---
name: Skill Simplify
slug: skill-simplify-2
category: Quality
description: Skill Simplify analyzes a skill file for redundancy, trims descriptive content, and checks that functional elements are still intact. Use it when simplifying or optimizing a skill without losing behavior.
github: "https://github.com/catlog22/maestro-flow/tree/master/.claude/skills/skill-simplify"
language: TypeScript
stars: 530
forks: 65
install: "npx degit https://github.com/catlog22/maestro-flow/tree/master/.claude/skills/skill-simplify ~/.claude/skills/skill-simplify"
installs_to: ~/.claude/skills/skill-simplify
source_path: .claude/skills/skill-simplify/SKILL.md
collection_size: 25
category_size: 1354
collection_url: "https://dirskills.com/collections/catlog22/maestro-flow"
added: 2026-08-26T05:11:46.078Z
last_synced: 2026-08-26T05:11:46.078Z
canonical_url: "https://dirskills.com/skills/skill-simplify-2"
---

# Skill Simplify

Skill Simplify analyzes a skill file for redundancy, trims descriptive content, and checks that functional elements are still intact. Use it when simplifying or optimizing a skill without losing behavior.

**Install:**

```bash
npx degit https://github.com/catlog22/maestro-flow/tree/master/.claude/skills/skill-simplify ~/.claude/skills/skill-simplify
```

## README

# Skill Simplify

Three-phase pipeline: analyze functional inventory, apply optimization rules, verify integrity.

**Phase Reference Documents** (read on-demand):

| Phase | Document | Purpose |
|-------|----------|---------|
| 1 | [phases/01-analysis.md](phases/01-analysis.md) | Extract functional inventory, identify redundancy, validate pseudo-code format |
| 2 | [phases/02-optimize.md](phases/02-optimize.md) | Apply simplification rules, fix format issues |
| 3 | [phases/03-check.md](phases/03-check.md) | Verify functional integrity, validate format |

## Pre-load (before execution)

1. **Codebase docs**: If `.workflow/codebase/ARCHITECTURE.md` exists, read for project context
2. **Specs**: `maestro load --type spec --category coding` — load coding conventions
3. **Wiki knowledge**: `maestro search "skill design optimization" --json` — top 5 entries as prior context
4. All optional — proceed without if unavailable

## Input Processing

```javascript
const targetPath = input.trim()
const targetFile = targetPath.endsWith('.md') ? targetPath : `${targetPath}/SKILL.md`
const originalContent = Read(targetFile)
const originalLineCount = originalContent.split('\n').length
```

## TodoWrite Pattern

```javascript
TodoWrite({ todos: [
  { content: `Phase 1: Analyzing ${targetFile}`, status: "in_progress", activeForm: "Extracting functional inventory" },
  { content: "Phase 2: Optimize", status: "pending" },
  { content: "Phase 3: Integrity Check", status: "pending" }
]})
```

## Core Rules

1. **Preserve ALL functional elements**: Code blocks with logic, agent calls, data structures, routing, error handling, input/output specs
2. **Only reduce descriptive content**: Flowcharts, verbose comments, duplicate sections, examples that repeat logic
3. **Never summarize algorithm logic**: If-else branches, function bodies, schemas must remain verbatim
4. **Classify code blocks**: Distinguish `functional` (logic, routing, schemas) from `descriptive` (ASCII art, examples, display templates) — only descriptive blocks may be deleted
5. **Merge equivalent variants**: Single/multi-perspective templates differing only by a parameter → one template with variant comment
6. **Fix format issues**: Nested backtick template literals in code fences → convert to prose; hardcoded option lists → flag for dynamic generation; workflow handoff references → ensure execution steps present
7. **Validate pseudo-code**: Check bracket matching, variable consistency, structural completeness
8. **Quantitative verification**: Phase 3 counts must match Phase 1 counts for functional categories; descriptive block decreases are expected

## Error Handling

| Error | Resolution |
|-------|------------|
| Target file not found | Report error, stop |
| Check FAIL (missing functional elements) | Show delta, revert to original, report which elements lost |
| Check WARN (descriptive decrease or merge) | Show delta with justification |
| Format issues found | Report in check, fix in Phase 2 |