---
name: new-skill
description: Provide a practical checklist and baseline template for creating a new docs-first MCP skill in this repository.
argument-hint: What skill are you creating, and what problem should it solve?
x-personal-mcp:
  id: new-skill
  version: 1.0.0
  tags:
    - fastmcp
    - bootstrap
    - scaffolding
    - skills
    - mcp
  capabilities:
    - resource://skills/new-skill/document
  depends_on: []
  references: {}
---

# New Skill Bootstrap

Use this skill to bootstrap a new skill in the docs-first architecture. Try to use the `/create-skill` where possible to structure the output, but place it alongside the other skills in this repo.

## Inputs

1. New skill id (lowercase kebab-case)
2. One-sentence capability statement (what it does and when to use it)
3. Optional list of references to include under `references/`

## Source of Truth and Required References

1. Use this file as the baseline template for new skill authoring.
2. Read and follow these docs before implementing a new skill:
  - [docs/architecture.md](../../architecture.md)
  - [docs/content.md](../../content.md)
  - [docs/frontmatter.md](../../frontmatter.md)
  - [docs/mcp_layout.md](../../mcp_layout.md)
  - [docs/uris.md](../../uris.md)
  - [docs/new_skill.md](../../new_skill.md)

## Scope

1. Create docs under docs/skills/<skill-id>/.
2. Define SKILL frontmatter with Anthropic and x-personal-mcp fields.
3. Treat top-level `references/*.md` as auto-discovered references with `ref-id` generated from filename.
4. Declare `x-personal-mcp.references` only when you need overrides or nested `references/**` entries.
5. Validate the docs build and MCP resource reads.

## Authoring Checklist

1. Create docs/skills/<skill-id>/SKILL.md.
2. Add docs/skills/<skill-id>/references/ files as needed.
3. Keep skill id and directory name aligned.
4. Keep frontmatter name equal to x-personal-mcp.id.
5. Include resource://skills/<skill-id>/document in capabilities.
6. For each top-level `references/<name>.md`, expect `resource://skills/<skill-id>/references/<name>` (normalized to lowercase kebab-case).
7. Add explicit `x-personal-mcp.references` entries only for nested paths or metadata overrides.

## Required Outcomes

1. Create `docs/skills/<skill-id>/SKILL.md` with valid frontmatter and a practical skill body.
2. Create and populate `docs/skills/<skill-id>/references/` with any needed markdown references.
3. Ensure frontmatter follows repository contract, including `x-personal-mcp` fields and canonical capabilities.
4. Keep URI and reference mapping consistent with repository conventions.
5. Reconcile all updates with repository implementation and avoid introducing parallel metadata systems.

## Validation

1. uv run zensical build
2. uv run pytest -q

## Output Contract

Return:

1. Files created or updated
2. Validation results
3. Follow-up suggestions for improving the skill