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shawn-sandy
shawn-sandyCOMMUNITY
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optimizing-skill-frontmatter

Rewrites SKILL.md descriptions to a three-part format and tunes disable-model-invocation flags.

Updated Jun 8, 2026
Search Tags:#claude code#yaml#plugin development#frontmatter#skill.md#description optimization#disable-model-invocation
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/shawn-sandy/agentics-kit --skill optimizing-skill-frontmatter-shawn-sandy
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: optimizing-skill-frontmatter
Source: https://github.com/shawn-sandy/agentics-kit/tree/main/kit/plugins/skill-reviewer/skills/optimizing-skill-frontmatter
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/shawn-sandy/agentics-kit --skill optimizing-skill-frontmatter-shawn-sandy

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

💡 This Skill includes references (resource) components.

What problem does it solve? SKILL.md descriptions that are too long, missing components, or poorly structured get truncated in Claude Code's skill listing budget, making skills hard to discover. This Skill rewrites descriptions to a compact three-part format and correctly configures invocation control so workflow skills don't auto-fire unintentionally. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Description Rewriting: Converts descriptions to the three-part format (short description ≤80 chars, capability sentence, "Use when…" trigger) within a 200-character total budget. - Invocation Control Tuning: Classifies each skill as workflow or advisory and sets disable-model-invocation: true for write-heavy skills while omitting it for read-only ones. - Project-Wide Sweep: Measures every SKILL.md in the project, reports a SKIP/REWRITE table, and offers batch optimization with a skill listing budget advisory. - Use Case: After adding several new skills to a plugin, run this Skill to bring all descriptions under the character budget and ensure deploy-style skills require explicit invocation. ## Quick Start Ask the AI to optimize the SKILL.md frontmatter for a specific skill path or for all skills in the project.

Frequently Asked Questions about optimizing-skill-frontmatter

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

FAQPage Schema
How do I optimize a SKILL.md description for Claude Code?▼

Rewrite the description into three parts: a short description under 80 characters, a capability sentence, and a "Use when…" trigger, keeping the total under 200 characters. This Skill automates the measurement, rewriting, and verification of that format.

What is the character limit for SKILL.md descriptions?▼

The platform hard limit is 1,024 characters, but the practical target is 200 characters total with the first sentence under 80 characters. This fits the default skillListingBudgetFraction of 1% of the context window, roughly 8,000 characters for all skills combined.

When should disable-model-invocation be set to true?▼

Set it to true for workflow skills that write files, commit code, or run pipelines, so they only activate via explicit invocation. Omit the field entirely for read-only advisory skills; never write false.

Does this skill review overall SKILL.md quality?▼

No. It only touches the description field and the disable-model-invocation flag. Use the reviewing-skills skill for general quality review and auditing-allowed-tools for tool permission changes.

Why are my skill descriptions being truncated in Claude Code?▼

Claude Code loads all skill descriptions into a limited listing budget each turn, about 8,000 characters by default. Descriptions exceeding the budget get truncated or dropped; run /doctor to check and keep descriptions within the 200-character target.

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