---
name: aif-distillation
description: >-
  Distill books, documents, folders, or URLs into compact, practical Agent Skills.
  Use when source material should become either one reusable skill package or a
  split set of focused skills, each with a concise SKILL.md plus detailed
  references and examples.
argument-hint: "<path|url> [path|url...] [--name <skill-name>] [--path <directory>] [--update] [--redact-source-map] [--split|--split-by <strategy>]"
allowed-tools: Read Write Edit Glob Grep Bash(mkdir *) Bash(ls *) Bash(find *) Bash(wc *) Bash(python3 --version) Bash(python --version) Bash(py -3 --version) Bash(py --version) Bash(python3 *material-prep.py*) Bash(python *material-prep.py*) Bash(py -3 *material-prep.py*) Bash(py *material-prep.py*) WebFetch WebSearch AskUserQuestion
disable-model-invocation: false
metadata:
  author: ai-factory
  version: "1.0"
  category: knowledge-management
---

# Distillation

Turn source material into a useful skill. The output is not a summary dump: it is an operational skill that captures the best practices, decision rules, workflows, checks, and examples from the material.

## Step 0: Load Config and Skill Context

**FIRST:** Read `.ai-factory/config.yaml` if it exists to resolve:
- `language.ui` for prompts, questions, progress updates, and final summaries
- `language.artifacts` for generated skill package content (`SKILL.md`, `references/`, `examples/`)
- `language.technical_terms` for translated artifacts; default to `keep` when absent

If config.yaml doesn't exist, use defaults:
- `language.ui`: `en`
- `language.artifacts`: same as `language.ui`
- `language.technical_terms`: `keep`

**Read `.ai-factory/skill-context/aif-distillation/SKILL.md`** - MANDATORY if the file exists.

Treat skill-context rules as project-level overrides for this skill. They apply to all generated skill files, references, examples, source-map policy, and final reports.

## Inputs

Accept `$ARGUMENTS` as one or more:
- local files
- local directories
- URLs
- optional `--name <skill-name>`
- optional `--path <directory>` to save generated skill package directories under a custom output root instead of `{{skills_dir}}`
- optional `--update` to improve an existing skill instead of creating a duplicate
- optional `--redact-source-map` to skip generated source-map files and sections entirely, so exact source titles, URLs, local paths, repository paths, and link reference definitions are not written to output
- optional `--split` to create several focused skills from one material set
- optional `--split-by <strategy>` to choose the split strategy:
  - `auto` (default): infer skill boundaries from user goals, triggers, workflows, source topics, and use cases
  - `goal`: split by user goals or jobs-to-be-done, regardless of domain
  - `topic`: split by major source topics or chapters
  - `workflow`: split by recurring actions an agent performs
  - `audience`: split by distinct user roles or implementation contexts

If the target skill name is missing, derive a concise, general, lowercase-hyphenated name from the material topic or user goal, such as `clean-code-style`, `api-design-rules`, `decision-making`, `writing-feedback`, or `meeting-facilitation`.

Before any write, validate the final target skill name:
- It must match `^[a-z0-9]+(?:-[a-z0-9]+)*$`.
- Reject empty names, overlong names, `.`, `..`, dots, path separators (`/` or `\`), absolute paths, Windows drive paths, and hidden names.
- Reject reserved `aif-*` names unless the user explicitly says they are developing AI Factory itself.
- Resolve the output root: `--path <directory>` when present, otherwise `{{skills_dir}}`.
- Treat relative `--path` values as relative to the current working directory. Create the output root if it does not exist; reject it if it resolves to an existing file.
- Resolve the final destination path and confirm it is inside the resolved output root before creating or updating files.

Default destination for single-skill mode: `<output-root>/<skill-name>/`, where `<output-root>` is `{{skills_dir}}` unless `--path` is present.

Default destination for split mode: `<output-root>/<prefix>-<child-scope>/` for each generated child skill. Every split child name must share one namespace prefix to prevent collisions with existing skills. Use `--name` as the preferred prefix when present; otherwise derive a concise prefix from the book title or primary material title. If `--redact-source-map` is present and the exact source title should not be exposed, use `--name` as the public namespace or derive a neutral topic prefix.

Do not save distilled skills into the package `skills/` directory unless the user is explicitly developing AI Factory itself.

## Workflow

1. Prepare sources.
   - For normal text, markdown, JSON, YAML, HTML, or code files, read directly.
   - For large folders or PDFs, use `{{skills_dir}}/aif-distillation/scripts/material-prep.py` only when a working Python 3 interpreter is available. Detect it with `python3 --version`, `python --version`, `py -3 --version`, then `py --version`; use the first command that exits successfully and reports Python major version 3.
   - When invoking the helper, expand the selected interpreter to the concrete command shape, such as `python3 ...material-prep.py` or `py -3 ...material-prep.py`. Do not run arbitrary Python payloads; the pre-approved tool contract only covers version probes and `material-prep.py` execution.
   - If Python 3 is not available, do not invoke the helper. Continue with direct `Read`/`Glob`/`Grep`/`find`/`wc` sampling for accessible text files, ask the user for a text/markdown export for PDFs or very large sources, and clearly report any reduced coverage.
   - For URLs, fetch the source and any critical linked pages needed to understand the topic.

2. Distill, do not copy.
   - Extract transferable principles, workflows, heuristics, checklists, terminology, and failure modes.
   - Inventory examples from the source, especially code snippets, before deciding the output structure.
   - Group source examples by topic so coverage can be checked later.
   - Preserve only short source excerpts when essential. Prefer paraphrase and cite sources.
   - Convert narrative advice into agent-operable instructions and source examples into original, reusable examples.

