Skill Authoring
Install when you are authoring or extending Agent Skills in the Microsoft Azure skills repo so your agent follows Azure’s conventions and packaging expectations.
Overview
Skill Authoring is an agent skill most often used in Build (also Validate scope, Ship review) that helps you author and align Agent Skills for the Microsoft Azure skills repository.
Install
npx skills add https://github.com/microsoft/azure-skills --skill skill-authoringWhat is this skill?
- Guides creation and maintenance of skills in microsoft/azure-skills
- Aligns agent capabilities with Azure skills repository patterns
- Supports repeatable SKILL.md authoring for cloud and agent workflows
- Catalog listing cites skills.sh install traction for discoverability
- Intended for agents that install skills from the Azure skills GitHub source
Adoption & trust: 934 installs on skills.sh; 1.2k GitHub stars.
What problem does it solve?
You want new Azure agent capabilities but lack a consistent SKILL.md authoring pattern tied to microsoft/azure-skills.
Who is it for?
Solo builders maintaining custom skills inside microsoft/azure-skills or mirroring its conventions for Azure automation agents.
Skip if: Builders who only need a one-off prompt with no reusable SKILL.md, or teams not using Azure-oriented agent skill packages.
When should I use this skill?
You are adding or updating Agent Skills in microsoft/azure-skills and need Azure-aligned authoring guidance.
What do I get? / Deliverables
You produce repository-aligned skill definitions agents can install from Azure skills sources, ready to chain into prepare→validate→deploy style stacks where applicable.
- New or updated SKILL.md aligned with Azure skills repo layout
- Skill entry consumable via skills.sh / GitHub install URL
Recommended Skills
Journey fit
Spans multiple journey phases - primary shelf plus alternate fits below.
Skill authoring is canonical on Build → agent-tooling because it defines how reusable agent capabilities are created before they are used in ship, launch, or operate workflows. The primary artifact is SKILL.md structure, triggers, and Azure-aligned skill metadata—not frontend UI or production monitoring.
Where it fits
Scope a new Azure deploy-validation skill before you add SKILL.md to the repo.
Author triggers and sections for a skill that wraps az CLI preparation steps.
Review a peer’s SKILL.md for invokeWhen clarity and safe permission boundaries before merge.
How it compares
Meta skill for authoring SKILL.md packages in an Azure repo—not an MCP server runtime or a single-task integration skill.
Common Questions / FAQ
Who is skill-authoring for?
Indie builders and small teams who publish or fork Agent Skills in microsoft/azure-skills and want agents to follow the same authoring conventions.
When should I use skill-authoring?
In Build when creating agent-tooling files; in Validate when scoping a new skill before coding; in Ship when reviewing whether triggers and handoffs match repo standards.
Is skill-authoring safe to install?
Review the Security Audits panel on this Prism page and inspect microsoft/azure-skills on GitHub before granting agents filesystem or shell access while authoring skills.
SKILL.md
READMESKILL.md - Skill Authoring
# skill-authoring Installs: 934 Source: microsoft/azure-skills { "id": "microsoft/azure-skills/skill-authoring", "url": "https://www.skills.sh/microsoft/azure-skills/skill-authoring", "name": "skill-authoring", "slug": "skill-authoring", "source": "microsoft/azure-skills", "installs": 934, "installUrl": "https://github.com/microsoft/azure-skills", "sourceType": "github" }