building-agent-tools
Guide for creating effective tools for AI agents. Use when building MCP tools, agent APIs, or any tool interface that agents will consume. Focuses on token efficiency, meaningful context, and proper namespacing.
npx skills add majiayu000/claude-skill-registry --skill building-agent-tools --agent claude-code
Same command for any agent — swap --agent for codex, cursor, copilot.
Weekly change comes from our own snapshots, not the repository page — it measures attention, not adoption.
# Building Tools for AI Agents ## Workflow 1. **Define Purpose** - Identify what agents need to accomplish with this tool - Determine if existing tools can be consolidated - Plan the tool's interface for agent consumption 2. **Design Interface** - Choose descriptive, namespaced tool names - Define parameters with clear types and descriptions - Design output format for maximum signal, minimum tokens 3. **Implement** - Build with token efficiency in mind - Add pagination, filtering, sensible defaults - Return semantic identifiers, not raw IDs 4. **Validate** - Test with real agent workflows - Check token consumption patterns - Verify error messages guide agents toward solutions ## Design Principles **Tool Consolidation** - More tools don't lead to better outcomes - Combine related operations into single tools - Example: `schedule_event` that checks availability AND creates event - Avoid simple CRUD-style tools that require multiple calls **Namespacing** - Prefix related tools with service name: `asana_projects_search`, `asana_users_search` - Group by domain to help agents distinguish functionality - Use consistent naming patterns across tool families **Meaningful Context** - Return h
- Workflow
- Design Principles
- Anti-Patterns
- MCP-Specific Patterns
What does the building-agent-tools skill do?
Guide for creating effective tools for AI agents. Use when building MCP tools, agent APIs, or any tool interface that agents will consume. Focuses on token efficiency, meaningful context, and proper namespacing.
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add majiayu000/claude-skill-registry --skill building-agent-tools --agent claude-code` — it drops the skill into your project so the agent can pick it up. Swap the --agent value for codex, cursor or copilot if you use one of those.
Where does this skill come from?
From majiayu000/claude-skill-registry, a repository with 534 stars. We read it straight from the repository tree rather than a submitted listing, so what you see here is what is actually published.
Is a popular skill a good skill?
Not necessarily. Stars measure attention, not adoption — a repository can trend for a week and be abandoned. That is why we show the weekly change from our own snapshots next to the total, instead of a single flattering number.