3. Choose single-skill or split-skill design.
   - Default to single-skill mode unless `--split` or `--split-by` is present.
   - In split mode, resolve one shared namespace prefix before writing the boundary map. Use `--name` when present; otherwise use a normalized book/material title. Every proposed child name must start with `<prefix>-`.
   - In split mode, create a skill boundary map before writing: proposed prefixed skill name, user-facing job, trigger description, owned source topics, references/examples needed, and overlap risks.
   - Prefer split mode when the material contains independent goals that should trigger separately, such as reviewing, planning, diagnosing, rewriting, teaching, deciding, testing, facilitating, auditing, or troubleshooting.
   - Name split children by the user goal or job-to-be-done, not by an abstract source theme. Choose the goal taxonomy from the material's domain: for software this may be `refactoring-review`, `test-design`, or `framework-fit-review`; for writing this may be `argument-edit` or `style-review`; for operations this may be `incident-triage` or `runbook-review`; for management this may be `decision-brief` or `stakeholder-analysis`; for learning this may be `concept-coach` or `practice-drill`.
   - Avoid vague lifecycle or chapter names such as `framework-evolution`, `principles`, `philosophy`, `chapter-4`, `mindset`, or `overview` unless that exact name is the user's requested public taxonomy.
   - Do not split into tiny skills that differ only by wording. Merge candidates when their triggers, workflow, and reference needs substantially overlap.
   - Keep every generated child skill independently useful: clear frontmatter, focused workflow, and relevant references/examples. If `--redact-source-map` is absent, include its own source map; if present, do not create `references/SOURCE-MAP.md` or a source-map section.

4. Design the target skill package.
   - Keep target `SKILL.md` focused on purpose, triggers, and workflow.
   - Make the generated skill self-explanatory from its directory name and frontmatter. The description must start with an action verb and say what the skill reviews, improves, generates, or checks.
   - Near the top of every generated `SKILL.md`, answer in plain language: what this skill does, when to use it, and what output it should produce. A user should not need to inspect the source material to understand why the skill exists.
   - Put detailed knowledge in `references/`.
   - Put reusable prompts, cases, and transformed examples in `examples/`.
   - If the material teaches programming with code examples, create or update an examples file with original before/after snippets or compact code patterns. Do not omit code examples only because verbatim copying is inappropriate.
   - For book-scale or broad code material, cover every major code-facing topic with an adapted example, or state why a topic does not need one. Split examples into multiple files when one file would become a shallow sampler.
   - Add scripts only when the workflow needs repeatable processing.
   - Resolve `<output-root>` from `--path` or `{{skills_dir}}` before writing. Treat `--path` as a parent directory for generated skill packages, not as the skill package name.
   - In single-skill mode, save the package under `<output-root>/<skill-name>/` using the chosen concise name.
   - In split mode, save each child package directly under `<output-root>/<prefix>-<child-scope>/`. Do not drop the shared prefix even when the child scope is clear on its own.
   - When `--redact-source-map` is present, do not create `references/SOURCE-MAP.md`, do not create a "Source Map" section in any generated file, and remove any empty `SOURCE-MAP.md` accidentally created during drafting. In `--update` mode, leave an existing non-empty `SOURCE-MAP.md` unchanged unless the user explicitly asks to remove or rewrite it.
   - Use resolved `language.artifacts` for generated skill content unless the source material or user explicitly requires another language.

5. Check existing content before writing.
   - If the target skill already has matching references or examples, update them in place.
   - Do not create near-duplicate files with different names.
   - Preserve useful existing material and add only missing or better distilled content.
   - In split mode, also check existing sibling skills under `<output-root>` for matching triggers. Update a matching skill with `--update` instead of creating a new near-duplicate child.

6. Validate usefulness.
   - The skill must tell an agent what to do, when to do it, what good output looks like, and what mistakes to avoid.
   - The name and description must be invocation-ready. If a user would ask "what does this skill actually do?", rename it or rewrite the trigger before finishing.
   - References must be dense and navigable.
   - Examples must demonstrate decisions or transformations, not decorative filler.
   - If source material contained meaningful code snippets or worked examples, the generated skill must include adapted examples. Missing adapted examples is a failure to fix before finishing.
   - Example coverage must match source coverage: when `--redact-source-map` is absent, record this in the source map; when present, validate coverage internally without writing source-map files or sections.
   - Generated skills must include an artifact ownership/config policy section when they write or read project artifacts.
   - Generated quality-gate skills must follow the `aif-gate-result` contract from `/aif-verify` references.
   - In split mode, every child skill must have a distinct activation trigger. If two children would activate for the same request and tell the agent to do the same work, merge them before finishing.

## Required Supporting Guidance

Read these before generating or updating a distilled skill:
- `references/DISTILLATION-PROTOCOL.md`
- `references/OUTPUT-STRUCTURE.md`
- `references/LARGE-MATERIALS.md`

Use `examples/REQUESTS.md` for invocation patterns.

## Artifact Ownership

- Primary ownership: generated or updated skill packages under `<output-root>/<skill-name>/`, or multiple direct child skill packages under `<output-root>/<prefix>-<child-scope>/` in split mode. `<output-root>` is `{{skills_dir}}` unless the user passes `--path <directory>`.
- Read-only context: `.ai-factory/config.yaml`, existing AI Factory context artifacts, and existing skill files except the selected target skill in update mode.
- Config policy: config-aware for `language.ui`, `language.artifacts`, and `language.technical_terms` only. Do not write `config.yaml`.