> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/gadievron/raptor/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# /create-skill

> Save custom security testing approaches as reusable skills

## Overview

The `/create-skill` command helps you capture successful custom security testing approaches and save them as reusable specialist skills that can auto-load in future sessions.

<Note>
  This feature is in **alpha** - skills are created and saved, but auto-loading integration is not yet fully implemented.
</Note>

## When to Use

Save an approach as a skill after you've found success with:

* Custom analysis focus (e.g., "focus on API security only")
* Custom priority ordering (e.g., "check auth before secrets")
* Specific testing methodologies that worked well
* Domain-specific patterns (e.g., "mobile app security patterns")

## Usage

```bash theme={null}
/create-skill
```

Claude will guide you through the skill creation process interactively.

## Skill Creation Process

<Steps>
  <Step title="Capture Successful Approach">
    Describe what made your approach successful:

    * Custom priorities used
    * Specific focus areas
    * Testing techniques employed
    * Domain expertise applied
  </Step>

  <Step title="Define Skill Parameters">
    Specify how the skill should be used:

    * **Name**: Descriptive identifier (e.g., `api_security_auth_focus`)
    * **Keywords**: Trigger words for auto-loading
    * **Domain**: Target types where skill applies
  </Step>

  <Step title="Extract Reusable Patterns">
    Review and generalize the approach:

    * Identify generalizable patterns
    * Remove target-specific details
    * Document tool combinations
    * Define reusable priorities
  </Step>

  <Step title="Validate Token Budget">
    Ensure the skill fits within limits:

    * Maximum 500 tokens per skill
    * Warning at 10+ total custom skills
    * Consider consolidation if approaching limits
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Skill Structure

Skills are saved to `tiers/specialists/custom/[skill_name].md` with this format:

```markdown theme={null}
# [Skill Name]
# Created: [date]
# Source: Successful approach from [session]
# Token cost: [X] tokens
# Auto-loads: [trigger keywords]

## Core Philosophy
[What makes this approach unique/successful]

## When to Use
[Target types and situations]

## Approach
[Priorities, techniques, and tools]

## Integration with Python
[How this guides execution parameters]
```

## Token Budget Guidelines

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Skill Size">
    * **Minimum**: 200 tokens (enough for useful content)
    * **Recommended**: 300-400 tokens (sweet spot)
    * **Maximum**: 500 tokens (hard limit, enforced)
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Total Skills">
    * **5 skills**: 1,500-2,000 tokens (acceptable)
    * **10 skills**: 3,000-4,000 tokens (approaching budget limit)
    * **15+ skills**: Consider consolidating or removing unused skills
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Example

```
User: /create-skill

Claude: What successful approach should we save?

User: "We focused on API authentication, checking auth bypass before 
      anything else, and it found critical issues faster"

Claude:
  ✓ Extracting approach patterns...

  Skill preview:
  - Name: api_auth_priority
  - Keywords: API, REST, authentication, auth bypass
  - Focus: Authentication issues in web APIs
  - Priority: Auth bypass → API security → Input validation
  - Size: 380 tokens ✓

  Create this skill? [Y/n/Customize]
```

## Quality Checks

Before saving a skill, ensure:

* Not overfitted to one specific target
* Token limit respected (under 500 tokens)
* Keywords defined for auto-loading
* Approach clearly documented
* Integration with Python parameters explained

## Managing Skills

Skills are stored in `tiers/specialists/custom/`

**Common operations:**

```bash theme={null}
# List all custom skills
ls tiers/specialists/custom/

# Disable a skill temporarily
mv skill_name.md skill_name.md.disabled

# Remove a skill
rm tiers/specialists/custom/skill_name.md

# Edit a skill
vim tiers/specialists/custom/skill_name.md
```

<Tip>
  If you have 5+ custom skills, RAPTOR will prompt you quarterly to review usage stats and consider consolidation.
</Tip>

## See Also

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Creating Personas" icon="user-tie" href="/guides/creating-personas">
    Create custom expert personas
  </Card>

  <Card title="Extending RAPTOR" icon="puzzle-piece" href="/guides/extending-raptor">
    Add new framework capabilities
  </Card>
</CardGroup>