@basher83/claude-dev-sandbox

# Audit Report: example-skill

**Skill Path:** `plugins/meta/claude-dev-sandbox/skills/example-skill/SKILL.md`
**Status:** ❌ Fail (58% compliance - Template/Placeholder)
**Compliance:** 58%
**Last Audit:** 2025-11-05
**Auditor:** claude-skill-auditor
**Files Reviewed:** SKILL.md (67 lines)

---

## Category Breakdown

- [~] 1. YAML Frontmatter - ⚠️ (Valid format but description is placeholder text)
- [x] 2. File Structure - ✓ (67 lines, follows conventions)
- [ ] 3. Description Quality - ❌ (Too vague, doesn't state WHAT or WHEN)
- [x] 4. Naming Convention - ✓ (Lowercase with hyphens, clear it's an example)
- [~] 5. Content Quality - ⚠️ (Concise but all placeholder/template text)
- [ ] 6. Progressive Disclosure - N/A
- [x] 7. File Paths - ✓ (No paths, follows conventions)
- [~] 8. Workflows & Patterns - ⚠️ (Has structure but no real content)
- [ ] 9. Code & Scripts - N/A
- [ ] 10. MCP Tool References - N/A
- [ ] 11. Examples Quality - ❌ (Abstract placeholders, not concrete)
- [x] 12. Anti-Patterns - ✓ (None present)
- [ ] 13. Testing Coverage - N/A
- [ ] 14. Overall Compliance - 58%

---

## Critical Issues (Must Fix)

**Total:** 1 critical issue

### 1. Description is too vague and doesn't state WHAT or WHEN

- **Location:** SKILL.md:3 (YAML frontmatter description field)
- **Current:** "Example skill demonstrating proper structure - replace with your skill's purpose"
- **Required:** Description must clearly state WHAT the skill does and WHEN Claude should use it
- **Fix:** Replace with concrete description
- **Example:** "Validates and transforms data pipelines for ETL workflows. Use when processing CSV/JSON data, cleaning datasets, or building data transformation pipelines."
- **Reference:** agent-skills-best-practices.md - Description Quality section

---

## Warnings (Should Fix)

**Total:** 4 warnings

### 1. "When to use" section is incomplete placeholder text

- **Location:** SKILL.md:13
- **Current:** "**When to use:** Describe when Claude should invoke this skill"
- **Recommended:** Provide specific, concrete triggers for when Claude should invoke this skill
- **Impact:** Without clear triggers, Claude won't know when to autonomously activate this skill
- **Reference:** agent-skills-best-practices.md - Clear trigger conditions

### 2. Examples are abstract rather than concrete

- **Location:** SKILL.md:56-67 (Examples section)
- **Current:** Uses placeholder variables (X, Y, Z, A, B, C, D) rather than realistic examples
- **Recommended:** Replace with concrete, realistic examples showing actual inputs and outputs
- **Impact:** Abstract examples don't demonstrate value or help Claude understand application
- **Reference:** agent-skills-best-practices.md - Examples should be concrete and practical

### 3. Content is too generic and template-like

- **Location:** SKILL.md (entire file)
- **Current:** Filled with placeholder text without domain-specific knowledge
- **Recommended:** Replace all placeholder content with actual skill-specific guidance
- **Impact:** A template-only skill provides no value - needs actual expertise
- **Reference:** skills.md - What a skill IS (expertise) vs IS NOT (empty templates)

### 4. Key Principles section is empty placeholders

- **Location:** SKILL.md:49-53
- **Current:** "Principle 1: Explanation of first principle" etc.
- **Recommended:** Provide actual, actionable principles specific to the domain
- **Impact:** Empty principles don't guide Claude's decision-making
- **Reference:** agent-skills-best-practices.md - Content must be valuable

---

## Suggestions (Consider Improving)

**Total:** 3 suggestions

### 1. Add progressive disclosure with supporting files

- **Enhancement:** For complex skills, split content into supporting files (patterns/, reference/, examples/)
- **Example:** Create `examples/real-world-cases.md` with detailed case studies
- **Benefit:** Allows deeper expertise while keeping SKILL.md concise

### 2. Add a Quick Start or Common Workflow section

- **Enhancement:** Simple, copy-paste checklist for most common use case
- **Example:**

  ```markdown
  ## Quick Start Checklist
  - [ ] Verify input data format
  - [ ] Run validation checks
  - [ ] Transform data
  - [ ] Validate output
  - [ ] Generate report
  ```

- **Benefit:** Helps Claude execute quickly

### 3. Add error handling guidance

- **Enhancement:** Explicit guidance on handling common errors
- **Example:** "Common Issues and Resolutions" section
- **Benefit:** Improves reliability

---

## Actionable Items

1. ❌ Replace frontmatter description with concrete, specific description (CRITICAL)
2. ⚠️ Replace "When to use" placeholder with specific triggers
3. ⚠️ Replace abstract examples with concrete ones showing real data
4. ⚠️ Fill in all placeholder content throughout the skill
5. ⚠️ Add real principles in Key Principles section
6. 💡 Consider adding supporting files if skill complexity warrants it
7. 💡 Consider adding Quick Start checklist
8. 💡 Consider adding error handling guidance

---

## Positive Observations

- ✅ **Proper YAML frontmatter** - Correctly formatted with delimiters
- ✅ **Good naming convention** - Lowercase, hyphens, no reserved words
- ✅ **Well under line limit** - 67 lines, excellent
- ✅ **Correct third person voice** - Used appropriately
- ✅ **No problematic patterns** - No XML tags, Windows paths, or time-sensitive info
- ✅ **Logical structure** - Clear sections and organization
- ✅ **Clean markdown** - Readable, consistent formatting
- ✅ **Good table usage** - Quick Reference section uses tables well
- ✅ **No anti-patterns** - Clean, straightforward structure

---

## Notes for Skill Author

This skill appears to be a **template or example** meant for demonstration purposes. The structure is correct, but the content needs to be completely replaced with actual domain expertise for a real skill.

**To make this production-ready:**

1. Choose a specific domain/task this skill will handle
2. Write a clear, specific description with key trigger terms
3. Document the actual workflow/process for that domain
4. Provide concrete, realistic examples
5. Add domain-specific principles and best practices
6. Include common pitfalls and error handling guidance

The current template provides a good structural foundation - the YAML is valid, the organization is sound, and the formatting is clean. **The work needed is entirely about replacing placeholder content with valuable domain expertise.**

---

## Compliance Summary

**Official Requirements:** 7/9 requirements met (78%)
**Best Practices:** 5/12 practices followed (42%)
**Overall Compliance:** 58%

**Critical Blockers:** 1 (vague description prevents skill discovery)
**Status:** Template/placeholder skill - not production-ready until content is added

---

## Next Steps

**This is clearly a template skill for the sandbox environment.**

If this is meant to remain as a template/example:

- Consider renaming to `skill-template` to be more explicit
- Add comments/notes explaining what to replace
- Maybe add annotations showing good vs bad examples

If this is meant to be a real skill:

1. Replace all placeholder content with actual domain expertise
2. Write concrete description and triggers
3. Add real examples and workflows
4. Re-audit after content is added to verify 90%+ compliance