wrapping-external-skills

Wrapping External Skills

Create local wrapper skills for external plugin skills that lack YAML frontmatter.

Problem

Plugin skills without name/description frontmatter are invisible to the Skill tool. They exist in the plugin cache but cannot be invoked via Skill("namespace:skill-name").

Solution

1. Create ~/.claude/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md
2. Add frontmatter (name + description)
3. Copy original skill content below frontmatter
4. Add TODO to track upstream fix

Frontmatter Template

---
name: skill-name
description: Use when [triggering conditions from original skill]
---

Maintenance

Local wrapper is a temporary shim. Track removal:

- [ ] After [plugin] upgrades, check if `namespace:skill-name` has frontmatter — if so, delete local wrapper

When to Use

• Plugin skill exists but has no frontmatter
• Need to invoke it via Skill tool in commands or workflows

When NOT to Use

• Skill already has frontmatter — invoke directly
• One-time use — read and follow manually