EP12. Workflow Creation Skill
🏛️ The Meta-Engine and 7-Step Meta Snowflake
Recent episodes: from blank page through ASR, ADR, Spec, to incremental build-out.
That generic pipeline assumes structure isn't obvious upfront. But for slide decks or tech blog series with proven, repeatable workflows, re-running universal ASR/ADR every time is wasteful.
Enter generating-skill-creation—designing dedicated skills like document-authoring and presentation-authoring. Not the artifact—the recipe for producing it. Let's open this meta-skill's heart.
🧩 Five Prisms for Decomposing Artifacts
When asked to design a new generation skill, generating-skill-creation tears the target into five dimensions:
| Component | Role | Blog series example | Image generation example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assignment & Constraints | Scope, quality bar, taboos, success criteria | Series theme, audience, episode count | Resolution, format, color limits |
| Context & Rules | Domain rules, world-building, style guide | Platform norms, tone | Brand guidelines, palette |
| Entities | Reusable building blocks | Episode bodies, outlines | Icons, logos, character assets |
| Space & Placement | Physical/visual layout | Episode order in series arc | Canvas layout, object placement |
| Structure & Flow | Hierarchical content and hierarchy | Intro → body → conclusion | Layer order, visual hierarchy |
❄️ 7-Step Meta Snowflake Pipeline
Cocrates doesn't throw a one-off prompt blob. Under Snowflake strict control—no generation until detail design is locked—it runs seven steps:
[1. Kernel] ─→ [2. Components] ─→ [3. Frame] ─→ [4. Outline] ─→ [5. Spec] ─→ [6. Skill] ─→ [7. Verification]
1. Kernel (One-sentence definition)
Identity and mission in one sentence. If it wobbles, no next step.
"This skill helps produce [artifact type] in [situation] through [reviewable stages]."
2. Components (Dimension identification)
Catalog what the skill must handle using the five prisms.
3. Frame (Workflow design)
Design the new skill's 5-step Snowflake workflow, intermediate file tree, and user approval gates.
4. Outline (Per-stage specification)
For each stage: Input, Creation activity, Completion criteria, Review questions, Approval criteria—so intermediates land on disk, not in volatile chat.
5. Spec (Assemble specification)
Lock frontmatter, when to use, procedures, dialogue rules, prohibitions for final .SKILL.md.
6. Skill (Generate skill file)
From approved spec only, build .opencode/skills/{skill-slug}/SKILL.md.
7. Verification (Harness check)
Confirm the file obeys harness rules and runs correctly.
🚫 Meta-Engine Prohibitions
While generating-skill-creation runs, the agent cannot:
- Roughly generate final artifacts because no skill fits yet.
- Fill a SKILL.md template without multi-dimensional analysis.
- Design skills missing user review/approval gates.
- Leave intermediates only in chat without file isolation.
📝 Three-Line Summary
generating-skill-creationadds recipes to the system—not one-off dishes.- Five dimensions—assignment, context, entities, space, structure—yield precise dedicated workflows.
- Dedicated skills auto-load for repeat requests and evolve with the user.
🎬 Coming Up Next
You've mastered Learning → Artifact Generation → Meta Skill authoring.
With architecture understood—what commitment should users hold, and how does the harness evolve sustainably? The penultimate episode closes the arc.
"The moment you encode a skill in the system, your know-how is etched into AI's genes."
This series introduces the Cocrates Harness framework. Cocrates is an agent harness designed for Socratic dialogue so users keep agency and grow.