Individual skill
writing-for-agents
Writing documents for agents. Use when creating or editing skills, or modifying AGENTS.md or CLAUDE.md.
skills/productivity/writing-for-agents/SKILL.md
Source commit 1c04afc2a760ed58cea1308851e7626f76c4ff44
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- Matches the observed repository HEAD
- Yes
- Scanner rules are current
- No
- Repository scan complete
- No
- Skill scan complete
- No
- Observed behavior
- Not checked yet
- Last checked
- Nov 6, 2026
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Repository context
- Repository stars (not skill ratings)
- 27
- Repository last updated
- Oct 24, 2026
- License
- Apache-2.0
Observed agent integration: No specific integration evidence. Standard SKILL.md installation does not imply verified compatibility.
- claude-code Repository topic
- agent-skills Repository topic
- agentic-workflow Repository topic
- skill-md Repository topic
- ai-agent Repository topic
- ai-workflows Repository topic
- codex Repository topic
- coding-agent Repository topic
- developer-tools Repository topic
- gemini-cli Repository topic
- writing Derived category
Files and excerpt
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Reference for writing any document an agent consumes: a skill, an `AGENTS.md` / `CLAUDE.md`, a doc reached by a pointer. The packaging differs; the writing does not: the same levers make each one predictable, since the agent takes the same _process_ every run rather than producing the same output.
When the document you're writing is a skill, read [`SKILL-MECHANICS.md`](SKILL-MECHANICS.md) for frontmatter, invocation choice, and router skills.
## Context pointers
A **context pointer** is a reference held in the agent's context that names some out-of-context material and encodes the condition for reaching it. A skill's description is one; a line in `AGENTS.md` naming a doc is the same object. The pointer's _wording_, not its target, decides when the agent reaches the material, and how reliably. A must-have target behind a weakly worded pointer is a variance bug: sharpen the wording first, and inline the material only if sharpening fails.
A pointer does two jobs: state what the material is, and list the **branches** that should trigger reaching it (a branch is a distinct case the document handles, so different runs take different paths through it). Every word of an always-loaded pointer costs on every turn, so it earns even harder pruning than the body:
- **Front-load the leading word**: the pointer is where it does its triggering work.
- **One trigger per branch.** Synonyms that rename a single branch are one branch written twice; collapse them and keep only genuinely distinct branches.
- **Cut identity the body already carries.**