ENHANCEMENT.md 7.0 KB

AI-Powered SKILL.md Enhancement

Two scripts are available to dramatically improve your SKILL.md file:

  1. enhance_skill_local.py - Uses Claude Code Max (no API key, recommended)
  2. enhance_skill.py - Uses Anthropic API (~$0.15-$0.30 per skill)

Both analyze reference documentation and extract the best examples and guidance.

Why Use Enhancement?

Problem: The auto-generated SKILL.md is often too generic:

  • Empty Quick Reference section
  • No practical code examples
  • Generic "When to Use" triggers
  • Doesn't highlight key features

Solution: Let Claude read your reference docs and create a much better SKILL.md with:

  • ✅ Best code examples extracted from documentation
  • ✅ Practical quick reference with real patterns
  • ✅ Domain-specific guidance
  • ✅ Clear navigation tips
  • ✅ Key concepts explained

Quick Start (LOCAL - No API Key)

Recommended for Claude Code Max users:

# Option 1: Standalone enhancement
python3 cli/enhance_skill_local.py output/steam-inventory/

# Option 2: Integrated with scraper
python3 cli/doc_scraper.py --config configs/steam-inventory.json --enhance-local

What happens:

  1. Opens new terminal window
  2. Runs Claude Code with enhancement prompt
  3. Claude analyzes reference files (~15-20K chars)
  4. Generates enhanced SKILL.md (30-60 seconds)
  5. Terminal auto-closes when done

Requirements:

  • Claude Code Max plan (you're already using it!)
  • macOS (auto-launch works) or manual terminal run on other OS

API-Based Enhancement (Alternative)

If you prefer API-based approach:

Installation

pip3 install anthropic

Setup API Key

# Option 1: Environment variable (recommended)
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...

# Option 2: Pass directly with --api-key
python3 cli/enhance_skill.py output/react/ --api-key sk-ant-...

Usage

# Standalone enhancement
python3 cli/enhance_skill.py output/steam-inventory/

# Integrated with scraper
python3 cli/doc_scraper.py --config configs/steam-inventory.json --enhance

# Dry run (see what would be done)
python3 cli/enhance_skill.py output/react/ --dry-run

What It Does

  1. Reads reference files (api_reference.md, webapi.md, etc.)
  2. Sends to Claude with instructions to:
    • Extract 5-10 best code examples
    • Create practical quick reference
    • Write domain-specific "When to Use" triggers
    • Add helpful navigation guidance
  3. Backs up original SKILL.md to SKILL.md.backup
  4. Saves enhanced version as new SKILL.md

Example Enhancement

Before (Auto-Generated)

## Quick Reference

### Common Patterns

*Quick reference patterns will be added as you use the skill.*

After (AI-Enhanced)

## Quick Reference

### Common API Patterns

**Granting promotional items:**

cpp void CInventory::GrantPromoItems() {

SteamItemDef_t newItems[2];
newItems[0] = 110;
newItems[1] = 111;
SteamInventory()->AddPromoItems( &s_GenerateRequestResult, newItems, 2 );

}


**Getting all items in player inventory:**

cpp SteamInventoryResult_t resultHandle; bool success = SteamInventory()->GetAllItems( &resultHandle );

[... 8 more practical examples ...]

Cost Estimate

  • Input: ~50,000-100,000 tokens (reference docs)
  • Output: ~4,000 tokens (enhanced SKILL.md)
  • Model: claude-sonnet-4-20250514
  • Estimated cost: $0.15-$0.30 per skill

Troubleshooting

"No API key provided"

export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...
# or
python3 cli/enhance_skill.py output/react/ --api-key sk-ant-...

"No reference files found"

Make sure you've run the scraper first:

python3 cli/doc_scraper.py --config configs/react.json

"anthropic package not installed"

pip3 install anthropic

Don't like the result?

# Restore original
mv output/steam-inventory/SKILL.md.backup output/steam-inventory/SKILL.md

# Try again (it may generate different content)
python3 cli/enhance_skill.py output/steam-inventory/

Tips

  1. Run after scraping completes - Enhancement works best with complete reference docs
  2. Review the output - AI is good but not perfect, check the generated SKILL.md
  3. Keep the backup - Original is saved as SKILL.md.backup
  4. Re-run if needed - Each run may produce slightly different results
  5. Works offline after first run - Reference files are local

Real-World Results

Test Case: steam-economy skill

  • Before: 75 lines, generic template, empty Quick Reference
  • After: 570 lines, 10 practical API examples, key concepts explained
  • Time: 60 seconds
  • Quality Rating: 9/10

The LOCAL enhancement successfully:

  • Extracted best HTTP/JSON examples from 24 pages of documentation
  • Explained domain concepts (Asset Classes, Context IDs, Transaction Lifecycle)
  • Created navigation guidance for beginners through advanced users
  • Added best practices for security, economy design, and API integration

Limitations

LOCAL Enhancement (enhance_skill_local.py):

  • Requires Claude Code Max plan
  • macOS auto-launch only (manual on other OS)
  • Opens new terminal window
  • Takes ~60 seconds

API Enhancement (enhance_skill.py):

  • Requires Anthropic API key (paid)
  • Cost: ~$0.15-$0.30 per skill
  • Limited to ~100K tokens of reference input

Both:

  • May occasionally miss the best examples
  • Can't understand context beyond the reference docs
  • Doesn't modify reference files (only SKILL.md)

Enhancement Options Comparison

Aspect Manual Edit LOCAL Enhancement API Enhancement
Time 15-30 minutes 30-60 seconds 30-60 seconds
Code examples You pick AI picks best AI picks best
Quick reference Write yourself Auto-generated Auto-generated
Domain guidance Your knowledge From docs From docs
Consistency Varies Consistent Consistent
Cost Free (your time) Free (Max plan) ~$0.20 per skill
Setup None None API key needed
Quality High (if expert) 9/10 9/10
Recommended? For experts only Yes If no Max plan

When to Use

Use enhancement when:

  • You want high-quality SKILL.md quickly
  • Working with large documentation (50+ pages)
  • Creating skills for unfamiliar frameworks
  • Need practical code examples extracted
  • Want consistent quality across multiple skills

Skip enhancement when:

  • Budget constrained (use manual editing)
  • Very small documentation (<10 pages)
  • You know the framework intimately
  • Documentation has no code examples

Advanced: Customization

To customize how Claude enhances the SKILL.md, edit enhance_skill.py and modify the _build_enhancement_prompt() method around line 130.

Example customization:

prompt += """
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
- Focus on security best practices
- Include performance tips
- Add troubleshooting section
"""

See Also