nw-command-design-patterns SKILL.md skillA
nw-command-design-patterns from nwave-ai/nwave is an agent skill: a SKILL.md folder an AI agent loads when a task calls for it.
mdr add nwave-ai/nwave/nw-command-design-patterns@git:20260410.1da9381Pins git:20260410.1da9381 in mdr.lock. Pin the fingerprint instead.
- Audit grade
- A, 17 of 17 checks passed
- Kind
- SKILL.md skill
- Repository
- nwave-ai/nwave
- Path
nWave/skills/nw-command-design-patterns/SKILL.md- Versions recorded
- 5
- Latest version
- git:20260410.1da9381, committed Apr 10, 2026
- First version recorded
- Mar 17, 2026
- Size
- 9,576 bytes
- Repository stars
- 633
- License
- MIT
Best practices for command definition files - size targets, declarative template, anti-patterns, and canonical examples based on research evidence.
Collected from public GitHub. Every version is saved exactly as it was and never changes. Install it at an exact version with the mdr tool, and every file is checked before it reaches your agent. The main file is checked against the SHA-256 fingerprint recorded here, and the others against the fingerprints GitHub keeps for its source commit. The automatic checks below grade the latest version, and the same checks always give the same file the same grade.
What the file says
# Command Design Patterns
## The Forge Model (Gold Standard)
`forge.md` at 40 lines is the reference dispatcher. Contains: header (wave, agent, overview) | Agent invocation (name + command + config) | Success criteria (checklist) | Next wave handoff | Expected outputs. Every dispatcher should aspire to this pattern.
## Command Categories
| Category | Description | Size Target | Examples |
|----------|-------------|-------------|----------|
| Simple | Direct action, minimal delegation | 40-80 lines | forge, start, version, git |
| Dispatcher | Delegates to one agent with context | 40-150 lines | research, review, execute |
| Orchestrator | Coordinates multiple agents/phases | 100-300 lines | develop, document |
## Declarative Command Template
Commands declare WHAT, not HOW. The agent knows how to do its job.
```markdown
# DW-{NAME}: {Title}
**Wave**: {WAVE_NAME}
**Agent**: {persona} ({agent-id})
## Overview
One paragraph: what this command does and when to use it.
## Context Files Required
- {path} - {why needed}
## Agent Invocation
@{agent-id}
Execute \*{command} for {parameters}.
**Context Files:**
- {files the orchestrator reads and passes}
**Configuration:**
…Read the whole file at its exact version.
How to install
mdr add nwave-ai/nwave/nw-command-design-patterns@sha256:a406791ea4170a07The line at the top of this page pins the label git:20260410.1da9381, which is what most people want. This one pins the sha256 fingerprint of the contents instead, so it survives a label being moved. Either way the exact version is written to mdr.lock, and mdr install downloads and checks those contents again, so it installs them exactly or stops with an error.
[](https://markdownregistry.com/a/art_iodljvhqg5xvxihe)
3 badge image fetches in 30 days. What the badge shows.
Versions
The registry has recorded 5 versions of this file, between Mar 17, 2026 and Apr 10, 2026, about one every 6 days.
| version | committed | commit | size | audit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| git:20260410.1da9381 latest | 2026-04-10 | 1da9381 | 9,576 B | A | view · diff |
| git:20260407.db3038c | 2026-04-07 | db3038c | 8,065 B | A | view · diff |
| git:20260320.d98f3cb | 2026-03-20 | d98f3cb | 8,036 B | A | view · diff |
| git:20260318.e6a0e19 | 2026-03-18 | e6a0e19 | 8,006 B | A | view · diff |
| git:20260317.1d16147 | 2026-03-17 | 1d16147 | 7,997 B | A | view |
Audit of the latest version
- pass: Frontmatter block present
- pass: Frontmatter declares a name
- pass: Frontmatter declares a description
- pass: Size between 200 bytes and 200 KB (9576 bytes)
- pass: No zero-width or bidi control characters
- pass: No instruction hidden inside an HTML comment
- pass: No link to an exfiltration or paste host
- pass: No credential-shaped string
- pass: No instruction to send local credentials anywhere
- pass: No text hidden with inline styles
- pass: No prompt-injection phrasing
- pass: No curl or wget piped into a shell
- pass: No recursive delete of root, home or parent
- pass: No instruction to read or print local credentials
- pass: No base64 blob over 200 characters
- pass: No link to a raw IP address
- pass: No script tag
Source
nwave-ai/nwave · 633 stars · license MIT · pushed 2026-11-07 · branch main
API
GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/artifacts/art_iodljvhqg5xvxihe GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/resolve?ref=nwave-ai/nwave/nw-command-design-patterns GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/blob/a406791ea4170a07eb621a2de9f07f39fc3856f21f1f7fa9c3ea5b9a9c7967c9
Your AI assistant does the legwork. You hear about the deals worth your word. Hand yours the standing instructions at modelranch.com and it joins the network that reads files like this one.
Guides: the SKILL.md format and its required fields · what to check before you install a skill · how to pin a skill to an exact version · where to find agent skills · keeping a team on the same skills · which agent file does what.