Localized reading guide
skill-creatorPurpose, usage and source
Guide for creating effective skills. This skill should be used when users want to create a new skill (or update an existing skill) that extends Codex's capabilities with specialized knowledge, workflows, or tool integrations.
Source retrieved:
- Source repository
- openai/skills
- SKILL.md
skills/.system/skill-creator/SKILL.md- Repository stars
- 28,420
- Repository updated
- 2026-10-29
- Categories
- Agent workflows
- Last collected
License: License file needs review
Workflow excerpts are reading aids, not executable instructions from Codez. No third-party Skill was run to produce this page.
The purpose and workflow passages below are upstream material, organized and translated for reading. They are distinct from the separately labeled Codez editorial analysis.
What this Skill does
Guide for creating effective skills. This skill should be used when users want to create a new skill (or update an existing skill) that extends Codex's capabilities with specialized knowledge, workflows, or tool integrations.
How the upstream workflow works
Skill Creation Process
Skill creation involves these steps: Understand the skill with concrete examples Plan reusable skill contents (scripts, references, assets) Initialize the skill (run init_skill.py)
Upstream passage · L215 ↗Step 1: Understanding the Skill with Concrete Examples
Skip this step only when the skill's usage patterns are already clearly understood. It remains valuable even when working with an existing skill. To create an effective skill, clearly understand concrete examples of how the skill will be used. This understanding can come from either direct user examples or generated examples that are validated with user feedback. For example, when building an image-editor skill, relevant questions include: "What functionality should the image-editor skill support? Editing, rotating, anything else?"
Upstream passage · L236 ↗Step 2: Planning the Reusable Skill Contents
To turn concrete examples into an effective skill, analyze each example by: Considering how to execute on the example from scratch Identifying what scripts, references, and assets would be helpful when executing these workflows repeatedly Example: When building a pdf-editor skill to handle queries like "Help me rotate this PDF," the analysis shows:
skill-name/
├── SKILL.md (required)
│ ├── YAML frontmatter metadata (required)
│ │ ├── name: (required)
│ │ └── description: (required)
│ └── Markdown instructions (required)
├── agents/ (recommended)
│ └── openai.yaml - UI metadata for skill lists and chips
└── Bundled Resources (optional)
├── scripts/ - Executable code (Python/Bash/etc.)
├── references/ - Documentation intended to be loaded into context as needed
└── assets/ - Files used in output (templates, icons, fonts, etc.)Requirements and setup
No short requirements passage was selected from this file. This does not mean the Skill has no dependencies. Check the repository setup instructions and referenced files.
Limits and quality checks
No separate limits passage was selected from this file. This does not mean the Skill is safe for every input or environment. Review the complete source and validate your own result.
Start with a safe trial
- Check the supported host and the repository installation instructions. Keep the Skill directory and its referenced scripts, assets and documentation together; SKILL.md alone may omit dependencies.
- Give the agent your real input, desired output and acceptance criteria. Invocation syntax and available tools depend on the host; this site does not assume a universal install command.
- Try the source workflow in a disposable project or on a copy. Review operations that change files, remote services or billable resources before allowing them.
- Validate the output against the source quality checks and your own requirements. A successful trigger or a high repository Star count does not establish a correct result.
Read further in the source
- Skill Creator
- About Skills
- What Skills Provide
- Concise is Key
- Set Appropriate Degrees of Freedom
- Anatomy of a Skill
- SKILL.md (required)
- Agents metadata (recommended)
- Scripts (
scripts/) - References (
references/) - Assets (
assets/) - What to Not Include in a Skill
- Progressive Disclosure Design Principle
- Progressive Disclosure Patterns
- Skill Creation Process
- Skill Naming
- Step 1: Understanding the Skill with Concrete Examples
- Step 2: Planning the Reusable Skill Contents
- Step 3: Initializing the Skill
- Step 4: Edit the Skill
- Start with Reusable Skill Contents
- Update SKILL.md
- Frontmatter
- Body
- Step 5: Validate the Skill
- Step 6: Iterate
Related Skills
Translation and scope
This reading guide selects passages from the pinned upstream SKILL.md. Translation is assisted. It is not a complete manual or a claim of tested compatibility. Read the original and its referenced files before use.
This introduction refers to the pinned version below; current repository activity and collection time are shown separately.
- Pinned source
- Read the original ↗
- Source retrieved
- Source commit
49f948faa9258a0c61caceaf225e179651397431- Source SHA-256
a17383bfb1448637ac1f757ad891ddb9676fa30b0eff620200f0e1cbc0cc0d50