---
name: mathodology-skill-authoring
description: Use when adding, updating, validating, or reviewing Mathodology project skills, SKILL.md files, or agents/openai.yaml metadata.
---

# Mathodology Skill Authoring

## Scope

This repository currently has one skill system: project skills under `.claude/skills/`.

Each skill directory contains:

```text
SKILL.md
agents/openai.yaml
```

No separate product runtime skill directory is present on this branch.

Claude Code orchestration assets are adjacent to skills:

```text
.claude/agents/<agent-name>.md
.claude/workflows/<workflow-name>.md
```

Codex orchestration belongs inside `SKILL.md`, `agents/openai.yaml`, and `docs/WORKFLOWS.md`.

## Frontmatter Rules

Every `SKILL.md` needs YAML frontmatter with:

```yaml
---
name: mathodology-example
description: Use when ...
---
```

Rules:

- `name` must match the directory name.
- `description` must start with `Use when`.
- Keep descriptions trigger-focused; do not summarize the whole workflow.
- Keep frontmatter concise.

## Body Rules

Skills should be reusable process guidance, not a record of one editing session.

For this skills-only branch:

- Be explicit when subsystem knowledge is historical.
- Do not link to current files that are no longer present.
- Do not list old build or test commands as active validation gates.
- Keep current-branch edits limited to skills, metadata, Claude Code agents/workflows, docs, and backup helper files.

## Adapter Rules

Claude Code adaptation:

- Put reusable project subagent definitions in `.claude/agents/`.
- Put repeatable phase workflow templates in `.claude/workflows/`.
- Keep each subagent role narrow and gate-driven.
- Mention which Mathodology skill the subagent should load.

Codex adaptation:

- Put startup prompts and multi-agents rules in `SKILL.md` and `docs/WORKFLOWS.md`.
- Keep `agents/openai.yaml` default prompts explicit enough to trigger the right skill.
- Phrase Codex instructions as phase tasks with synthesis and independent critic gates.

## Metadata

Each project skill should have `agents/openai.yaml` with:

```yaml
interface:
  display_name: "Readable Name"
  short_description: "Short UI label"
  default_prompt: "Use $skill-name ..."
```

The default prompt must mention the matching `$skill-name`.

## Validation

Run skill frontmatter validation:

```bash
for d in .claude/skills/*; do
  python3 /Users/cornna/.codex/skills/.system/skill-creator/scripts/quick_validate.py "$d"
done
```

Run metadata consistency:

```bash
python3 - <<'PY'
from pathlib import Path
import re
import yaml

root = Path(".claude/skills")
for d in sorted(p for p in root.iterdir() if p.is_dir()):
    text = (d / "SKILL.md").read_text(encoding="utf-8")
    match = re.match(r"^---\n(.*?)\n---\n", text, re.S)
    assert match, d
    frontmatter = yaml.safe_load(match.group(1))
    assert frontmatter["name"] == d.name, d
    assert frontmatter["description"].startswith("Use when"), d
    metadata = yaml.safe_load((d / "agents" / "openai.yaml").read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
    assert f"${d.name}" in metadata["interface"]["default_prompt"], d
print("skills metadata ok")
PY
```

## Update Checklist

1. Pick the narrowest skill that owns the behavior.
2. Edit `SKILL.md`.
3. Update `agents/openai.yaml` if display text or default prompt should change.
4. Run validation.
5. Check that no non-skills files were added back to the repository.