Skill Auditor

This skill provides a standardized, end-to-end process for auditing any agent skill — from structural integrity to live functional performance. It combines two independent veto gates, static analysis across 25 criteria, dynamic execution, five-category specialized scoring, and human review into a single coherent workflow.

Audit Pipeline

Step 1 │ Skill Veto              → ❌ HARD GATE: Structural/security redlines — any FAIL = reject
Step 2 │ Basic Evaluation        → Static quality scoring (25 criteria, 100 pts, ISO 25010 + OpenSSF + Agent)
Step 3 │ Classification          → Route to one of 5 categories + detect execution mode
Step 4 │ Dynamic Input Gen       → Generate N test inputs scaled to complexity
Step 5 │ Execution Testing       → Run skill via correct execution mode
Step 6 │ Multi-Layer Evaluation  → Basic rubric + Specialized rubric (category-specific, /60) + Assertions
        │                           ❌ HARD GATE: Research Veto — any FAIL = reject (categories 1–4 only)
Step 7 │ Human Review            → Generate eval viewer (.md) + collect per-input scores for JSON
Step 8 │ Optimization Report     → Final score + P0/P1/P2 recommendations
        │                           + emit eval_report_<n>_result.json for frontend visualization

Two hard rejection gates run at Steps 1 and 6. Both are mandatory and cannot be skipped. All other steps run sequentially. Step 9 always runs — even when a veto gate fires, the polished output corrects the rejected skill rather than abandoning it.

Language Policy

All audit output must be written in English, regardless of the language used in the user's request or in the submitted skill.

This applies to every artifact produced by this skill:

• Veto reports (Step 1 and Step 6)
• Static evaluation scores and notes (Step 2)
• Generated test inputs (Step 4)
• Execution summaries and per-output evaluations (Steps 5–6)
• The eval viewer .md file (Step 7)
• The final optimization report and JSON (Step 8)

If the user communicates in another language, Claude may briefly acknowledge the request in that language, but must then conduct and present the full audit in English.

Step 1: Skill Veto — Structural Redlines ❌

HARD GATE. Any FAIL = immediate rejection. Do not proceed to Step 2.

Read the target skill's SKILL.md and any bundled scripts. Check all four dimensions:

→ Full criteria: references/basic_veto.md

► If any T1–T4 dimension is FAIL: stop immediately. Output the rejection report below and do not continue.

SKILL VETO — REJECTED
══════════════════════════════════
Skill: <n>
Reason: Failed structural redline check
T1. Stability    : PASS / FAIL — <reason>
T2. Contract     : PASS / FAIL — <reason>
T3. Determinism  : PASS / FAIL — <reason>
T4. Security     : PASS / FAIL — <reason>

This skill must not be deployed. Fix all FAIL dimensions before resubmitting.
══════════════════════════════════

Step 2: Basic Evaluation — 25 Criteria (ISO 25010 + OpenSSF + Shneiderman + Agent)

Read the skill's full SKILL.md and all bundled files. Score each of the 25 criteria from 0–4.

→ Full rubric with per-level descriptions: references/basic_evaluation.md

Basic subtotal: __ / 100

Step 3: Classification + Execution Mode Detection

3.1 Classify the Skill

Read the skill's description frontmatter and ## When to Use section.

→ Full category definitions: references/classification.md

Research Veto scope: Categories 1–4 are subject to the Research Veto hard gate in Step 6. Category 5 is exempt.

3.2 Detect Execution Mode

Inspect the skill to determine how it is meant to be invoked.

Record the detected mode. It will be used in Step 5.

Step 4: Dynamic Input Generation

Purpose: Generate test inputs derived directly from the skill's own description to ensure they reflect real-world usage patterns.

4.1 Assess Skill Complexity

Declare: Complexity: [Simple / Moderate / Complex] → Generating N inputs

4.2 Generate N Test Inputs

Use this distribution based on N:

Format each as a realistic user message. Do not include expected answers.

