Explore Real Skills

Before writing a skill, inspect a few that already work in production.

Look for the files they include, the way they structure instructions, and the patterns that recur across projects.

Outcome

Explore real-world skills on skills.sh and identify the documentation patterns that make them effective.

Fast Track

1. Browse the skills directory on skills.sh
2. Examine 2-3 skills and their file structure
3. Note the patterns that appear across multiple skills

Browse the directory

Head to skills.sh and scroll through the list. You'll see skills for everything from frontend design to database management to deployment workflows. Each one is a package that teaches an AI agent how to do something specific.

Pick a skill that is relevant to your work. We'll inspect two examples in this lesson.

Look at the structure

Let's start with vercel-react-best-practices. This skill teaches an agent to follow React best practices when building with Next.js and Vercel.

Notice the file structure:

SKILL.md
references/
  ├── react-patterns.md
  ├── next-app-router.md
  └── ...

This skill uses a SKILL.md entry point and a references/ directory for supporting documentation.

The agent reads SKILL.md first. Inspect how it defines when and how to use the skill.

What goes in SKILL.md

Open the SKILL.md for vercel-react-best-practices or the skill you selected. Look for these elements:

A description with trigger phrases. The opening paragraph tells the agent when the skill is relevant. Phrases such as "when building React components" or "when setting up a Next.js project" help it decide whether to load the skill.

Step-by-step instructions. Concrete directions such as "Check if the component uses client-side state. If yes, add the 'use client' directive" tell the agent what action to take.

Quality checklists. A list of things to verify before considering the task done. "Ensure all components have proper TypeScript types." "Verify that server components don't import client-only hooks." These give the agent a self-check mechanism.

Look at a second skill

Now inspect frontend-design or another relevant skill. Compare its structure with the first example:

• A clear description at the top with specific trigger phrases
• Instructions written as concrete steps, not abstract advice
• References organized in separate files so the main SKILL.md stays focused
• Checklists or criteria for evaluating the output

Reference files hold detailed documentation and examples that SKILL.md can load when needed. This keeps the entry point focused.

Patterns worth stealing

Several patterns recur across the examples:

Documentation uses a consistent structure. The code blocks, tables, and explicit examples from the previous lesson appear throughout these skills. Each practice is stated directly and paired with examples where needed.

Instructions are imperative. Direct commands tell the agent which action to take and what to verify.

References stay separate. The SKILL.md stays short and focused. Heavy documentation goes in references/. This keeps the agent's initial read fast and lets it dig deeper only when needed.

Checklists close the loop. Almost every skill ends with verification criteria. The agent knows when it's done.

Try It

Find a skill on skills.sh that's relevant to your work. Read through its SKILL.md and answer these questions:

• What trigger phrases does the description use?
• How many steps are in the instructions?
• Does it have a quality checklist at the end?
• How are the reference files organized?

Answering these questions gives you a reference point for the skill you'll build next.

Next, you'll build the same structure for the documentation generator.

Commit

No code changes to commit.

Done-When

• You've browsed at least 3 skills on skills.sh
• You can describe the standard file structure of a skill (SKILL.md + references/)
• You can identify trigger phrases in a skill's description
• You've noted the pattern of imperative instructions with quality checklists
• You can explain why reference files are kept separate from SKILL.md

Solution

No code solution for this lesson. The patterns you identified here inform the skill you'll build in Section 3.