PromptsEdge
FreeGitHubAutomation

Skill Scout

Search existing local, marketplace, GitHub, and web skill sources before creating a new skill. Use when the user wants to create, build, fork, or find a skill for a workflow.

affaan-m on GitHub

Curated by PromptsEdge from a public repo · MIT license. All credit goes to the author.

What is this skill?

Use this skill before creating a new skill. The goal is to avoid duplicating existing community or marketplace work, while still vetting anything external before adoption.

When to use

  • The user says "create a skill", "build a skill", "make a skill", or "new
  • The user asks "is there a skill for X?" or "does a skill exist that does Y?"
  • The user describes a workflow and you are about to suggest creating a new
  • The user wants to fork or extend an existing skill.

Source: salvaged from stale community PR #1232 by redminwang.

How It Works

Step 1 - Capture Intent

Extract:

  • The task the skill should perform.
  • The trigger conditions for using it.
  • The domain, tools, frameworks, or data sources involved.
  • Three to five search keywords plus useful synonyms.

Step 2 - Search Local Sources

Search installed and marketplace skill names first. Local sources are preferred because they are already part of the user's environment.

bash
find ~/.claude/skills -maxdepth 2 -name SKILL.md 2>/dev/null | grep -iE "keyword|synonym"
find ~/.claude/plugins/marketplaces -path '*/skills/*/SKILL.md' 2>/dev/null | grep -iE "keyword|synonym"

Then search frontmatter descriptions:

bash
grep -RilE "keyword|synonym" ~/.claude/skills ~/.claude/plugins/marketplaces 2>/dev/null

Step 3 - Search Remote Sources

Use available GitHub and web search tools. Prefer concise queries:

bash
gh search repos "claude code skill keyword" --limit 10 --sort stars
gh search code "name: keyword" --filename SKILL.md --limit 10

For web search, use at most three targeted queries such as:

text
"claude code skill" keyword
"SKILL.md" keyword
"everything-claude-code" keyword

Step 4 - Vet External Matches

Before recommending any external skill for adoption or forking:

  • Read the SKILL.md frontmatter and instructions.
  • Look for unexpected shell commands, file writes, network calls, credential handling, or package installs.
  • Check whether the repository appears maintained.
  • Prefer copying into a fresh local branch and reviewing the diff over editing marketplace originals.

Step 5 - Rank Results

Rank candidates by:

  1. Exact keyword match in the skill name.
  2. Keyword or synonym match in description.
  3. Local installed or marketplace source.
  4. Maintained GitHub source with recent activity.
  5. Web-only mention.

Cap the final list at 10 results.

Step 6 - Present Decision Options

Give the user a short table:

OptionMeaning
Use existingInvoke or install a matching skill as-is.
Fork or extendCopy the closest skill and modify it.
Create freshBuild a new skill after confirming no close match exists.

Only create a new skill after the user chooses that path or after the search finds no close match.

Examples

Result Table

markdown
| # | Skill | Source | Why it matches | Gap |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | article-writing | Local ECC | Drafts articles and guides | Not focused on release notes |
| 2 | content-engine | Local ECC | Multi-format content workflow | Heavier than needed |
| 3 | blog-writer | GitHub | Blog writing skill with recent commits | Needs security review |

User-Facing Summary

markdown
I found two close local matches and one external candidate. The closest fit is
`article-writing`; it covers drafting and revision, but it does not include the
release-note checklist you asked for. I can either use it as-is, fork it into a
release-note variant, or create a fresh skill.

Anti-Patterns

  • Do not jump directly to new skill creation when a search is reasonable.
  • Do not install external skills without reading them first.
  • Do not present a long unranked list of weak matches.
  • Do not treat web-only mentions as trusted sources.
  • Do not edit installed marketplace originals in place.

Related

  • search-first - General search-before-building workflow.
  • skill-stocktake - Audit installed skills for health, duplicates, and gaps.
  • agent-sort - Categorize and organize existing agents and skills.

Related skills

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