# Metadata Quality Criteria

Metadata determines when Claude activates the skill. Poor metadata = wrong activation or missed activation.

## Name Field

**Format:** kebab-case, lowercase

**Good Examples:**
- `pdf-editor` - clear domain
- `bigquery-analyst` - tool + role
- `frontend-webapp-builder` - specific function

**Bad Examples:**
- `helper` - too generic
- `mySkill` - wrong case
- `pdf` - too short, unclear purpose

## Description Field

**Constraint:** Under 200 characters

**Purpose:** Trigger automatic activation during implementation

### Good Descriptions

Specific, action-oriented, includes use cases:

```yaml
description: Build React/TypeScript frontends with modern patterns. Use for components, Suspense, lazy loading, performance optimization.
```

```yaml
description: Process PDFs with rotation, splitting, merging. Use for document manipulation, page extraction, PDF conversion.
```

### Bad Descriptions

Too generic or educational:

```yaml
description: A skill for working with databases.  # Too vague
```

```yaml
description: This skill helps you understand how React works.  # Educational, not actionable
```

## Trigger Precision

Description should answer: "What phrases would a user say that should trigger this skill?"

**Example for `image-editor` skill:**
- "Remove red-eye from this image"
- "Rotate this photo 90 degrees"
- "Crop the background out"

Include these trigger phrases/actions in description.

## Third-Person Style

**Correct:** "This skill should be used when..."
**Wrong:** "Use this skill when..." or "You should use this..."

## Validation

Check with packaging script:

```bash
scripts/package_skill.py <skill-path>
```

Fails if:
- Missing name or description
- Description exceeds 200 characters
- Invalid YAML syntax