A skill is a text file: the frontmatter at the top it says when use; the body says how. This track examines every part of the grill-me SKILL.md.
Trail map
Detailed content
🛠️ Anatomy of grill-me’s SKILL.md
From frontmatter to closing the loop: what each part of the file does, why the simple version gained checkpointing, and how the output feeds back into your system.
The top of the file shows name e description. The description lists the triggers—the situations in which the model should load the skill.
A poor description means a skill that never triggers, or triggers at the wrong time. It's the entry point.
name · description = triggers · activation at the right time.
The original skill is a very short prompt: interview relentlessly, follow every branch, give the recommended answer, ask one question at a time, and explore the codebase instead of asking.
Show that a powerful skill can be just a few carefully chosen sentences.
Minimalism · prompt as a skill · authorship.
After EACH answer, before the next question, append to the capture file. Never in batches. Fix earlier entries if something changes.
It’s the rule that separates the practical version from the simple one—and the one that best protects against context loss.
Non-negotiable · one at a time · correct the past.
Before asking: get the date, create brainstorms/ if it doesn’t exist, create the file with a header (title/date/goal/Open flags) and say where you’re saving it.
The right setup ensures a predictable home and keeps everything from being scattered across projects.
Predictable folder · create it first · say where it is.
The file has 4 sections: header; Summary/key decisions (ongoing synthesis); Q&A log (Asked, Captured in his own words, Flags); Open flags (item → who answers).
The fixed structure makes brainstorming traceable and easy to turn into a deliverable later.
4 blocks · living synthesis · traceable.
The simple version (Pocock) works, but during long interviews the context fills up and the model forgets. This variation writes to disk after every answer—longer, more robust.
Understanding the trade-off helps you decide how much ceremony your case calls for.
Trade-off · robustness · the context fills up.
A skill doesn’t have to be complex automation. It can just be a prompt you’re tired of typing every time. grill-me proves it.
Lowers the barrier: any instruction you repeat is a candidate to become a skill.
Skill ≠ automation · reuse · capture what’s repeatable.
In the end, grill-me realizes there’s a related guide/skill with a nuance that isn’t there and offers to update both — the output feeds back into your OS.
It’s what turns a good conversation into a lasting improvement to the system.
Feed the OS · output → skill/doc · closed loop.
⬇️ Download the grill-me SKILL.md
The file this guide examines. Install it in ~/.claude/skills/grill-me/SKILL.md and use with /grill-me.