Terms in this guide: Evaluation · Prompt · Skill
Separate discovery, selection, missing inputs, and procedure problems.
Check which problem you have
Did the session fail to discover the skill, choose a different procedure, or use the right skill badly? Capture the request and the observed behavior before rewriting the file. Each failure calls for a different correction.
Confirm the installation location using the current documentation for your client. Verify that the SKILL.md file is readable and that its frontmatter contains a name and description.
Test explicit use first
Codex supports explicit and implicit skill invocation. Use the client’s documented explicit selection path to separate availability from description matching. If explicit use works but your normal request does not, focus on the description and task wording.
Keep the test request concrete. Supply the input the procedure expects and state the desired output. Do not judge a review procedure on a request that supplies neither a patch nor a requirement.
Inspect the instructions for contradictions
Look for steps that conflict with each other or with the requested task. A skill that both demands a fixed number of findings and says not to invent findings creates avoidable tension. Replace vague success language with observable criteria.
Move large background explanations into a reference file when they obscure the procedure. Keep the main file focused on when to use the skill, how to work, and what to return.
Retest and keep a failure note
Repeat the original failing task after the smallest useful change. If it still fails, preserve a sanitized reproduction and explain the uncertainty. A documented limitation is more useful than repeatedly expanding the instructions without knowing why.
Primary source: Official skill setup and invocation. Source checked September 10, 2026.
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Updates and upgrade guidance
- Learning context added
Added prerequisites, a suggested practice estimate, expected output, and connected definitions. The article procedure was not independently re-evaluated in this change.
What to do: Use the opening checklist to prepare. No software update is required for this editorial change.
This log starts with the first recorded review; it is not a reconstruction of earlier revisions.