---
name: skill-scout
description: Search RStack's own skill/agent/plugin catalog and external sources before creating a new skill. Use when the user wants to create, build, fork, or find a skill for a workflow, or when a specialist gap is reported.
domains: sdlc
metadata:
  origin: ECC
  upstream: https://github.com/affaan-m/everything-claude-code @ 623f2c020f052319657674e4e6c29ab5d0ad566b (MIT)
owner: RStack developed by Richardson Gunde
---

# Skill Scout

Use this skill before creating a new skill. The goal is to avoid duplicating
existing catalog or community work, while still vetting anything external
before adoption.

Source: salvaged from stale community PR #1232 by `redminwang` (via ECC).

## When to Use

- The user says "create a skill", "build a skill", "make a skill", or "new
  skill".
- The user asks "is there a skill for X?" or "does a skill exist that does Y?"
- The user describes a workflow and you are about to suggest creating a new
  skill.
- The user wants to fork or extend an existing skill.
- A run reported a `specialist_gap` event or the builder prompt says no
  specialist registry entries matched (#557).

If the user explicitly says to skip search or create from scratch, acknowledge
that and proceed with the requested creation workflow.

## How It Works

### Step 1 - Capture Intent

Extract:

- The task the skill should perform.
- The trigger conditions for using it.
- The domain, tools, frameworks, or data sources involved.
- Three to five search keywords plus useful synonyms.

### Step 2 - Search RStack's Own Catalog

Search the package catalog first — it is already routed by the registry. The
freshest index is `.rstack/registry/registry.json` (rebuilt on every registry
call); the source trees are authoritative:

```bash
grep -RilE "keyword|synonym" skills/ --include=SKILL.md
grep -RilE "keyword|synonym" agents/ --include='*.md'
grep -iE '"name"|"description"' .rstack/registry/registry.json | grep -iE "keyword|synonym"
```

In a live session, prefer the `sdlc_agents` tool (filter by kind/domain) over
raw grep — it reads the same registry the planner routes from.

### Step 3 - Search Remote Sources

Use available GitHub and web search tools. Prefer concise queries:

```bash
gh search repos "claude code skill keyword" --limit 10 --sort stars
gh search code "name: keyword" --filename SKILL.md --limit 10
```

For web search, use at most two targeted queries such as:

```text
"claude code skill" keyword
"SKILL.md" keyword
```

### Step 4 - Vet External Matches

Before recommending any external skill for adoption or forking:

- Read the `SKILL.md` frontmatter and instructions.
- Look for unexpected shell commands, file writes, network calls, credential
  handling, or package installs.
- Check whether the repository appears maintained.
- Record the upstream commit and license — copied assets carry provenance
  metadata in this repo (see this file's frontmatter for the shape).
- Prefer copying into a fresh local branch and reviewing the diff over editing
  vendored originals.

### Step 5 - Rank Results

Rank candidates by:

1. Exact keyword match in the skill name.
2. Keyword or synonym match in description.
3. Package catalog source (already routed and validated).
4. Maintained GitHub source with recent activity.
5. Web-only mention.

Cap the final list at 10 results.

### Step 6 - Present Decision Options

Give the user a short table:

| Option | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| Use existing | Route the matching catalog skill as-is. |
| Fork or extend | Copy the closest skill and modify it. |
| Create fresh | Build a new skill after confirming no close match exists. |

Only create a new skill after the user chooses that path or after the search
finds no close match. Author it with `skills/skill-creator/` (or the
`skill-create` workflow) into `skills/<domain>/<name>/SKILL.md` — the registry
rebuilds on every call, so it becomes routable immediately (#557).

## Examples

### Result Table

```markdown
| # | Skill | Source | Why it matches | Gap |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | investigate | Package catalog | Debug/root-cause workflow | Not release-note focused |
| 2 | code-review-pr | Package catalog | PR review workflow | Heavier than needed |
| 3 | blog-writer | GitHub | Writing skill with recent commits | Needs security review |
```

### User-Facing Summary

```markdown
I found two close catalog matches and one external candidate. The closest fit
is `investigate`; it covers root-cause tracing, but not the release-note
checklist you asked for. I can either use it as-is, fork it into a variant, or
create a fresh skill.
```

## Anti-Patterns

- Do not jump directly to new skill creation when a search is reasonable.
- Do not install external skills without reading them first.
- Do not present a long unranked list of weak matches.
- Do not treat web-only mentions as trusted sources.
- Do not edit vendored originals in place.

## Related

- `search-first` - General search-before-building workflow.
- `skill-stocktake` - Audit the catalog for health, duplicates, and gaps.
- `agent-sort` - Categorize and organize existing agents and skills.
- `skill-creator` - Author the new SKILL.md when creation is the decision.