using-kit

<EXTREMELY-IMPORTANT> If you think there is even a 1% chance a skill might apply to what you are doing, you ABSOLUTELY MUST invoke the skill.

IF A SKILL APPLIES TO YOUR TASK, YOU DO NOT HAVE A CHOICE. YOU MUST USE IT.

This is not negotiable. This is not optional. You cannot rationalize your way out of this. </EXTREMELY-IMPORTANT>

How to Access Skills

Load the skill through your environment's skill-loading mechanism, then follow its content directly.

Using Skills

The Rule

Invoke relevant or requested skills BEFORE any response or action. Even a 1% chance a skill might apply means that you should invoke the skill to check. If an invoked skill turns out to be wrong for the situation, you don't need to use it.

digraph skill_flow {
    "User message received" [shape=doublecircle];
    "Build/modify feature?" [shape=diamond];
    "Already brainstormed?" [shape=diamond];
    "Invoke brainstorming skill" [shape=box];
    "Might any skill apply?" [shape=diamond];
    "Load the skill" [shape=box];
    "Announce: 'Using [skill] to [purpose]'" [shape=box];
    "Has checklist?" [shape=diamond];
    "Create a todo per item" [shape=box];
    "Follow skill exactly" [shape=box];
    "Respond (including clarifications)" [shape=doublecircle];

    "User message received" -> "Build/modify feature?";
    "Build/modify feature?" -> "Already brainstormed?" [label="yes"];
    "Build/modify feature?" -> "Might any skill apply?" [label="no"];
    "Already brainstormed?" -> "Invoke brainstorming skill" [label="no"];
    "Already brainstormed?" -> "Might any skill apply?" [label="yes"];
    "Invoke brainstorming skill" -> "Might any skill apply?";

    "Might any skill apply?" -> "Load the skill" [label="yes, even 1%"];
    "Might any skill apply?" -> "Respond (including clarifications)" [label="definitely not"];
    "Load the skill" -> "Announce: 'Using [skill] to [purpose]'";
    "Announce: 'Using [skill] to [purpose]'" -> "Has checklist?";
    "Has checklist?" -> "Create a todo per item" [label="yes"];
    "Has checklist?" -> "Follow skill exactly" [label="no"];
    "Create a todo per item" -> "Follow skill exactly";
}

Default Workflow Chain

For building or modifying features, the default chain is:

1. brainstorming — explore codebase, design, get user approval
2. writing-plans — create detailed implementation plan
3. build-flow — execute the plan via background workflows
4. finish-branch — commit, PR, or keep as-is

Each skill invokes the next. Trigger brainstorming to start; the chain handles the rest.

Red Flags

These thoughts mean STOP—you're rationalizing:

Thought	Reality
"This is just a simple question"	Questions are tasks. Check for skills.
"I need more context first"	Skill check comes BEFORE clarifying questions.
"Let me explore the codebase first"	Skills tell you HOW to explore. Check first.
"I can check git/files quickly"	Files lack conversation context. Check for skills.
"Let me gather information first"	Skills tell you HOW to gather information.
"This doesn't need a formal skill"	If a skill exists, use it.
"I remember this skill"	Skills evolve. Read current version.
"This doesn't count as a task"	Action = task. Check for skills.
"The skill is overkill"	Simple things become complex. Use it.
"I'll just do this one thing first"	Check BEFORE doing anything.
"This feels productive"	Undisciplined action wastes time. Skills prevent this.
"I know what that means"	Knowing the concept ≠ using the skill. Invoke it.

Skill Priority

When multiple skills could apply, use this order:

1. Process skills first (brainstorming, debugging) - these determine HOW to approach the task
2. Implementation skills second (frontend-design, mcp-builder) - these guide execution

"Let's build X" → brainstorming first, then implementation skills. "Fix this bug" → debugging first, then domain-specific skills.

Skill Types

Rigid (TDD, debugging): Follow exactly. Don't adapt away discipline.

Flexible (patterns): Adapt principles to context.

The skill itself tells you which.

Fan-out Economics

A subagent fleet's cost is agent count × context size × model rate — dominated by cache traffic, not output. When spawning subagents or authoring ad-hoc workflows, pick the model per stage explicitly. Never let a fleet silently inherit your session's top-tier model:

Stage	Default
Scouts, search, file surveys, mechanical transforms, running tests	fast/cheap tier (e.g. Haiku-class), effort low
Implementation, review, fixing	standard tier, effort high
Hardest judgment calls (final quality gate, architecture, adversarial verify of critical findings)	strongest tier, effort xhigh
frontier tier	only on explicit human request

Kit's bundled workflows (build-flow, code-review) already pin models per stage. This table governs everything else — one-off Agent calls and workflows you author on the fly. Every agent also keeps its own context lean: scoped test runs with quiet reporters, partial file reads, filtered command output.

User Instructions

Instructions say WHAT, not HOW. "Add X" or "Fix Y" doesn't mean skip workflows.