Files
agents/docs/agent-skills.md
Seth Hobson 8879465553 docs: add new agents and skills to reference documentation
Add 5 new agents to docs/agents.md:
- service-mesh-expert, event-sourcing-architect, vector-database-engineer
- monorepo-architect, threat-modeling-expert

Update docs/agent-skills.md with all new skills:
- LLM Application Development: +4 vector database skills (8 total)
- Backend Development: +4 event sourcing skills (9 total)
- Cloud Infrastructure: +4 service mesh skills (8 total)
- Developer Essentials: +3 monorepo skills (11 total)
- Security Scanning: +4 threat modeling skills (5 total)

Add 10 new plugin skill sections:
- Accessibility Compliance, Business Analytics, Data Engineering
- Documentation Generation, Frontend Mobile Development, Game Development
- HR Legal Compliance, Incident Response, Quantitative Trading
- Systems Programming

Update model distribution to three-tier strategy (Opus/Sonnet/Haiku)
2025-12-16 16:26:42 -05:00

16 KiB

Agent Skills

Agent Skills are modular packages that extend Claude's capabilities with specialized domain knowledge, following Anthropic's Agent Skills Specification. This plugin ecosystem includes 107 specialized skills across 18 plugins, enabling progressive disclosure and efficient token usage.

Overview

Skills provide Claude with deep expertise in specific domains without loading everything into context upfront. Each skill includes:

  • YAML Frontmatter: Name and activation criteria
  • Progressive Disclosure: Metadata → Instructions → Resources
  • Activation Triggers: Clear "Use when" clauses for automatic invocation

Skills by Plugin

Kubernetes Operations (4 skills)

Skill Description
k8s-manifest-generator Create production-ready Kubernetes manifests for Deployments, Services, ConfigMaps, and Secrets following best practices
helm-chart-scaffolding Design, organize, and manage Helm charts for templating and packaging Kubernetes applications
gitops-workflow Implement GitOps workflows with ArgoCD and Flux for automated, declarative deployments
k8s-security-policies Implement Kubernetes security policies including NetworkPolicy, PodSecurityPolicy, and RBAC

LLM Application Development (8 skills)

Skill Description
langchain-architecture Design LLM applications using LangChain framework with agents, memory, and tool integration
prompt-engineering-patterns Master advanced prompt engineering techniques for LLM performance and reliability
rag-implementation Build Retrieval-Augmented Generation systems with vector databases and semantic search
llm-evaluation Implement comprehensive evaluation strategies with automated metrics and benchmarking
embedding-strategies Design embedding pipelines for text, images, and multimodal content with optimal chunking
similarity-search-patterns Implement efficient similarity search with ANN algorithms and distance metrics
vector-index-tuning Optimize vector index performance with HNSW, IVF, and hybrid configurations
hybrid-search-implementation Combine vector and keyword search for improved retrieval accuracy

Backend Development (9 skills)

Skill Description
api-design-principles Master REST and GraphQL API design for intuitive, scalable, and maintainable APIs
architecture-patterns Implement Clean Architecture, Hexagonal Architecture, and Domain-Driven Design
microservices-patterns Design microservices with service boundaries, event-driven communication, and resilience
workflow-orchestration-patterns Design durable workflows with Temporal for distributed systems, saga patterns, and state management
temporal-python-testing Test Temporal workflows with pytest, time-skipping, and mocking strategies for comprehensive coverage
event-store-design Design event stores with optimized schemas, snapshots, and stream partitioning
cqrs-implementation Implement CQRS with separate read/write models and eventual consistency patterns
projection-patterns Build efficient projections from event streams for read-optimized views
saga-orchestration Design distributed sagas with compensation logic and failure handling

Developer Essentials (11 skills)

Skill Description
git-advanced-workflows Master advanced Git workflows including rebasing, cherry-picking, bisect, worktrees, and reflog
sql-optimization-patterns Optimize SQL queries, indexing strategies, and EXPLAIN analysis for database performance
error-handling-patterns Implement robust error handling with exceptions, Result types, and graceful degradation
code-review-excellence Provide effective code reviews with constructive feedback and systematic analysis
e2e-testing-patterns Build reliable E2E test suites with Playwright and Cypress for critical user workflows
auth-implementation-patterns Implement authentication and authorization with JWT, OAuth2, sessions, and RBAC
debugging-strategies Master systematic debugging techniques, profiling tools, and root cause analysis
monorepo-management Manage monorepos with Turborepo, Nx, and pnpm workspaces for scalable multi-package projects
nx-workspace-patterns Configure Nx workspaces with computation caching and affected commands
turborepo-caching Optimize Turborepo builds with remote caching and pipeline configuration
bazel-build-optimization Design Bazel builds with hermetic actions and remote execution