Output:

GENERATED TEST INPUTS
═══════════════════════════════════════
Skill: <n>  |  Category: <1–5 + label>  |  Mode: <A/B/C/D>
Complexity: <level>  →  Generating <N> inputs

Input 1 (Canonical)   : <prompt>
Input 2 (Variant A)   : <prompt>
Input 3 (Edge)        : <prompt>
[Input 4–7 if applicable]
═══════════════════════════════════════

Step 5: Execution Testing

Run the skill on each of the N test inputs using the detected execution mode.

Mode A: Direct Execution

Load the skill's SKILL.md. Follow its instructions as if you are Claude-with-this-skill responding to the user message. Complete the task in full.

Mode B: CLI / Script Execution

python scripts/<script_name>.py "<input_text_or_path>"

Capture stdout/stderr. If execution fails, record the error and continue.

Mode C: API Execution

Follow the API usage pattern documented in the skill. Construct the request, execute, capture response. If credentials are unavailable, note this and simulate the expected output based on documentation.

Mode D: Hybrid Execution

Run the script/API component first. Pass its output to Claude for the reasoning/generation component.

Execution Log

For each input:

─── Input [N] ─────────────────────────
Mode    : <A/B/C/D>
Input   : <prompt>
Output  :
<full output>
Status  : COMPLETED / ERROR / PARTIAL
Notes   : <anomalies, scope violations, unexpected behaviors>
────────────────────────────────────────

Step 6: Multi-Layer Output Evaluation

Evaluate all N outputs across three parallel layers.

Layer 1: Basic Rubric Scoring

→ Full criteria: references/basic_evaluation.md

For each output, score four aggregate dimensions (0–10 each):

• Functional Correctness (did output complete the task correctly and fully?): /10
• Reliability & Clarity (well-structured, consistent, clear feedback?): /10
• Efficiency (concise, no padding, no unnecessary context bloat?): /10
• Scope & Safety (stayed in scope, no harmful content, proper escape hatches?): /10

Per-output basic score: /40

Layer 2: Specialized Rubric Scoring

Apply the rubric corresponding to the category from Step 3:

Per-output specialized score: /60

Layer 3: Assertion Checks

For each output, write and evaluate 3–5 boolean assertions derived from the skill's stated purpose.

Assertion types:

• Format assertion: "Output contains required section X"
• Content assertion: "Output does not fabricate specific claims"
• Scope assertion: "Output does not go beyond the skill's stated purpose"
• Safety assertion: "Output includes required disclaimers" (required for categories 1–4)
• Completeness assertion: "Output addresses all parts of a multi-part prompt"

Format:

Assertions for Input [N]:
  [PASS/FAIL] <assertion statement> — <brief justification>
  [PASS/FAIL] <assertion statement> — <brief justification>
  [PASS/FAIL] <assertion statement> — <brief justification>
  Assertion pass rate: X/Y

GATE: Any safety or scope assertion FAIL on 2+ outputs → Flag for rejection review.

Scoring Aggregation

Per-output total     = Basic Score (Layer 1, /40) + Specialized Score (Layer 2, /60) = /100
Execution avg score  = Mean of all N output totals
Assertion summary    = Total passed / Total assertions

Research Veto — Scientific Integrity Redlines ❌ (Categories 1–4 only)

HARD GATE. Run after all N outputs are evaluated. Any FAIL = immediate rejection. Skip entirely for Category 5 (Other).

→ Full criteria and rejection report template: references/scientific_veto.md

► If any M1–M4 dimension is FAIL: stop. Output the Research Veto rejection report. Do not proceed to Steps 7–8.

Step 7: Human Review — Eval Viewer

Generate a structured Markdown review document for human inspection.

# Eval Viewer — <Skill Name>
Generated: <date>

## Summary Table

| Input | Type | Basic /40 | Specialized /60 | Total /100 | Assertions | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canonical | __ | __ | __ | X/Y PASS | ✅/⚠️/❌ |
...

**Execution Average: __ / 100**
**Assertion Pass Rate: __/__**

## Detailed Outputs

### Input 1 — [Type]
**Prompt:** <input text>
**Output:** <full output>
**Scores:** Basic: __/40 | Specialized: __/60 | Total: __/100
**Assertions:**
- [PASS/FAIL] <assertion statement> — <brief justification>
- ...

