Rules for Creating Copilot Skills

1. Description format: Always begin the description frontmatter with "Use this skill when..." to clearly define the trigger condition.

2. Non-exhaustive examples: Never present examples as exhaustive lists. Always terminate them with "etc." or "and so on" to prevent the model from ignoring unlisted valid options.

3. Conditional checks: Do not mandate absolute environment checks. Use "if needed" or "when necessary" (e.g., "Query it first if needed:") to avoid unnecessary token waste.

4. Precise terminology: Adapt vocabulary to the specific domain. Do not blindly reuse standard legal or technical boilerplate (like "Software") if it misrepresents the actual content (like "Instructions" or "Prompts").

5. Conciseness: Keep instructions brief and direct. Omit the obvious. Do not contradict the base instructions (e.g., adding sycophancy).

6. No hardcoded absolutes: Avoid words like "always" or "never" unless it is a strict architectural constraint. Prefer pragmatic directives.