When to Use and Avoid

State both conditions so an agent can decline a skill that does not fit the target

Use when: a skill is broad enough to be tempting in situations where it is wrong

Avoid when: the skill is a narrow mechanical step with no plausible misapplication

Procedure

1. Write the use-when clause as an observable condition, not a topic
2. Write the avoid-when clause as the situation where it misleads
3. Check the clauses do not overlap
4. Make both clauses specific enough to be checked against a target
5. Add a signal that reveals the avoid-when condition early
6. Re-read after a failed engagement and refine from the failure

Signals

• the use-when clause names something observable in a capture or request
• the avoid-when clause names a concrete exclusion
• the two clauses cannot both be true
• an early signal warns when the avoid condition holds

Patterns

1. Observable use

a cacheable response reflects a query value

2. Concrete avoid

response carries no-store on every request

3. Early warning

age header is zero on repeats, so nothing is cached

Pitfalls

• Writing 'use when testing caching', which is a topic and not a condition
• Omitting avoid-when so the skill is applied everywhere
• Making the clauses so broad they are always true

Done when

• both clauses are observable and mutually exclusive
• at least one signal reveals the avoid condition early

References

• Anthropic - skills
• OWASP - methodology