skill-invocation-policy
Use when starting any conversation - establishes how to find and use skills, requiring Skill tool invocation before ANY response including clarifying questions
When & Why to Use This Skill
The Skill Invocation Policy is a foundational governance framework for Claude agents designed to maximize reliability and discipline. It establishes a mandatory protocol requiring the agent to search for and invoke relevant skills at the very beginning of any interaction—even if there is only a 1% perceived chance of relevance. By prioritizing specialized workflows over generic responses, this skill ensures that AI agents follow established SOPs, maintain technical rigor, and avoid common pitfalls like skipping essential steps or rationalizing away the need for structured tools.
Use Cases
- Standardizing Agentic Workflows: Ensuring that AI agents consistently check for and apply specific project guidelines or coding standards before performing any file modifications.
- Enforcing SOP Compliance: Preventing agents from bypassing complex procedures for 'simple' tasks by mandating a skill check as the first step in every conversation.
- Multi-Skill Prioritization: Orchestrating complex tasks by defining a clear hierarchy where process-oriented skills (like brainstorming or debugging) are invoked before implementation-oriented tools.
- Reducing Task Failure: Eliminating 'agentic laziness' by providing a strict checklist of red flags that prevent the agent from making assumptions without consulting the appropriate skill documentation.
- Dynamic Context Loading: Ensuring the agent always operates with the most current version of a skill's instructions rather than relying on potentially outdated memory.
| name | skill-invocation-policy |
|---|---|
| description | Use when starting any conversation - establishes how to find and use skills, requiring Skill tool invocation before ANY response including clarifying questions |
IF A SKILL APPLIES TO YOUR TASK, YOU DO NOT HAVE A CHOICE. YOU MUST USE IT.
This is not negotiable. This is not optional. You cannot rationalize your way out of this.
How to Access Skills
In Claude Code: Use the Skill tool. When you invoke a skill, its content is loaded and presented to you—follow it directly. Never use the Read tool on skill files.
In other environments: Check your platform's documentation for how skills are loaded.
Using Skills
The Rule
Invoke relevant or requested skills BEFORE any response or action. Even a 1% chance a skill might apply means that you should invoke the skill to check. If an invoked skill turns out to be wrong for the situation, you don't need to use it.
digraph skill_flow {
"User message received" [shape=doublecircle];
"Might any skill apply?" [shape=diamond];
"Invoke Skill tool" [shape=box];
"Announce: 'Using [skill] to [purpose]'" [shape=box];
"Has checklist?" [shape=diamond];
"Create TodoWrite todo per item" [shape=box];
"Follow skill exactly" [shape=box];
"Respond (including clarifications)" [shape=doublecircle];
"User message received" -> "Might any skill apply?";
"Might any skill apply?" -> "Invoke Skill tool" [label="yes, even 1%"];
"Might any skill apply?" -> "Respond (including clarifications)" [label="definitely not"];
"Invoke Skill tool" -> "Announce: 'Using [skill] to [purpose]'";
"Announce: 'Using [skill] to [purpose]'" -> "Has checklist?";
"Has checklist?" -> "Create TodoWrite todo per item" [label="yes"];
"Has checklist?" -> "Follow skill exactly" [label="no"];
"Create TodoWrite todo per item" -> "Follow skill exactly";
}
Red Flags
These thoughts mean STOP—you're rationalizing:
| Thought | Reality |
|---|---|
| "This is just a simple question" | Questions are tasks. Check for skills. |
| "I need more context first" | Skill check comes BEFORE clarifying questions. |
| "Let me explore the codebase first" | Skills tell you HOW to explore. Check first. |
| "I can check git/files quickly" | Files lack conversation context. Check for skills. |
| "Let me gather information first" | Skills tell you HOW to gather information. |
| "This doesn't need a formal skill" | If a skill exists, use it. |
| "I remember this skill" | Skills evolve. Read current version. |
| "This doesn't count as a task" | Action = task. Check for skills. |
| "The skill is overkill" | Simple things become complex. Use it. |
| "I'll just do this one thing first" | Check BEFORE doing anything. |
| "This feels productive" | Undisciplined action wastes time. Skills prevent this. |
| "I know what that means" | Knowing the concept ≠ using the skill. Invoke it. |
Skill Priority
When multiple skills could apply, use this order:
- Process skills first (brainstorming, debugging) - these determine HOW to approach the task
- Implementation skills second (frontend-design, mcp-builder) - these guide execution
"Let's build X" → brainstorming first, then implementation skills. "Fix this bug" → debugging first, then domain-specific skills.
Skill Types
Rigid (TDD, debugging): Follow exactly. Don't adapt away discipline.
Flexible (patterns): Adapt principles to context.
The skill itself tells you which.
User Instructions
Instructions say WHAT, not HOW. "Add X" or "Fix Y" doesn't mean skip workflows.