Skill Design Patterns

These patterns emerged from skills created by early adopters and internal teams at Anthropic. They represent common approaches that work well, not prescriptive templates.

Choosing Your Approach: Problem-First vs. Tool-First

Think of it like a hardware store. You might walk in with a problem - "I need to fix a kitchen cabinet" - and an employee points you to the right tools. Or you might pick out a new drill and ask how to use it for your specific job.

Skills work the same way:

• Problem-first: "I need to set up a project workspace" - Your skill orchestrates the right MCP calls in the right sequence
• Tool-first: "I have Notion MCP connected" - Your skill teaches the agent the optimal workflows and best practices

Pattern 1: Sequential Workflow Orchestration

Use when: Your users need multi-step processes in a specific order.

## Workflow: Onboard New Customer

### Step 1: Create Account
Call MCP tool: create_customer
Parameters: name, email, company

### Step 2: Setup Payment
Call MCP tool: setup_payment_method
Wait for: payment method verification

### Step 3: Create Subscription
Call MCP tool: create_subscription
Parameters: plan_id, customer_id (from Step 1)

### Step 4: Send Welcome Email
Call MCP tool: send_email
Template: welcome_email_template

Key techniques:

• Explicit step ordering
• Dependencies between steps
• Validation at each stage
• Rollback instructions for failures

Pattern 2: Multi-MCP Coordination

Use when: Workflows span multiple services.

### Phase 1: Design Export (Figma MCP)
1. Export design assets from Figma
2. Generate design specifications
3. Create asset manifest

### Phase 2: Asset Storage (Drive MCP)
1. Create project folder in Drive
2. Upload all assets
3. Generate shareable links

### Phase 3: Task Creation (Linear MCP)
1. Create development tasks
2. Attach asset links to tasks
3. Assign to engineering team

### Phase 4: Notification (Slack MCP)
1. Post handoff summary to #engineering
2. Include asset links and task references

Key techniques:

• Clear phase separation
• Data passing between MCPs
• Validation before moving to next phase
• Centralized error handling

Pattern 3: Iterative Refinement

Use when: Output quality improves with iteration.

## Iterative Report Creation

### Initial Draft
1. Fetch data via MCP
2. Generate first draft report
3. Save to temporary file

### Quality Check
1. Run validation script: scripts/check_report.py
2. Identify issues:
   - Missing sections
   - Inconsistent formatting
   - Data validation errors

### Refinement Loop
1. Address each identified issue
2. Regenerate affected sections
3. Re-validate
4. Repeat until quality threshold met

### Finalization
1. Apply final formatting
2. Generate summary
3. Save final version

Key techniques:

• Explicit quality criteria
• Iterative improvement
• Validation scripts
• Know when to stop iterating

Pattern 4: Context-Aware Tool Selection

Use when: Same outcome, different tools depending on context.

## Smart File Storage

### Decision Tree
1. Check file type and size
2. Determine best storage location:
   - Large files (>10MB): Use cloud storage MCP
   - Collaborative docs: Use Notion/Docs MCP
   - Code files: Use GitHub MCP
   - Temporary files: Use local storage

### Execute Storage
Based on decision:
- Call appropriate MCP tool
- Apply service-specific metadata
- Generate access link

### Provide Context to User
Explain why that storage was chosen

Key techniques:

• Clear decision criteria
• Fallback options
• Transparency about choices

Pattern 5: Domain-Specific Intelligence

Use when: Your skill adds specialized knowledge beyond tool access.

## Payment Processing with Compliance

### Before Processing (Compliance Check)
1. Fetch transaction details via MCP
2. Apply compliance rules:
   - Check sanctions lists
   - Verify jurisdiction allowances
   - Assess risk level
3. Document compliance decision

### Processing
IF compliance passed:
    - Call payment processing MCP tool
    - Apply appropriate fraud checks
    - Process transaction
ELSE:
    - Flag for review
    - Create compliance case

### Audit Trail
- Log all compliance checks
- Record processing decisions
- Generate audit report

Key techniques:

• Domain expertise embedded in logic
• Compliance before action
• Comprehensive documentation
• Clear governance

Israeli Pattern: MCP + Local Expertise

This pattern is specific to Israeli skills and combines Pattern 5 with local context:

## Israeli Tax Invoice Processing

### Validation (Israeli Requirements)
1. Verify invoice format per Israeli tax authority rules
2. Check business registration number
3. Validate VAT calculations (17%)
4. Verify digital signature requirements

### Processing
1. Call accounting MCP for data entry
2. Apply Israeli double-entry requirements
3. Generate tax authority compatible output

### Compliance
- Log per Israeli Privacy Protection Act
- Maintain audit trail per tax regulations
- Generate reports in Hebrew and English

Skills + MCP: The Kitchen Analogy

MCP provides the professional kitchen: access to tools, ingredients, and equipment.

Skills provide the recipes: step-by-step instructions on how to create something valuable.

MCP (Connectivity)	Skills (Knowledge)
Connects the agent to your service	Teaches the agent how to use your service effectively
Provides real-time data access and tool invocation	Captures workflows and best practices
What the agent can do	How the agent should do it