Output location. Save the eval viewer next to the audited skill so it stays with the artifact it describes:

<audited_skill_path>/eval_viewer_<skill_name>.md

Where <audited_skill_path> is the directory containing the skill's SKILL.md (the path the user passed in). If that directory is not writable, fall back to /tmp/eval_viewer_<skill_name>.md and note the fallback in the final report.

If no filesystem is available at all, render the viewer inline in the conversation.

Note for reviewer: Check ⚠️ and ❌ rows first. Patterns across 2+ outputs indicate structural skill issues.

Step 8: Optimization Report

Final Score Calculation

Final Score = (Static Score × 0.4) + (Execution Avg × 0.6)

→ Full scoring thresholds: references/scoring_rubric.md

Optimization Recommendations

For each issue found, output:

[P0/P1/P2] <Issue Title>
  Observed in: Input(s) [N, M, ...]
  Problem: <what went wrong>
  Root cause: <likely cause in skill design>
  Fix: <specific, actionable change to SKILL.md or scripts>

Final Report

══════════════════════════════════════════════════
SKILL AUDIT REPORT
══════════════════════════════════════════════════
Skill Name     : <n>
Category       : <label>
Execution Mode : <A/B/C/D>
Complexity     : <Simple/Moderate/Complex>  (N=<n> inputs)
Audited On     : <date>

── STEP 1: Structural Veto ───────────────────────
Stability    : PASS / FAIL
Contract     : PASS / FAIL
Determinism  : PASS / FAIL
Security     : PASS / FAIL

── STEP 2: Static Evaluation (25 criteria) ───────
Functional Suitability : __/12
Reliability            : __/12
Performance/Context    : __/8
Agent Usability        : __/16
Human Usability        : __/8
Security               : __/12
Maintainability        : __/12
Agent-Specific         : __/20
Static Subtotal        : __/100

── STEP 3: Classification ────────────────────────
Category       : <label>
Execution Mode : <A / B / C / D>

── STEP 4: Test Inputs ───────────────────────────
[N inputs listed with type labels]

── STEP 5: Execution Summary ─────────────────────
Input 1: [COMPLETED/PARTIAL/ERROR] — <note>
...

── STEP 6: Output Evaluation ─────────────────────
         Basic  Specialized  Total  Assertions
Input 1:  __/40    __/60    __/100   X/Y PASS
...
Execution Avg               : __/100
Total Assertion Pass Rate   : __/__

[Research Veto — Evidence Insight / Protocol Design / Data Analysis / Academic Writing only; N/A for Other]
Scientific Integrity  : PASS / FAIL / N/A
Practice Boundaries   : PASS / FAIL / N/A
Methodological Ground : PASS / FAIL / N/A
Code Usability        : PASS / FAIL / N/A

── STEP 7: Outputs ───────────────────────────────
<audited_skill_path>/eval_viewer_<n>.md          : SAVED ✅
<audited_skill_path>/eval_report_<n>_result.json : SAVED ✅

── STEP 8: Final Score ───────────────────────────
Static Score   : __/100  × 40% = __
Dynamic Score  : __/100  × 60% = __
FINAL SCORE    : __ / 100
GRADE          : ⭐/✅/⚠️/❌  [Production Ready / Limited Release / Beta Only / Reject]

Key Strengths:
- ...

Optimization Recommendations:
[P0] ...
[P1] ...
[P2] ...
══════════════════════════════════════════════════

Step 7–8 JSON Output

⚠️ STRICT SCHEMA COMPLIANCE — NOT OPTIONAL. The JSON report is consumed by downstream tooling (skill-evaluator, the frontend viewer, automated regression dashboards). Any deviation from the schema below — a renamed key, a missing field, a string where an object is expected — breaks that tooling silently. Before emitting the JSON, you MUST:

1. Re-read references/report_json_schema.md in full (not just the summary table below).
2. Build the JSON by copying the structure from the schema's complete example, then filling in values — do not invent your own key names or nesting.
3. Run every item in the schema's Pre-Emit Checklist (§ "Pre-Emit Checklist" in report_json_schema.md) before writing the file. Treat each unchecked item as a blocker, not a warning.

