/nw-forge
Creates new specialized agents using the 5-phase workflow (ANALYZE > DESIGN > CREATE > VALIDATE > REFINE). Use when building a new AI agent or validating an existing agent specification.
$ npx -y skills add nWave-ai/nWave --skill nw-forge --agent claude-codeHow it fires
How this skill gets triggered: by you, by Claude, or both.
- Fires itselfAuto-invocation. Claude auto-loads it when your prompt matches the work.Auto-invocation is when the right skill fires by itself at the right moment, driven by a FLOW.md router and a hook, instead of you invoking it by name. It is the difference between a skill being installed and a skill actually getting used.Read the full definition →
- You can call itInvoke it directly when you want it.
- Slash command
/nw-forge
Context preview
The summary Claude sees to decide when to auto-load this skill.
Creates new specialized agents using the 5-phase workflow (ANALYZE > DESIGN > CREATE > VALIDATE > REFINE). Use when building a new AI agent or validating an existing agent specification.
SKILL.md
nw-forge.SKILL.mdname: nw-forge
description: "Creates new specialized agents using the 5-phase workflow (ANALYZE > DESIGN > CREATE > VALIDATE > REFINE). Use when building a new AI agent or validating an existing agent specification."
user-invocable: true
argument-hint: '[agent-name] - Optional: --type=[specialist|reviewer|orchestrator] --pattern=[react|reflection|router]'
NW-FORGE: Create Agent (V2)
**Wave**: CROSS_WAVE **Agent**: Zeus (nw-agent-builder)
Overview
Create a new agent using research-validated v2 approach: focused core (200-400 lines) with Skills for domain knowledge.
1. **ANALYZE** — Identify single clear responsibility, check overlap with existing agents, classify type, determine minimum tools needed. Gate: responsibility defined, no overlap, classification chosen. 2. **DESIGN** — Select design pattern, define role and divergent principles, plan Skills extraction, draft frontmatter. Gate: pattern selected, principles drafted, frontmatter ready. 3. **CREATE** — Write agent `.md` using template. Workflow must be numbered task list. Create Skill files if domain knowledge exceeds 50 lines. Gate: agent file written, line count under 400. 4. **VALIDATE** — Run 14-point validation checklist. Check for anti-patterns. Verify workflow is numbered task list, not prose. Gate: all 14 items pass, zero anti-patterns. 5. **REFINE** — Address validation failures. Add instructions only for observed failure modes. Re-measure and re-validate. Gate: all items pass, line count reported.
Agent Invocation
@nw-agent-builder
Execute \*forge to create {agent-name} agent.
**Configuration:**
- agent_type: specialist | reviewer | orchestrator
- design_pattern: react | reflection | router | planning | sequential | parallel | hierarchical
Success Criteria
- [ ] Agent definition under 400 lines (`wc -l`)
- [ ] Official YAML frontmatter format (name, description, tools, maxTurns)
- [ ] 11-point validation checklist passes
- [ ] Only divergent behaviors specified (no Claude defaults)
- [ ] 3-5 canonical examples included
- [ ] Domain knowledge extracted to Skills if >50 lines
- [ ] No aggressive language (no CRITICAL/MANDATORY/ABSOLUTE)
- [ ] Safety via platform features (frontmatter/hooks), not prose
Next Wave
**Handoff To**: Agent installation and deployment **Deliverables**: Agent specification file + Skill files (if any)
Expected Outputs
~/.claude/agents/nw/nw-{agent-name}.md
~/.claude/skills/nw-{skill-name}/SKILL.md*.md (if Skills needed)Read more
name: nw-forge description: "Creates new specialized agents using the 5-phase workflow (ANALYZE > DESIGN > CREATE > VALIDATE > REFINE). Use when building a new AI agent or validating an existing agent specification." user-invocable: true argument-hint: '[agent-name] - Optional: --type=[specialist|reviewer|orchestrator] --pattern=[react|reflection|router]'
NW-FORGE: Create Agent (V2)
**Wave**: CROSS_WAVE **Agent**: Zeus (nw-agent-builder)
Overview
Create a new agent using research-validated v2 approach: focused core (200-400 lines) with Skills for domain knowledge.
1. **ANALYZE** — Identify single clear responsibility, check overlap with existing agents, classify type, determine minimum tools needed. Gate: responsibility defined, no overlap, classification chosen. 2. **DESIGN** — Select design pattern, define role and divergent principles, plan Skills extraction, draft frontmatter. Gate: pattern selected, principles drafted, frontmatter ready. 3. **CREATE** — Write agent `.md` using template. Workflow must be numbered task list. Create Skill files if domain knowledge exceeds 50 lines. Gate: agent file written, line count under 400. 4. **VALIDATE** — Run 14-point validation checklist. Check for anti-patterns. Verify workflow is numbered task list, not prose. Gate: all 14 items pass, zero anti-patterns. 5. **REFINE** — Address validation failures. Add instructions only for observed failure modes. Re-measure and re-validate. Gate: all items pass, line count reported.
Agent Invocation
@nw-agent-builder
Execute \*forge to create {agent-name} agent.
**Configuration:**
- agent_type: specialist | reviewer | orchestrator
- design_pattern: react | reflection | router | planning | sequential | parallel | hierarchical
Success Criteria
- [ ] Agent definition under 400 lines (`wc -l`)
- [ ] Official YAML frontmatter format (name, description, tools, maxTurns)
- [ ] 11-point validation checklist passes
- [ ] Only divergent behaviors specified (no Claude defaults)
- [ ] 3-5 canonical examples included
- [ ] Domain knowledge extracted to Skills if >50 lines
- [ ] No aggressive language (no CRITICAL/MANDATORY/ABSOLUTE)
- [ ] Safety via platform features (frontmatter/hooks), not prose
Next Wave
**Handoff To**: Agent installation and deployment **Deliverables**: Agent specification file + Skill files (if any)
Expected Outputs
~/.claude/agents/nw/nw-{agent-name}.md
~/.claude/skills/nw-{skill-name}/SKILL.md*.md (if Skills needed)AI agents that guide you from idea to working code, with human judgment at every gate. nWave runs inside Claude Code. It breaks feature delivery into seven waves (discover, diverge, discuss, design, devops, distill, deliver).
Repo: nWave-ai/nWave
Other skills on nwave.
- /nw-ab-critique-dimensions
Review dimensions for validating agent quality - template compliance, safety, testing, and priority validation
Open skill - /nw-abr-critique-dimensions
Review dimensions for validating agent quality - template compliance, safety, testing, and priority validation
Open skill - /nw-ad-critique-dimensions
Review dimensions for acceptance test quality - happy path bias, GWT compliance, business language purity, coverage completeness, walking skeleton user-centricity, priority validation, observable behavior assertions, traceability coverage, and walking skeleton boundary proof
Open skill - /nw-agent-creation-workflow
Detailed 5-phase workflow for creating agents - from requirements analysis through validation and iterative refinement
Open skill - /nw-agent-testing
5-layer testing approach for agent validation including adversarial testing, security validation, and prompt injection resistance
Open skill - /nw-architectural-styles-tradeoffs
Architectural style selection decision matrices, trade-off analysis, structural enforcement rules, and combination patterns. Load when choosing or evaluating architecture styles.
Open skill

