# The skill card and the three-skill split (free sample)

> A SKILL.md card template with Done means, May not and an action class, the three-skill split for long jobs, two rules to paste and a check prompt.

- URL: https://paperchasewebb.ai/bots/marketplace/items/skill-card-and-three-skill-split-free-sample/
- Type: Bot template
- Category: Vibe coding
- By: PaperChaseWebb
- Works with: Claude Code, Codex, Grok Bot, Hermes (named in the listing); Plain .md
- Price: Free USD
- Difficulty: Beginner
- Setup time: 15 min
- Time to result: Fifteen minutes
- Format: Markdown (.md) file, skill-card-and-three-skill-split-free-sample.md
- Version: 1.0, updated 2026-10-27
- License: Personal and commercial use.

## What you end up with

Your next skill has a trigger the harness can find, a finish line and a list of things it never does.

## What you get

- The skill card
- The three-skill split
- Two rules
- A check prompt

## Who it is for

Anyone writing their first agent skills or cleaning up a messy skills folder.

## Tools needed

- Hermes Agent: runs skills, including unattended overnight jobs inside a class ceiling
- Claude Code or Codex: loads the same SKILL.md folder for repo work and reviews borrowed skills
- Grok Bot: reads the rules block and SKILLS.md, proposes skill edits from your corrections
- You need: A harness that reads SKILL.md skills
- You need: A job you do often

Cost to run: Free.

## Sample prompt: Card a job (Claude Code, Codex, Hermes)

```
Here is a job I have done three times [paste notes]. Draft a SKILL.md from this card.
Then tell me whether it should be split into a reference lock, a plan and a build and critique skill, and why.
```

Fill May not yourself.

## Free preview of skill-card-and-three-skill-split-free-sample.md

````markdown
# The skill card and the three-skill split (free sample)

A free sample from Agent Skills Workshop by PaperChaseWebb. Works with Hermes Agent, Claude Code, Codex, Grok Bot or any harness that reads SKILL.md skills.

Skills written once now load in many harnesses. That makes a sloppy skill expensive: it runs everywhere. These two pieces fix most of the early mistakes.

## The skill card

Fill this before you write a single step.

```
---
name: [verb + object, for example "draft weekly client report"]
description: [one line: WHEN to use this, written for the harness deciding whether to load it]
---
# Purpose
[One sentence on the outcome.]

# Inputs
- [What the skill needs before it starts. If missing, stop and ask.]

# Steps
1. [Short, checkable step.]

# Done means
- [The check that proves it finished.]

# May not
- [Actions this skill never takes.]

# Action class
[read / draft / change / outward]
```

The description line does more work than any step. Write it as "Use when..." with the words you actually type.

## The three-skill split for long jobs

| Skill | Job | Why separate |
|---|---|---|
| Reference lock | Freeze the few examples, specs or rules the work must match | Every later step compares to the same few things |
| Plan with timings | Ordered steps with a time or size budget each | Long jobs fail on order and scope |
| Build and critique | Build one piece, then a separate check compares it to the references, with a round limit | A builder reviewing its own work agrees with itself |
````

## Worth knowing

- Check each harness's current docs for where skills live and how they load.

## Questions

**What is in the full pack?** Card rules, a corrections-to-skills loop, an intake check for skills you did not write, four action classes, a SKILLS.md register, an overnight run sheet, tools-behind-skills rules, a failure table, eight skill drills, a rules block and 14 prompts.

## How to get it

Free sample. Download it directly at https://paperchasewebb.ai/bots/marketplace/items/skill-card-and-three-skill-split-free-sample/, no signup.

Seller: PaperChaseWebb Inc., mgmt@paperchasewebb.com