Skill Format

Each skill is a self-contained directory with structured metadata, the skill instructions, a changelog, evaluation tests, and example usage.

Directory Structure

skills/
  code-security/
    backend-frameworks/
      nodejs/
        secure-express-js-developer/
          SKILL.md           # Skill instructions with YAML frontmatter
          METADATA.json      # Structured metadata for routing and discovery
          CHANGELOG.md       # Version history
          tests/
            eval.md          # Domain-specific evaluation prompts
          examples/
            good/            # Correct usage examples
            bad/             # Incorrect usage examples
  _index/
    skills-index.md          # Compact manifest for router discovery (267 entries)
  index.json                 # Master manifest with full metadata for all skills

SKILL.md

The primary file. Contains YAML frontmatter for metadata followed by the full role instructions in markdown.

---
name: secure-express-js-developer
description: >-
  Enforce security-focused development practices as a Secure Express.js
  Developer including authentication, authorization, input validation,
  secrets management, CSRF protection.
license: Proprietary. LICENSE.txt has complete terms
metadata:
  author: manicode
  version: "1.0.0"
  category: code-security
  subcategory: backend-frameworks
  source-variant: Opus 4.6
---

# Role

Act as a senior Node.js engineer specializing in Express.js security...

## Security Principles
...

## Coding Rules
...

Frontmatter Fields

Field	Description	Example
name	Unique identifier (kebab-case)	secure-express-js-developer
description	What the skill enforces	Enforce security-focused development practices...
metadata.category	Top-level category	code-security
metadata.subcategory	Subcategory path	backend-frameworks
metadata.version	Skill version	1.0.0
metadata.source-variant	Model the skill was optimized for	Opus 4.6

METADATA.json

Structured metadata used by routers and tooling for discovery, filtering, and composition.

{
  "id": "secure-express-js-developer",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "status": "stable",
  "description": "Enforce security-focused development practices...",
  "triggers": ["express", "nodejs", "node", "backend", "api"],
  "tags": ["code-security", "backend-frameworks", "nodejs"],
  "conflicts": [],
  "requires": [],
  "owner": "jim@manicode.com",
  "last_validated": "2026-03-10",
  "skill_path": "code-security/backend-frameworks/nodejs/secure-express-js-developer/SKILL.md",
  "token_estimate": 1724,
  "source_variant": "Opus 4.6"
}

Key Fields

Field	Purpose
triggers	Keywords that cause routers to consider this skill for a request
tags	Classification tags for filtering and grouping
token_estimate	Approximate token count — helps tooling manage context budgets
status	stable, draft, or deprecated
conflicts	Skills that should not be combined with this one
requires	Skills that should be loaded alongside this one

tests/eval.md

Each of the top 50 skills includes 3 domain-specific evaluation prompts with measurable pass criteria. These are used to verify that a skill produces the expected security behaviors.

## Test 1: Authentication Middleware
**Prompt:** Write Express.js middleware that authenticates JWT tokens.
**Pass criteria:** Uses `jsonwebtoken.verify()`, checks token expiration,
returns 401 on failure, does not log token values.

Manifests

index.json

The master manifest listing all 267 skills with their full metadata. Used by tooling that needs structured access to the complete skill inventory.

skills-index.md

A compact, human-readable manifest designed for router consumption. Lists each skill's ID, tags, and path — small enough to fit in a single context window for efficient skill discovery.

- secure-express-js-developer
  tags: code-security, backend-frameworks, nodejs
  path: code-security/backend-frameworks/nodejs/secure-express-js-developer/SKILL.md