writing-skills
Use when creating new skills, editing existing skills, or verifying skills work before deployment
npx skills add BioTender-max/awesome-bio-agent-skills --skill writing-skills --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.
# Writing Skills ## Overview **Writing skills IS Test-Driven Development applied to process documentation.** **Personal skills live in agent-specific directories (`~/.claude/skills` for Claude Code, `~/.agents/skills/` for Codex)** You write test cases (pressure scenarios with subagents), watch them fail (baseline behavior), write the skill (documentation), watch tests pass (agents comply), and refactor (close loopholes). **Core principle:** If you didn't watch an agent fail without the skill, you don't know if the skill teaches the right thing. **REQUIRED BACKGROUND:** You MUST understand superpowers:test-driven-development before using this skill. That skill defines the fundamental RED-GREEN-REFACTOR cycle. This skill adapts TDD to documentation. **Official guidance:** For Anthropic's official skill authoring best practices, see anthropic-best-practices.md. This document provides additional patterns and guidelines that complement the TDD-focused approach in this skill. ## What is a Skill? A **skill** is a reference guide for proven techniques, patterns, or tools. Skills help future Claude instances find and apply effective approaches. **Skills are:** Reusable techniques, patterns
- Overview
- What is a Skill?
- TDD Mapping for Skills
- When to Create a Skill
- Skill Types
- Technique
- Pattern
- Reference
- Directory Structure
- SKILL.md Structure
- Claude Search Optimization (CSO)
- 1. Rich Description Field
- 2. Keyword Coverage
- 3. Descriptive Naming
search-conversations supports --text, --both, --after DATE, --before DATE, --limit N search-conversations supports multiple modes and filters. Run --help for details. wc -w skills/path/SKILL.md getting-started workflows: aim for <150 each Other frequently-loaded: aim for <200 total
What does the writing-skills skill do?
Use when creating new skills, editing existing skills, or verifying skills work before deployment
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add BioTender-max/awesome-bio-agent-skills --skill writing-skills --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 BioTender-max/awesome-bio-agent-skills, a repository with 135 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.