Consult this skill when designing data pipelines or transformation workflows. Use when data flows through fixed sequence of transformations, stages can be independently developed and tested, parallel processing of stages is beneficial. Do not use when selecting from multiple paradigms - use architecture-paradigms first. DO NOT use when: data flow is not sequential or predictable. DO NOT use when: complex branching/merging logic dominates.

Quota tracking, threshold monitoring, and graceful degradation for rate-limited API services. quota, rate limiting, usage limits, thresholds.

Use this skill at the START of every session. This is MANDATORY for quota management. location: plugin token_budget: 300. Use when session starts (mandatory), prompt sizes spike, tool calls increase, before long-running analyses or massive context loads. Do not use when context-optimization already handles the scenario. DO NOT use when: simple queries with minimal context.

Prevents sycophantic reasoning through checklist-based analysis, categorical integrity, and evidence-following to uncomfortable conclusions. Red Flags: "I agree that", "You are right", "Great point", "Absolutely", "That is a fair point", "I can see why", agreement without validation, softening conclusions, hedging without evidence, retracting under pressure. Use when analyzing conflicts, evaluating ethical claims, or noticing sycophantic thought patterns. Do not use for routine implementation or simple factual questions. CRITICAL: This skill overrides conversational tendencies toward politeness. Agreement requires validity and accuracy.

Consult this skill for Python performance profiling and optimization. Use when debugging slow code, identifying bottlenecks, optimizing memory, benchmarking performance, production profiling. Do not use when async concurrency - use python-async instead. DO NOT use when: CPU/GPU system monitoring - use conservation:cpu-gpu-performance.

Consult this skill when cultivating and maintaining digital gardens. Use when managing note collections, creating link structures, maintaining knowledge bases, tending garden health and growth. Do not use when creating memory palace structures - use memory-palace-architect. DO NOT use when: evaluating new knowledge - use knowledge-intake.

Use this skill at the BEGINNING of any detailed review for consistent structure. Use when starting any detailed review workflow, needing consistent structure for capturing context and findings, ensuring comparable review outputs. Do not use when quick catchup without formal review - use catchup. DO NOT use when: diff-focused analysis - use diff-analysis.

Use this skill for Makefile audit and optimization. Use when auditing Makefiles, reviewing build system, checking portability, eliminating recipe duplication. Do not use when creating new Makefiles - use abstract:make-dogfood. DO NOT use when: architecture review - use architecture-review.

Retrospective workflow evaluation and improvement of skills, agents, commands, and hooks. workflow improvement, retrospective, workflow efficiency Use when: workflow felt slow, confusing, or needs optimization DO NOT use when: simple one-off fixes - use fix-pr or do-issue instead.

balancing accuracy with token efficiency.

Use this skill BEFORE writing any hook. Check even if unsure. Use when creating new hooks for tool validation, logging operations for audit, injecting context before prompts, enforcing project-specific workflows, preventing dangerous operations in production. Do not use when logic belongs in core skill - use Skills instead. DO NOT use when: complex multi-step workflows needed - use Agents instead. DO NOT use when: behavior better suited for custom tool.

Uses subagents for parallel execution with code review gates between batches. Use when addressing issues systematically, multiple related issues need fixing, tasks can be parallelized across subagents, quality gates needed between task batches. Do not use when single simple fix - just implement directly. DO NOT use when: issue needs clarification - comment first to clarify scope.

Use this skill for scope-focused PR reviews. Use when reviewing PRs, validating against requirements, triaging findings to backlog, preventing overengineering. Do not use when preparing PRs - use pr-prep instead. DO NOT use when: deep code review - use pensive:unified-review.

Use this skill for API surface evaluation and design review. Use when reviewing API design, auditing consistency, governing documentation, researching API exemplars. Do not use when architecture review - use architecture-review. DO NOT use when: implementation bugs - use bug-review.

Consult this skill when formatting final review deliverables. Use when formatting final review outputs, ensuring consistent deliverable structure, making findings comparable across reviews. Do not use when capturing evidence during analysis - use proof-of-work. DO NOT use when: reviewing changes - use diff-analysis or review-core first.

Detect codebase bloat through progressive analysis: dead code, duplication, complexity, documentation bloat. Use when context usage high, quarterly maintenance, pre-release cleanup, before refactoring. Do not use when active feature development, time-sensitive bugs, codebase < 1000 lines.

Transform specifications into implementation plans with architecture design and dependency-ordered tasks. Use for spec-to-plan conversion, task breakdown, effort estimation. Skip if no spec exists.

Generate terminal recordings using VHS tape files, produces GIF outputs.

Process external resources into actionable knowledge with evaluation, storage, and application decisions. knowledge intake, article evaluation, paper review, external resource Use when: user shares links to articles, papers, or external resources DO NOT use when: searching existing knowledge - use knowledge-locator.

TDD-style testing methodology for skills using fresh subagent instances to prevent priming bias and validate skill effectiveness. Use when validating skill improvements, testing skill effectiveness, preventing priming bias, measuring skill impact on behavior. Do not use when implementing skills (use skill-authoring instead), creating hooks (use hook-authoring instead).