Skill Updater

Skill Updater

This skill provides guidance for updating existing skills based on user feedback.

When to Use

Use this skill when:

• User provides feedback about an existing skill's performance
• User wants to improve or modify a skill
• User reports issues or bugs with a skill
• User wants to add new functionality to an existing skill

Required Inputs

1. Skill Path: Path to the skill directory or .skill file to update
2. Feedback: Description of what needs to change, improve, or be fixed

Update Process

Step 1: Load and Understand the Skill

Use the analyze_skill.py script to get a quick overview:

scripts/analyze_skill.py 

This shows:

• Skill name and description
• SKILL.md line/word count
• All bundled resources (scripts/, references/, assets/)
• Any structural issues

Then read SKILL.md to understand the detailed instructions:

cat /SKILL.md

For .skill files (zip archives), extract first:

unzip .skill -d /tmp/skill-extract/

Step 2: Analyze the Feedback

Categorize the feedback into one or more types:

| Type | Example Feedback | Typical Changes | |------|-----------------|-----------------| | Bug fix | "The script fails when..." | Fix scripts, add error handling | | Missing feature | "It should also support..." | Add new functionality | | Clarity | "Instructions are confusing" | Improve SKILL.md documentation | | Performance | "Too slow/uses too much context" | Optimize scripts, reduce SKILL.md | | Trigger | "Doesn't activate when I say..." | Update description in frontmatter |

Step 3: Plan the Changes

Before making changes, create a clear plan:

1. List specific files to modify
2. Describe what changes each file needs
3. Identify any new files to create or files to delete
4. Consider impact on other parts of the skill

Step 4: Implement Changes

Apply changes following skill design principles:

For SKILL.md changes:

• Keep body under 500 lines
• Use imperative form
• Move detailed content to references/ if approaching limit
• Ensure frontmatter description captures all trigger scenarios

For script changes:

• Test scripts after modification
• Maintain existing interfaces unless feedback requires changes
• Add error handling for reported edge cases

For reference changes:

• Keep references one level deep from SKILL.md
• Update SKILL.md to reference new files

Step 5: Validate and Package

After implementing changes:

# Validate the skill
scripts/quick_validate.py 

# Package if validation passes
scripts/package_skill.py 

Common Update Patterns

Pattern 1: Fixing Script Bugs

1. Read the failing script
2. Identify the bug based on feedback
3. Apply fix
4. Test with the scenario from feedback
5. Package

Pattern 2: Improving Trigger Accuracy

1. Review current frontmatter description
2. Identify missing trigger phrases from feedback
3. Update description to include new triggers
4. Ensure description remains concise (<100 words)

Pattern 3: Adding New Functionality

1. Determine if new functionality needs:

• New script in scripts/
• New reference in references/
• New asset in assets/
• Updates to SKILL.md instructions

1. Implement required components
2. Update SKILL.md to document new functionality
3. Test end-to-end

Pattern 4: Reducing Context Usage

1. Identify verbose sections in SKILL.md
2. Move detailed content to references/
3. Replace with concise summary + link
4. Remove redundant examples
5. Verify skill still functions correctly

Best Practices

• Minimal changes: Only change what the feedback requires
• Test after changes: Run scripts and validate skill structure
• Preserve intent: Maintain the skill's original purpose
• Document changes: Update SKILL.md if behavior changes
• Version awareness: If the skill has users, consider backward compatibility

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: dp-archive
• Source: dp-archive/archive
• License: Apache-2.0

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.