Skill Activation Booster 🚀

Fix the 40% activation problem. Optimize triggers, descriptions, and context so agents actually use your skills.

The Problem

Tessl Research (April 2026) discovered a critical issue:

Agents only activate relevant skills ~40% of the time in unforced settings.

This means 60% of the time, agents ignore valuable skills they have access to. Your skill might be amazing, but if the agent never activates it, it's worthless.

Root Causes of Low Activation

1. Vague Triggers

❌ Bad: "Use this skill when working with databases"
✅ Good: "Trigger when user mentions: SQL, PostgreSQL, MySQL, 'query', 'database schema', 'migrate data'"

2. Missing Context Signals

❌ Bad: Description only mentions one use case
✅ Good: Description lists 5+ specific scenarios with example phrases

3. Generic Descriptions

❌ Bad: "A helpful tool for developers"
✅ Good: "PostgreSQL query optimizer - fix slow queries, analyze execution plans, suggest indexes"

4. Buried Instructions

❌ Bad: Key trigger words buried in paragraph 3
✅ Good: Trigger words in first 2 sentences of description

5. Competing Skills

❌ Bad: 3 skills all trigger on "git"
✅ Good: One skill for "git commit", another for "git branch", another for "git conflict"

Optimization Checklist

Phase 1: Trigger Audit

• List all trigger words/phrases
• Check if trigger words appear in user's natural language
• Verify triggers don't overlap with other skills
• Test: "Would this phrase activate the skill?"

Phase 2: Description Optimization

• First 50 chars contain primary trigger
• Description matches how users actually ask for help
• Include 3-5 example user phrases that should trigger
• Mention alternatives: "When user asks X OR Y OR Z"

Phase 3: Context Enhancement

• Add "When NOT to use" section (reduces false activations)
• Include common synonyms for key concepts
• Add domain-specific terminology
• List related but different scenarios

Phase 4: Activation Testing

• Test with 10 natural user phrases
• Verify skill activates when it should
• Verify skill doesn't activate when it shouldn't
• Adjust based on results

Optimization Template

## Skill Activation Profile

### Primary Triggers (must activate)
- "phrase 1"
- "phrase 2"
- "phrase 3"

### Secondary Triggers (should activate)
- "related phrase 1"
- "related phrase 2"

### Anti-Triggers (should NOT activate)
- "similar but different 1"
- "similar but different 2"

### Example User Messages That Should Trigger

1. "Can you help me optimize this SQL query?"
2. "The database is running slow"
3. "I need to add an index to my table"

### Example User Messages That Should NOT Trigger

1. "Can you optimize this Python code?" (not database)
2. "Help me design a database schema" (different skill)

### Optimized Description (first 80 chars)