git:20260505.5c57b27 to git:20260603.8a6fd04

---

name: example-layered-skill

description: >-

Example skill — reference implementation of the **internal** layered

architecture pattern (Tools / Services / Utils) for complex skills with

shared business logic. Use as a template when a skill outgrows a single

scripts/execute.py file. Not intended for production use — see

docs/guide/skills.md for the architectural guide.

license: MIT

compatibility: Python 3.8+

allowed-tools: Bash Read

metadata:

dcc-mcp:

dcc: python

version: "1.0.0"

layer: example

search-hint: "layered architecture, complex skill, services, utils, tools, asset pipeline reference, authoring reference"

tags: "example, architecture, layered, advanced, authoring reference"

tools: tools.yaml

prompts: prompts/system.md

---

# Layered Skill Architecture — Reference

This skill demonstrates the **internal** layered organisation recommended for

complex skills (see [`docs/guide/skills.md`](../../../docs/guide/skills.md)

section "Complex Skill Architecture").

It is intentionally simple — three asset-management tools that share a small

service object — so the **structure**, not the business logic, is the focus.

## Layout

```text

example-layered-skill/

├── SKILL.md ← this file (frontmatter + prose)

├── tools.yaml ← MCP tool declarations (sibling, per #356)

├── scripts/

│ ├── __init__.py

│ ├── tools/ ← thin adapters (parse params, return envelope)

│ │ ├── __init__.py

│ │ ├── create_asset.py

│ │ ├── publish_asset.py

│ │ └── validate_asset.py

│ ├── services/ ← business logic (orchestration, error handling)

│ │ ├── __init__.py

│ │ └── asset_service.py

│ └── utils/ ← pure helpers (no I/O, no DCC calls, fully unit-testable)

│ ├── __init__.py

│ └── path_utils.py

└── prompts/

└── system.md ← optional system prompt sidecar

```

## Layer responsibilities

| Layer | Responsibility | Size guidance |

|-------|----------------|---------------|

| **tools/** | Parse JSON params from stdin, validate, delegate, return envelope. | < 30 lines |

| **services/** | Orchestrate DCC commands. Easily unit-testable in isolation. | Grows with feature |

| **utils/** | Pure functions — path normalisation, primitive helpers. No side effects. | Grows with feature |

## Tools exposed

| Tool | Description |

|------|-------------|

| `example_layered_skill__create_asset` | Create a new asset record |

| `example_layered_skill__publish_asset` | Publish an existing asset |

| `example_layered_skill__validate_asset` | Validate an asset against project rules (read-only) |

## Why a sibling `tools.yaml`

declarations live in a sibling YAML referenced from

`metadata.dcc-mcp.tools` so that SKILL.md frontmatter stays

agentskills.io 1.0 compliant.