About using-skills
using-skills is an agent skill that directs agents to check and follow applicable skills before taking action or responding. It prioritizes process skills, distinguishes automatic invocation from user-run skills, and identifies common rationalizations for skipping the process.
Key features
- 01Pre-action skill checks
- 02Process and implementation priority
- 03Automatic versus user-run guidance
- 04Rationalization warning table
- 05Instruction precedence rules
Use cases
- 01Choosing a skill before answering a question
- 02Selecting a workflow for a coding task
- 03Handling a skill that requires user invocation
Install
Copy the command and run it in a terminal.
npx skills add https:/After installing, type/using-skillsin Claude Code to confirm it loaded.
Details
From the project READMEThe Rule
Invoke relevant or requested skills BEFORE any response or action — before clarifying questions, before exploring the codebase, before checking a single file. If the skill turns out not to fit, you may set it aside after reading it.
Announce "Using [skill] to [purpose]", then follow the skill exactly. If it has a checklist, create one todo per item.
Priority: process skills first, then implementation skills. "Build X" →
brainstorm before anything, plan mode included — plans come after approved
requirements, never before. "This is broken" → debug before any fix. Small
in-scope change to an already-shipped, spec'd feature (a tweak, recolor, or
follow-on) → amend, not brainstorm. For an incoming issue or external PR,
suggest the user run /triage; to capture the current conversation, spec, or
idea into tracker issues, suggest /file-issues (both are user-invoked — you
cannot auto-invoke them).
Unsure which flow fits → suggest /ask. Only auto-invoke model-invocable skills;
name a user-invoked one for the user to run.
Participant boundary: never infer skill-set membership from roster, CODEOWNERS, or PR authorship; only skill-mediated actions are enforced or recorded. Treat supplied evidence as supplied — do not invent mediation that did not happen.
Red Flags — you are rationalizing
| Thought | Reality |
|---|---|
| "This is just a quick question" | Questions are tasks. Check for skills. |
| "Let me look around first" | Skills define HOW to look. Check first. |
| "This is too small for process" | Small things grow. The tier system handles size — the skill decides, not you. |
| "I remember what that skill says" | Skills change. Read the current text. |
| "I'll do this one step, then check" | The check comes before the first step. |
| "Being helpful means answering fast" | Being helpful means following the process that works. |
Precedence
The user's explicit instructions (including CLAUDE.md) override skills; skills override your defaults. Skip a skill's workflow only when the user has explicitly told you to.