# Engineering Skill Creator > >- - **Type:** Skill - **Install:** `agentstack add skill-jskherman-engg-skills-engineering-skill-creator` - **Verified:** Yes — security-reviewed for prompt injection and unsafe behavior - **Seller:** [jskherman](https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/jskherman) - **Installs:** 0 - **Category:** [Agent Skills](https://agentstack.voostack.com/c/agent-skills) - **Latest version:** 0.1.0 - **License:** Apache-2.0 - **Upstream author:** [jskherman](https://github.com/jskherman) - **Source:** https://github.com/jskherman/engg-skills/tree/main/skills/engineering-skill-creator ## Install ```sh agentstack add skill-jskherman-engg-skills-engineering-skill-creator ``` Requires the [AgentStack CLI](https://agentstack.voostack.com/docs/cli). Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and any MCP-compatible agent. ## About # Engineering Skill Creator ## Overview This meta-skill is the canonical template for any new engineering skill in this repository. The convention mirrors Google DeepMind's `science-skills` format (YAML frontmatter, scripts that always write to `--output`, JSON envelope, first-use license notification) and adds engineering-specific elements: explicit safety scope where relevant, sources listed in `SKILL_LICENSES.md`, fallback strategies for missing optional dependencies, and an anti-patterns section. Use this skill as the reference whenever you create a new skill or rewrite an existing one. The template files in `references/` are the source of truth for the format. ## When to Use - You are adding a brand-new skill folder. - You are refactoring an existing skill to the current format. - You are documenting an internal review of the format itself. ## Don't use for - Adding a new script to an existing skill without rewriting the SKILL.md. - Editing the shared `engg-skills-common` library (that is developer code, not a user-facing skill). - Authoring the `uv` infrastructure skill (it has its own minimal shape). ## Core Rules - The YAML `description` MUST follow the pattern: `. Use when . Don't use for `. - Every script writes JSON via `result_envelope()` (or DOT/text for the rare diagrammatic case) and requires `--output` as the only output channel. - Stdout is reserved for a single success message; warnings/diagnostics go inside the JSON envelope. - If the script references any third-party library, standard, or external API, it MUST call `write_license_notification()` on first invocation. - The skill MUST list at least 8 specific common mistakes for the domain. - Procedure sections MUST be numbered checklists, not prose paragraphs. - Fallback strategies MUST cover at least one realistic failure mode (missing dep, edge case input, etc.). ## Utility Scripts This meta-skill does not have scripts; the templates in `references/` are copy-paste starting points. ## Procedure 1. Pick a lowercase hyphenated folder name (e.g. `vle-flash-calculations`) and use the same value in frontmatter `name`. 2. Create `skills//SKILL.md` from `references/skill_template.md`. 3. Create `skills//scripts/.py` using the PEP-723 header pattern and the `result_envelope` + `write_license_notification` helpers. 4. Create `skills//references/.md` documents for any methodology or background the user (or a code reviewer) will need. 5. If the script needs a new pure-Python or thin-wrapper helper, add it to `skills/engg-skills-common/engg_skills_common/.py` and import from the script via the established `sys.path.insert` pattern. 6. Add tests in `tests/test_.py` covering at least one happy path, one edge case, and one error case for any new shared-library function. 7. Append a row to `SKILL_LICENSES.md` summarising the upstream sources and the engineering standards referenced (numbers only, not text). 8. Add a row to the README skill table. 9. Run `uv run pytest -q` and at least one end-to-end script invocation before committing. ## Pitfalls - Writing a generic description like "Use when a user asks for engineering work matching this scope" — that defeats skill routing. - Reproducing standard text (API, ASME, ISA, GPSA, TEMA): cite the number only and require the user to procure the standard. - Embedding kij values, NIST table data, or vendor correlations without attribution; cite the source for every number. - Forgetting the `LICENSE_NOTIFICATION.txt` first-use call when the script imports a third-party library. - Putting heavy dependencies (`pymc`, `arviz`) in the project-level `pyproject.toml`; declare them in the script's PEP-723 header instead so users pay the cost only for the skills that need them. - Returning Python objects from `result_envelope` `results` field that cannot be JSON-serialised (numpy types, pandas Index). Convert to native Python first. - Forgetting to round / sanity-check final numbers in the script before emitting them. The JSON should look correct without further processing. - Skipping the "fallback strategies" section because the happy path works. - Writing scripts that print results to stdout; the contract is JSON-only. - Putting safety-critical wording in a single paragraph without a dedicated "Safety and Scope" section. ## Fallback Strategies - If the skill borders on a regulated calculation (relief, pressure vessel, electrical area classification), make the "Safety and Scope" section explicit and decline to produce final-design numbers. - If a third-party library is not installable in some environments, the script should give a clear error message naming the missing library and the install command. ## Verification - Run `python3 tools/validate_hermes_skills.py skills --strict-directory-match` after adding or rewriting a skill. - Confirm the skill folder name matches `name`, the description includes routing guidance, and referenced scripts or files exist. ## References - `references/skill_template.md` — copy-paste SKILL.md template. - `references/calculation_result_schema.md` — JSON envelope schema. - `references/script_template.md` — copy-paste Python CLI template. ## Anti-Patterns - Authoring a skill whose description is duplicated verbatim from another skill. - Producing skill content that quotes standards extensively rather than citing them. - Authoring a script that does work outside its declared scope. ## Source & license This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code. - **Author:** [jskherman](https://github.com/jskherman) - **Source:** [jskherman/engg-skills](https://github.com/jskherman/engg-skills) - **License:** Apache-2.0 Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above. ## Pricing - **Free** — Free ## Security capabilities Automated source analysis of v0.1.0 — what this tool can access: - **Network access:** no - **Filesystem access:** no - **Shell / process execution:** no - **Environment & secrets:** no - **Dynamic code execution:** no *"Yes" means the capability is present in the source — more access means more to trust, not that it is unsafe.* ## Versions - **0.1.0** — security scan: passed — Imported from the upstream source. ## Links - Listing page: https://agentstack.voostack.com/l/skill-jskherman-engg-skills-engineering-skill-creator - Seller: https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/jskherman - Browse the marketplace: https://agentstack.voostack.com/browse --- Listed on AgentStack — the marketplace for AI agent skills and MCP servers. Every listing is security-reviewed. Creators keep 70%.