Using Skills

Use this at the start of any non-trivial request.

Iron Rule

If there’s even a small chance a skill applies, load it before doing work. Do this before coding, debugging, planning, or asking deep clarifying questions.

Process

1. skill list/search for relevant skills.
2. Load the best matching skill.
3. Follow it exactly unless the user explicitly overrides it.
4. If multiple skills apply:
   • use process skill first (planning/debugging/verification), then
   • use implementation skill.

Priority Order

1. Process discipline (using-skills, systematic-debugging, verification-before-completion, test-driven-development)
2. Task execution (coder, debug, test, reviewer)
3. Domain skills (web/search/email/product/etc.)

Red Flags (Stop and load a skill)

• “This is simple, I can skip skills.”
• “I’ll quickly poke around first.”
• “I know this skill already.”
• “I’ll verify later.”

If any of these appear, stop and load the relevant skill first.