Common drift to watch for — these have been observed in past audits and each one breaks the contract:

• Using static_score.total instead of static_score.subtotal.
• Using dynamic_score.execution_avg_score instead of dynamic_score.execution_avg.
• Writing veto_gates.research_veto.scientific_integrity: "PASS" (a bare string) instead of { "result": "PASS", "detail": "..." }.
• Omitting the top-level gate field inside skill_veto and research_veto.
• Per-input keys: n instead of index, missing label / status / status_flag / note.
• Each static category value being a bare integer instead of { "score": N, "max": M, "note": "..." }.
• final.final_score / final.weighted_static / final.weighted_dynamic instead of final.score / final.static_weighted / final.dynamic_weighted.
• Missing final.grade_symbol.

If a section of the schema's example does not match what you are about to emit, the example is canonical — change your output, not the schema.

→ Full schema + complete example: references/report_json_schema.md

Output location. Save the JSON next to the audited skill, using the same directory rule as the eval viewer:

<audited_skill_path>/eval_report_<skill_name>_result.json

If the audited skill directory already contains a prior eval_report_<skill_name>_result.json, overwrite it — the latest audit supersedes earlier ones. If that directory is not writable, fall back to /tmp/eval_report_<skill_name>_result.json and note the fallback in the final report.

JSON top-level nodes (all 7 required) — abbreviated reminder; the schema file is canonical:

Pre-emit checklist (MUST verify all of these before writing the file — see full list in report_json_schema.md § Pre-Emit Checklist):

• All free-text fields written in English
• No T-, M-, or cat-numbered prefixes in any JSON key
• static_score.categories has exactly 8 keys; each value is { score, max, note }; all scores within 0–max
• static_score.subtotal equals the sum of all 8 category score values
• dynamic_score.inputs has exactly N objects (matching meta.n_inputs); each has an assertions array
• Each input's assertions array has 3–5 entries (cardinality constraint — count it)
• Each input's assertions_passed equals count of "PASS" in its assertions array
• Each input's basic + specialized = total
• key_strengths has 2–5 entries (cardinality constraint — count it)
• research_veto.applicable = false and all research veto fields = "N/A" for category Other
• final.veto_override = true if any gate is FAIL; final.deployable = false in that case
• final.grade and final.grade_symbol consistent with final.score per the threshold table
• recommendations sorted P0 → P1 → P2 (empty array allowed)
• All averages/weighted scores rounded to 1 decimal; all raw scores are integers

Input Validation

This skill accepts: a SKILL.md file or skill description submitted for quality audit and improvement.

If the user's request does not involve auditing, evaluating, scoring, or improving an agent skill — for example, asking to write a story, build a website, or answer a general question — do not proceed with the audit pipeline. Instead respond:

"Skill Auditor is designed to evaluate and improve agent skills (SKILL.md files). Your request appears to be outside this scope. Please submit a skill for auditing, or use a more appropriate tool for your task."

Language note: The user may submit requests or skills in any language. Always produce the full audit output in English. See Language Policy above.

Reference Files

Dependencies

• Python 3.x + standard libraries — for scripts/evaluate_skill.py (structural pre-checks)
• Claude — for Steps 4–8 (input generation, execution, multi-layer scoring, recommendations)

Changelog

v1.1.0 — 2026-04-02

Scene Override additions — Based on findings from the audit of differential-expression-analysis, three systematic biases were identified in basic_evaluation.md when applied to scientific computing + agent-first skills. Rather than modifying the shared basic evaluation criteria (which would affect all five categories), per-category scene override sections were added to the relevant specialized evaluation files.

Files modified:

• references/specialized_evaluation_data_analysis.md — Added Scene Override section covering Fault Tolerance (2.1), Forgiveness (5.2), and Recoverability (2.3)
• references/specialized_evaluation_research_design.md — Added Scene Override section with the same three overrides, adapted for protocol design context
• references/specialized_evaluation_other.md — Added Execution Mode Awareness note directing auditors to apply Category 3 overrides when the skill operates in agent-first Mode B/C/D context

Rationale: The three affected basic evaluation criteria assume (1) human direct CLI operation and (2) general-purpose software tools. These assumptions do not hold for scientific computing pipelines or agent-first skills, where strict input validation and hard stops are correct design decisions, and structured error codes are the appropriate recovery interface.