Save a Prompt as a Skill

Turn a prompt that worked into something you can reuse by name, instead of hunting for it in an old chat.

The second time you write the same prompt. Once is a one off, twice is a pattern worth saving.

Who it is for: Anyone who has caught themselves scrolling back through old chats to find the prompt that worked last time.

• One prompt that has already worked well for you, ideally used two or three times
• Ten minutes and a real example of its output

• A weekly report you write the same way every time
• A review you run against the same criteria
• A brief you fill in with different details each time
• A voice or formatting rule you keep repeating

1. 1Find a prompt you have written more than once and paste the best version you have.
2. 2Separate the parts that never change from the parts you fill in each time.
3. 3Replace the changing parts with clearly named placeholders in square brackets.
4. 4Write one sentence at the top saying when this skill should be used.
5. 5Add a short example of good output, so the shape is obvious rather than described.
6. 6State what it must never do, and what to do when information is missing.
7. 7Save it, give it a short name you will actually remember, and note where you saved it.
8. 8Run it once on a real job, and fix whatever you find rather than assuming it is finished.

Example only

Worked example, a weekly numbers summary

Name: Weekly numbers

Use this when: I paste raw weekly figures and want the short written
summary that goes out to the team on Monday.

What I need from you before starting:
The figures for the week, and the same week last month for comparison.
If either is missing, ask me for it. Do not estimate and do not use
a number I have not given you.

The job:
Write a summary of what changed and why it might have changed. Lead with
the number that moved most. Say plainly when you do not know the cause
rather than offering a plausible one.

How it should come back:
Under 200 words. One short paragraph per figure. No bullet points,
no headings, no opening restatement of what I asked for.

Never:
Never describe a change as significant without the figure beside it.
Never round in a way that flatters the result.
Never end with a summary of the summary.

Example of good output:
Signups came in at 312, up from 268 four weeks ago, and almost all of
the difference came in the two days after the workshop. Revenue held flat
at 18,400 despite the extra signups, which suggests the new arrivals are
landing on the free tier and staying there for now. Churn moved from
3.1 to 3.4 percent, a small enough shift that I would not read anything
into it yet.

• Check every fact, figure, and quote against a real source.
• Review the finished work before using or sharing it.
• Remove confidential information that is not needed.

A skill is a prompt with the variable parts pulled out and a name attached. If you cannot say in one sentence when to reach for it, it is not a skill yet, it is a prompt you happened to like.