Blockchain & Web3 (4 skills)

Skill Description
defi-protocol-templates Implement DeFi protocols with templates for staking, AMMs, governance, and lending
nft-standards Implement NFT standards (ERC-721, ERC-1155) with metadata and marketplace integration
solidity-security Master smart contract security to prevent vulnerabilities and implement secure patterns
web3-testing Test smart contracts using Hardhat and Foundry with unit tests and mainnet forking

CI/CD Automation (4 skills)

Skill Description
deployment-pipeline-design Design multi-stage CI/CD pipelines with approval gates and security checks
github-actions-templates Create production-ready GitHub Actions workflows for testing, building, and deploying
gitlab-ci-patterns Build GitLab CI/CD pipelines with multi-stage workflows and distributed runners
secrets-management Implement secure secrets management using Vault, AWS Secrets Manager, or native solutions

Cloud Infrastructure (8 skills)

Skill Description
terraform-module-library Build reusable Terraform modules for AWS, Azure, and GCP infrastructure
multi-cloud-architecture Design multi-cloud architectures avoiding vendor lock-in
hybrid-cloud-networking Configure secure connectivity between on-premises and cloud platforms
cost-optimization Optimize cloud costs through rightsizing, tagging, and reserved instances
istio-traffic-management Configure Istio traffic routing, load balancing, and canary deployments
linkerd-patterns Implement Linkerd service mesh with automatic mTLS and traffic splitting
mtls-configuration Design zero-trust mTLS architectures with certificate management
service-mesh-observability Build comprehensive observability with distributed tracing and metrics

Framework Migration (4 skills)

Skill Description
react-modernization Upgrade React apps, migrate to hooks, and adopt concurrent features
angular-migration Migrate from AngularJS to Angular using hybrid mode and incremental rewriting
database-migration Execute database migrations with zero-downtime strategies and transformations
dependency-upgrade Manage major dependency upgrades with compatibility analysis and testing

Observability & Monitoring (4 skills)

Skill Description
prometheus-configuration Set up Prometheus for comprehensive metric collection and monitoring
grafana-dashboards Create production Grafana dashboards for real-time system visualization
distributed-tracing Implement distributed tracing with Jaeger and Tempo to track requests
slo-implementation Define SLIs and SLOs with error budgets and alerting

Payment Processing (4 skills)

Skill Description
stripe-integration Implement Stripe payment processing for checkout, subscriptions, and webhooks
paypal-integration Integrate PayPal payment processing with express checkout and subscriptions
pci-compliance Implement PCI DSS compliance for secure payment card data handling
billing-automation Build automated billing systems for recurring payments and invoicing

Python Development (5 skills)

Skill Description
async-python-patterns Master Python asyncio, concurrent programming, and async/await patterns
python-testing-patterns Implement comprehensive testing with pytest, fixtures, and mocking
python-packaging Create distributable Python packages with proper structure and PyPI publishing
python-performance-optimization Profile and optimize Python code using cProfile and performance best practices
uv-package-manager Master the uv package manager for fast dependency management and virtual environments

JavaScript/TypeScript (4 skills)

Skill Description
typescript-advanced-types Master TypeScript's advanced type system including generics and conditional types
nodejs-backend-patterns Build production-ready Node.js services with Express/Fastify and best practices
javascript-testing-patterns Implement comprehensive testing with Jest, Vitest, and Testing Library
modern-javascript-patterns Master ES6+ features including async/await, destructuring, and functional programming

API Scaffolding (1 skill)

Skill Description
fastapi-templates Create production-ready FastAPI projects with async patterns and error handling

Machine Learning Operations (1 skill)

Skill Description
ml-pipeline-workflow Build end-to-end MLOps pipelines from data preparation through deployment

Security Scanning (5 skills)

Skill Description
sast-configuration Configure Static Application Security Testing tools for vulnerability detection
stride-analysis-patterns Apply STRIDE methodology to identify spoofing, tampering, and other threats
attack-tree-construction Build attack trees mapping threat scenarios to vulnerabilities
security-requirement-extraction Derive security requirements from threat models with acceptance criteria
threat-mitigation-mapping Map threats to mitigations with prioritized remediation plans

Accessibility Compliance (2 skills)

Skill Description
wcag-audit-patterns Conduct WCAG 2.2 accessibility audits with automated and manual testing
screen-reader-testing Test screen reader compatibility across NVDA, JAWS, and VoiceOver

Business Analytics (2 skills)

