Installs into .claude/skills of the current project.
Are you the author of Common Workflow Writing?
Add the live security badge to your README. It updates with every re-scan.
[](https://www.skillsdirectory.com/skills/comeonoliver-common-workflow-writing)
---
name: common-workflow-writing
description: "Rules for writing concise, token-efficient workflow and skill files. Prevents over-building that requires costly optimization passes. (triggers: .agent/workflows/*.md, SKILL.md, create workflow, write workflow, new skill, new workflow)"
---
# Workflow Writing Standard
## **Priority: P0 (CRITICAL)**
## Core Rules
- **Templates, not examples**: Workflows define _structure_, not pre-filled data. The agent generates data at runtime.
- **No example rows in tables**: Include headers + 1 skeleton row only. Never populate with fake data.
- **No prose explanations**: If a bullet or command achieves the same result, delete the paragraph.
- **No pre-answered questions**: Don't document what the agent _will_ output — let it output it.
- **Merge sequential steps**: If two steps always happen together, they are one step.
## Size Limits
| File type | Limit | If exceeded |
| ----------------- | --------- | --------------------------------- |
| Workflow `.md` | 80 lines | Extract detail to `references/` |
| SKILL.md | 100 lines | Extract examples to `references/` |
| Table rows | 8 | Extract to `references/` |
| Inline code block | 10 lines | Extract to `references/` |
## Workflow Structure (Required order)
```
1. Goal (1 sentence)
2. Steps (imperative verb → command or checklist)
3. Output template (headers only, no pre-filled rows)
```
## Anti-Patterns
- **No verbose step preambles**: `"Before we start, it's important to understand..."` → Delete
- **No pre-filled report rows**: `| Security | P0 | ✅ PASS | CLIENT_ID moved to env |` → Delete
- **No repeated examples**: Same concept shown twice in different formats → Keep one
- **No "How to do X" sections**: The step IS the instruction
- **No caution blocks for obvious rules**: Reserve `> ⚠️` for genuinely non-obvious risks
## Quick Self-Check Before Saving
- [ ] Can the agent reconstruct any removed content at runtime from context? If yes → remove it
- [ ] Is every table row real structure, not example data?
- [ ] Are there any paragraphs a bullet list could replace?
- [ ] Would cutting this in half still give the agent enough to act on?
