---
name: skill-improver
description: This skill should be used when the user asks to "apply skill improvements", "update skill from plan", "execute improvement plan", "fix skill issues", "implement skill recommendations", or mentions applying improvements from quality review reports. Reads improvement-plan-{name}.md files generated by skill-quality-reviewer and intelligently merges and executes the suggested changes to improve Claude Skills quality.
version: 1.0.0
---

# Skill Improver

Execute improvement plans generated by `skill-quality-reviewer` to automatically update and fix issues in Claude Skills.

## Core Workflow

```
Read improvement-plan-{name}.md
    ↓
Parse improvement items (High/Medium/Low priority)
    ↓
Group changes by file
    ↓
Detect and resolve conflicts
    ↓
Backup original files
    ↓
Execute updates (Edit or Write tools)
    ↓
Verify results
    ↓
Generate update-report
```

## When to Use

**Trigger phrases:**
- "Apply improvements from improvement-plan-git-workflow.md"
- "Update my skill based on the quality report"
- "Execute the improvement plan for api-helper"
- "Fix the issues identified in quality review"

**Use this skill when:**
- Applying improvements from an improvement plan
- Updating a skill based on quality review feedback
- Executing recommended fixes from `skill-quality-reviewer`
- Implementing structured improvements to skill documentation

## Step-by-Step Guide

### Step 1: Load the Improvement Plan

Read the `improvement-plan-{skill-name}.md` file generated by `skill-quality-reviewer`.

```bash
# Plan is typically in current directory
ls improvement-plan-*.md

# Or specify full path
read /path/to/improvement-plan-my-skill.md
```

**Validate the plan:**
- File exists and is readable
- Contains priority sections (High/Medium/Low)
- Has structured improvement items
- Includes file paths and suggested changes

See `references/plan-format.md` for detailed plan structure.

### Step 2: Parse and Group Changes

Extract all improvement suggestions and organize by target file.

**Extract from each item:**
- File path (e.g., `SKILL.md:line:line` or `references/file.md`)
- Dimension (Description Quality, Content Organization, etc.)
- Impact (+X points)
- Current content
- Suggested content
- Reason for change

**Build update queue:**
```
by_file = {
  "SKILL.md": [change1, change2, ...],
  "references/guide.md": [change3, ...],
  "examples/demo.md": [change4, ...],
}
```

### Step 3: Detect and Resolve Conflicts

Check for conflicts when multiple changes affect the same content.

**Resolution strategy:**
1. High priority takes precedence over medium/low
2. If same priority, preserve first change
3. Flag conflicts for manual review
4. Document resolution in update report

See `references/merge-strategies.md` for detailed merge logic.

### Step 4: Sort by Priority

Order changes by priority within each file.

**Priority order:**
1. High Priority (execute first)
2. Medium Priority (execute second)
3. Low Priority (execute last)

### Step 5: Backup and Execute

**Backup location:** `~/.claude/skills/backup/{skill-name}-{timestamp}/`

```bash
# Use backup script
~/.claude/skills/skill-improver/scripts/backup-skill.sh <skill-path>
```

**Apply changes:**
- Use Edit tool for existing content
- Use Write tool for new files
- Verify each change was applied

### Step 6: Verify and Report

**Verification checks:**
1. YAML syntax valid
2. All modified files exist and are valid
3. New files were created successfully
4. No unintended changes occurred

```bash
# Use verify script
~/.claude/skills/skill-improver/scripts/verify-update.sh <skill-path>
```

**Generate update-report-{skill-name}-{timestamp}.md** documenting:
- Summary (files modified, files created, total changes)
- Changes Applied (per-file breakdown)
- Quality Improvement (before/after scores)
- Verification Results
- Backup Location

See `examples/update-report-example.md` for report template.

## Priority Handling

### High Priority
Execute first. These typically address:
- Critical description issues
- Major writing style problems
- Missing structural elements
- Security-related concerns

### Medium Priority
Execute after High. These typically address:
- Content organization improvements
- Additional examples
- Documentation enhancements

### Low Priority
Execute last. These typically address:
- Minor clarifications
- Nice-to-have improvements
- Polish and refinement

## Integration with Skill Quality Reviewer

This skill works seamlessly with `skill-quality-reviewer`:

```
Current Skill (67/100 D+)
    ↓ [skill-quality-reviewer]
Improvement Plan
    ↓ [skill-improver]
Improved Skill (87/100 B+)
    ↓ [skill-quality-reviewer]
Quality Report (validation)
```

**Iterate until desired quality level reached.**

## Additional Resources

### Reference Files

- **`references/plan-format.md`** - Improvement plan file structure and format
- **`references/merge-strategies.md`** - Detailed merge algorithms and conflict resolution
- **`references/error-handling.md`** - Error handling strategies
- **`references/supported-updates.md`** - Supported update types with examples

### Example Files

- **`examples/improvement-plan-example.md`** - Sample improvement plan
- **`examples/update-report-example.md`** - Sample update report

### Scripts

- **`scripts/backup-skill.sh`** - Create backup of skill before updates
- **`scripts/verify-update.sh`** - Verify skill integrity after updates

## Best Practices

### Before Applying Updates

1. **Review the improvement plan** - Understand what will change
2. **Verify backup location** - Ensure backups can be restored
3. **Check for manual changes** - Note any uncommitted local modifications
4. **Estimate impact** - Review expected quality improvement

### During Update Execution

1. **Process in priority order** - High → Medium → Low
2. **Verify after each file** - Check updates were applied correctly
3. **Log all changes** - Document what was modified
4. **Handle conflicts gracefully** - Flag for review if needed

### After Applying Updates

1. **Review the update report** - Confirm all changes were intended
2. **Test the skill** - Verify it still works correctly
3. **Compare scores** - Check quality improvement matches expectations
4. **Keep backup** - Retain backup until confident in changes

## Usage Examples

**Example 1: Apply improvements to local skill**
```
User: "Apply improvements from improvement-plan-git-workflow.md"

[Claude executes the workflow:]
1. Reads improvement-plan-git-workflow.md
2. Parses all improvement items
3. Groups changes by file
4. Detects and resolves conflicts
5. Sorts by priority
6. Backs up git-workflow skill
7. Executes updates
8. Verifies results
9. Generates update-report-git-workflow-timestamp.md
```

**Example 2: Update skill from quality review**
```
User: "Update my api-helper skill based on quality report"

[Claude:]
1. Locates improvement-plan-api-helper.md
2. Applies all recommended changes
3. Verifies skill structure
4. Reports quality improvement: 72/100 → 91/100
```