Skill Description
kpi-dashboard-design Design executive dashboards with actionable KPIs and drill-down capabilities
data-storytelling Transform data insights into compelling narratives for stakeholders

Data Engineering (4 skills)

Skill Description
spark-optimization Optimize Apache Spark jobs with partitioning, caching, and broadcast joins
dbt-transformation-patterns Build dbt models with incremental strategies and testing
airflow-dag-patterns Design Airflow DAGs with proper dependencies and error handling
data-quality-frameworks Implement data quality checks with Great Expectations and custom validators

Documentation Generation (3 skills)

Skill Description
openapi-spec-generation Generate OpenAPI 3.1 specifications from code with complete schemas
changelog-automation Automate changelog generation from conventional commits
architecture-decision-records Write ADRs documenting architectural decisions and trade-offs

Frontend Mobile Development (4 skills)

Skill Description
react-state-management Implement state management with Zustand, Jotai, and React Query
nextjs-app-router-patterns Build Next.js 14+ apps with App Router, RSC, and streaming
tailwind-design-system Create design systems with Tailwind CSS and component libraries
react-native-architecture Architect React Native apps with navigation and native modules

Game Development (2 skills)

Skill Description
unity-ecs-patterns Implement Unity ECS for high-performance game systems
godot-gdscript-patterns Build Godot games with GDScript best practices and scene composition
Skill Description
gdpr-data-handling Implement GDPR-compliant data processing with consent management
employment-contract-templates Generate employment contracts with jurisdiction-specific clauses

Incident Response (3 skills)

Skill Description
postmortem-writing Write blameless postmortems with root cause analysis and action items
incident-runbook-templates Create runbooks for common incident scenarios with escalation paths
on-call-handoff-patterns Design on-call handoffs with context preservation and alert routing

Quantitative Trading (2 skills)

Skill Description
backtesting-frameworks Build backtesting systems with realistic slippage and transaction costs
risk-metrics-calculation Calculate VaR, Sharpe ratio, and drawdown metrics for portfolios

Systems Programming (3 skills)

Skill Description
rust-async-patterns Implement async Rust with Tokio, futures, and proper error handling
go-concurrency-patterns Design Go concurrency with channels, worker pools, and context cancellation
memory-safety-patterns Write memory-safe code with ownership, bounds checking, and sanitizers

How Skills Work

Activation

Skills are automatically activated when Claude detects matching patterns in your request:

User: "Set up Kubernetes deployment with Helm chart"
→ Activates: helm-chart-scaffolding, k8s-manifest-generator

User: "Build a RAG system for document Q&A"
→ Activates: rag-implementation, prompt-engineering-patterns

User: "Optimize Python async performance"
→ Activates: async-python-patterns, python-performance-optimization

Progressive Disclosure

Skills use a three-tier architecture for token efficiency:

  1. Metadata (Frontmatter): Name and activation criteria (always loaded)
  2. Instructions: Core guidance and patterns (loaded when activated)
  3. Resources: Examples and templates (loaded on demand)

Integration with Agents

Skills work alongside agents to provide deep domain expertise:

  • Agents: High-level reasoning and orchestration
  • Skills: Specialized knowledge and implementation patterns

Example workflow:

backend-architect agent → Plans API architecture
  ↓
api-design-principles skill → Provides REST/GraphQL best practices
  ↓
fastapi-templates skill → Supplies production-ready templates

Specification Compliance

All 107 skills follow the Agent Skills Specification:

  • ✓ Required name field (hyphen-case)
  • ✓ Required description field with "Use when" clause
  • ✓ Descriptions under 1024 characters
  • ✓ Complete, non-truncated descriptions
  • ✓ Proper YAML frontmatter formatting

Creating New Skills

To add a skill to a plugin:

  1. Create plugins/{plugin-name}/skills/{skill-name}/SKILL.md
  2. Add YAML frontmatter:
    ---
    name: skill-name
    description: What the skill does. Use when [activation trigger].
    ---
    
  3. Write comprehensive skill content using progressive disclosure
  4. Add skill path to marketplace.json:
    {
      "name": "plugin-name",
      "skills": ["./skills/skill-name"]
    }
    

Skill Structure

plugins/{plugin-name}/
└── skills/
    └── {skill-name}/
        └── SKILL.md        # Frontmatter + content

Benefits

  • Token Efficiency: Load only relevant knowledge when needed
  • Specialized Expertise: Deep domain knowledge without bloat
  • Clear Activation: Explicit triggers prevent unwanted invocation
  • Composability: Mix and match skills across workflows
  • Maintainability: Isolated updates don't affect other skills

Resources