Write a procedure, not an essay

A skill should change how the agent works. “Follow release best practices” does not.

Write the critical path as actions. For release readiness, the agent should first inspect local project instructions and repository state. Next it discovers the documented validation commands. It runs non-mutating checks, collects evidence, reviews release metadata, classifies findings, and writes the report. Each step has an observable result.

Prefer a default path. Do not offer six equivalent tools and ask the agent to choose. Use the repository’s own scripts first. If none exist, report the missing check instead of inventing a new release system during preflight.

The procedure should generalize. Hard-coding “run npm test” makes the skill fail on a Go project. “Read the project’s documented test command, then run it” transfers across repositories while staying concrete.

Write this skeleton in SKILL.md:

## Workflow

1. Read repository instructions and release documentation.
2. Inspect status, branch, and recent release metadata.
3. Discover the project’s documented validation commands.
4. Run non-mutating checks and preserve their results.
5. Review version, changelog, artifacts, and known blockers.
6. Write the readiness report using the bundled template.

Now test every verb. Can the agent know what to inspect, what success means, and what to do after failure? Replace any sentence that only sounds responsible.