LENGTH by the validator. The full SKILL.md file is limited to 100,000 characters, with peer skills typically ranging from 8,000 to 14,000 characters.

Why does my new skill not appear in the current session?▼

The skill loader is initialized at session start and cached, so newly created skills are not visible to skill_view or skills_list until a new session begins. This is expected behavior, not a bug.

Can an in-repo skill reference user-local skills?▼

The related_skills metadata unions both the in-repo and user-local trees at load time, so references technically resolve. However, user-local references break for other users who clone the repo, so prefer linking only in-repo skills.

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