AI Skills for Real Engineers
A practical skill system for engineers who want to use AI without giving up their standards. Install the ones you want, then type a slash command.
- GitHub stars
- 206,292
- Total skill installs
GitHub
Learn how I actually engineer with these
A free email course on the practices these skills came out of.
Works with any agent
Claude Code · Cursor · Codex · Copilot · 25 skills · MIT
Skills
Grouped by when you reach for them. Most people start with the main flow.
- /grill-with-docsThe /grill-with-docs SkillGet interviewed about a plan, and record the decisions.
- /to-specThe /to-spec SkillTurn an agreed conversation into a written spec.
- /to-ticketsThe /to-tickets SkillSplit a spec into small tickets an agent can build.
- /implementThe /implement SkillBuild a finished spec into code, test-first.
- /code-reviewThe /code-review SkillReview a diff against your standards and against the spec.
Shaping
Explore an open question and produce a decision/answer that feeds the flow.
Start with /wayfinder
Upkeep
Keep the codebase and issue list healthy; generates work for the flow.
Start with /improve-codebase-architecture
- /improve-codebase-architectureThe /improve-codebase-architecture SkillFind the modules worth refactoring, as a visual report.
- /diagnosing-bugsThe /diagnosing-bugs SkillDiagnose a hard bug, starting from a repro that fails.
- /resolving-merge-conflictsThe /resolving-merge-conflicts SkillFinish a merge or rebase conflict, hunk by hunk.
- /triageThe /triage SkillSort raw issues into work someone can pick up.
- /wizardThe /wizard SkillGenerate a script that walks a human through setup.
- /grill-meThe /grill-me SkillGet interviewed about a loose idea until it holds decisions.
- /handoffThe /handoff SkillWrite up a long session so another agent can continue it.
- /to-questionnaireThe /to-questionnaire SkillTurn open questions into a doc someone else fills in.
- /teachThe /teach SkillLearn a topic across many sessions that build on each other.
- /wait-whatThe /wait-what SkillAsk the agent to say that again, in plain English.
- /writing-for-agentsThe /writing-for-agents SkillHow to write skills and other documents agents read.
- /codebase-designThe /codebase-design SkillThe vocabulary for designing deep modules.
- /domain-modelingThe /domain-modeling SkillSharpen the words a project uses, and write them down.
- /grillingThe /grilling SkillThe interview other skills run to stress-test a plan.
- /tddThe /tdd SkillThe rules of the red-green-refactor loop.
What is a skill?
Skills are small, sharp instructions you hand your coding agent so it works the way a senior engineer would. Install the ones you want, type a slash command, and the agent follows a process you actually trust.
The problem
An agent is only as good as the process you give it. Left to guess, it writes plausible code that quietly rots the codebase.
The fix
A skill encodes one good habit (grilling a plan, writing a spec, reviewing a diff), so the agent runs it the same way every time.
Why it compounds
Skills form a chain. Each one's output is the next one's input, so the whole workflow gets better as you tune single steps.
Works in whatever agent you already use
Skills are plain files, not a lock-in platform.
- Claude Code
- Cursor
- Codex
- Amp
- Copilot
Changelog
What changed recently
- v1.2Aug 5, 2026
/wait-what, /writing-for-agents, Claude Code Plugin, and more
Explore Matt Pocock's Skills v1.2.0: new documentation, Claude Code integration, the Wait What skill for Opus verbosity, and more.
- v1.1Jul 8, 2026
/wayfinder, /to-spec, /to-tickets, /grilling improvements, and much more
Skills v1.1 released: Learn new agent skills for AI coding including Wayfinder for planning, spec improvements, and TDD refactoring.
- v1Jun 18, 2026
63% Token Reduction, /ask-matt, /writing-great-skills
Skills v1.0 update: 63% token reduction, new routing skills, domain modeling & codebase design. Install with npx now.
- May 11, 2026
Skills Changelog: /handoff, /prototype, /review and /writing
Two new AI agent skills: /handoff for passing context between agents, and /prototype for building throwaway prototypes to test design decisions.
- Apr 30, 2026
Skills Changelog: Ubiquitous Language -> /grill-with-docs
Skills repo changelog: /grill-with-docs, ADRs, improved architecture language, multi-tracker support & new debugging skills. Updates inside.
Install the skills and get to work
Install the skills you want into the agents you use. Everything is MIT licensed and lives in one repo.
206,292mattpocock/skillsView on GitHub →Works with any agent
Claude Code · Cursor · Codex · Copilot · 25 skills · MIT
Trusted by engineers from