Skill Templates

Templates help you scaffold new skills with pre-configured content for common use cases. Instead of starting from a blank slate, templates provide structured SKILL.md instructions, appropriate tool declarations, and example test cases.

Using Templates

List available templates

sutras new --list-templates

Create a skill from a template

sutras new my-skill --template <template-name>

If no --template is specified, the default template is used.

Built-in Templates

default

A minimal scaffold with placeholder sections. Best for skills that don’t fit into a specific category.

sutras new my-skill

code-review

Pre-configured for code review workflows. Includes:

  • Read and Bash tool declarations

  • Structured review output format (summary, issues, suggestions)

  • Test case for reviewing a simple function

sutras new my-reviewer --template code-review

api-integration

Designed for API client and integration skills. Includes:

  • Read, Write, and Bash tool declarations

  • Guidelines for auth, error handling, and rate limiting

  • Test case for generating client code

sutras new stripe-client --template api-integration

data-analysis

For skills that process and analyze data files. Includes:

  • Read, Write, and Bash tool declarations

  • Guidelines for data profiling and reporting

  • Test case for CSV analysis

sutras new sales-analyzer --template data-analysis

automation

For workflow automation and scripting skills. Includes:

  • Read, Write, and Bash tool declarations

  • Guidelines for idempotency, dry-run modes, and logging

  • Test case for generating automation scripts

sutras new deploy-helper --template automation

Customising After Creation

Templates are a starting point. After creating a skill, you should:

  1. Edit SKILL.md to refine the instructions for your specific use case

  2. Update sutras.yaml with your author info, tags, and category

  3. Add real test cases to sutras.yaml

  4. Run sutras validate <name> to check the skill structure