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Skill Mastery — Use + Create + Discover

The meta-skill: How to find, use, and create cm-* skills.

Part A: Using Skills

The Rule

Invoke relevant skills BEFORE any response or action. Even 1% chance = check the skill.

Decision Flow

User message received
  → Might any skill apply? (even 1%)
    → YES: Read the skill → Follow it
    → NO: Respond directly

Skill Priority

1. Process skills first (cm-planning, cm-debugging) — determine HOW to approach
2. Implementation skills second (cm-tdd, cm-safe-deploy) — guide execution

Red Flags

Thought	Reality
"This is just a simple question"	Questions are tasks. Check for skills.
"I need more context first"	Skill check BEFORE clarifying questions.
"The skill is overkill"	Simple things become complex. Use it.
"I remember this skill"	Skills evolve. Read current version.
"Let me just do this one thing first"	Check BEFORE doing anything.

Skill Types

• Rigid (cm-tdd, cm-debugging): Follow exactly. Don't adapt away discipline.
• Flexible (cm-planning): Adapt principles to context.

---

Part B: Creating Skills

When to Create

• Pattern repeated across 3+ projects
• Complex process that needs documentation
• Team convention that should be enforced

Skill Structure

---
name: cm-[skill-name]
description: "One line: when to use this skill"
---

# [Skill Title]

## Overview
What and why. Core principle.

## When to Use
Specific triggers.

## The Process
Step-by-step instructions.

## Red Flags
What NOT to do.

## Integration
How it connects to other cm-* skills.

Rules

✅ DO:
- Keep under 400 lines (token optimization)
- Use tables and code blocks for density
- Include Red Flags section
- Reference other cm-* skills by name
- Test skill with real scenarios before deploying

❌ DON'T:
- Write prose when a table works
- Duplicate content from other skills (reference instead)
- Create skills for one-time tasks
- Exceed 600 lines without good reason

Token Optimization

Technique	Saves
Tables over prose	~40%
Code blocks over explanation	~30%
Reference other skills vs duplicate	~50%
Remove obvious examples	~20%

---

Part C: Discovering Skills

Adaptive Skills Discovery

When you encounter something you don't have a skill for:

1. DETECT  → "I need to do X but no matching skill"
2. SEARCH  → npx skills find "{keyword}"
3. REVIEW  → Read the SKILL.md — safe? relevant?
4. ASK     → "Found skill '{name}'. Install?"
5. INSTALL → npx skills add {source} --skill {name} -a antigravity
6. USE     → Apply the skill
7. LOG     → Record in .cm-skills-log.json

Safety Rules

• Always show user what you found before installing
• Prefer known repos (vercel-labs/agent-skills)
• Project-level by default, global only if agreed
• Check npx skills list to avoid duplicates
• Never override existing cm-* skills with external ones

---

On-Demand Skill Creation

Don't need a separate skill creator tool. When you need a new skill:

1. Follow Part B above — use the structure template
2. Reference cm-example — see skills/cm-example/SKILL.md for the universal format
3. Use _shared/helpers.md — reference helpers instead of embedding logic
4. Test before deploying — run the skill through 3 real scenarios

Note: The AI agent will suggest creating a skill when it detects a repeating pattern (3+ times). No separate command needed.

The Cody Master Kit (34 skills)

Domain	Key Skills
🔧 Engineering	cm-tdd cm-debugging cm-quality-gate cm-test-gate cm-code-review
⚙️ Operations	cm-safe-deploy cm-identity-guard cm-secret-shield cm-git-worktrees cm-terminal cm-safe-i18n
🎨 Product & UX	cm-planning cm-design-system cm-ux-master cm-ui-preview cm-project-bootstrap cm-jtbd cm-brainstorm-idea cm-dockit cm-readit
📈 Growth/CRO	cm-content-factory cm-ads-tracker cro-methodology
🎯 Orchestration	cm-execution cm-continuity cm-skill-chain cm-skill-mastery cm-skill-index cm-deep-search cm-how-it-work
🖥️ Workflow	cm-start cm-dashboard cm-status

The Bottom Line

Skills are discipline, not overhead. Use them. Create them on demand. Never skip them.