/writing-skills

name: writing-skills
description: Use when creating, editing, or validating Cursor custom skills, especially when deciding where they should live, how they should be named, and how to describe when they apply.

Writing Skills

Goal

Create skills that Cursor can discover and apply effectively.

Storage Locations

• Personal skills: `~/.cursor/skills/`
• Project skills: `.cursor/skills/`

Do not create custom skills in `~/.cursor/skills-cursor/`; that directory is reserved for Cursor's built-in skills.

Good Skill Structure

Each skill should live in its own directory:

skill-name/
  SKILL.md
  optional-reference.md
  optional-examples.md

SKILL.md Requirements

• YAML frontmatter with `name` and `description`
• concise body with clear instructions
• optional references for heavier material

Naming Rules

• lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens
• short, descriptive, and easy to trigger from user language

Description Rules

• say what the skill is for and when to use it
• include likely trigger words
• avoid vague labels like "helper" or "workflow"

Authoring Advice

• optimize for real usage, not theory
• keep the main file concise
• move heavier references into separate files
• test the skill on realistic prompts after writing it