/new-skill

description: "Author a new codeArbiter skill: prove the gap is real, get the spec approved, then write it."
argument-hint: "<verb-noun skill name>"

{{CMD:new-skill}} — author a skill

The only permitted entry to creating a skill. Nothing is written until the gap is proven uncovered — skills are not created speculatively. Name the skill in verb-noun form (`"dependency-review"`), not as a description (`"the thing that checks packages"`).

Flow

Routes to the `skill-author` skill, which owns the work end to end through its five gated phases — gap evidence, scope, authoring, self-review against the v2 house style, and routing integration (the `INDEX.md` + routing-table entry that makes the new skill reachable). The phase definitions live in the skill; this command does not restate them. Nothing is authored until an existing skill or agent is proven not to cover the need; nothing ships until the new skill carries gated phases, hard rules, and its routing entry.

Routes to

`skill-author` (`{{PLUGIN_ROOT}}/skills/skill-author/SKILL.md`) — all five phases.

When NOT to use

• A one-time action → `{{CMD:feature}}` or a command definition.
• An existing skill nearly covers it → extend that skill via `{{CMD:feature}}`.
• "Do we even need a skill here?" → `{{CMD:btw}}`.

Hard gate

MUST prove the gap is real in Phase 1 before writing any skill content. MUST get user approval on the spec before authoring. MUST NOT create a skill that duplicates an existing skill's purpose — surface the overlap instead. Skill files live only under `{{PLUGIN_ROOT}}/skills/<name>/`.