Skill Lifecycle: Create, Patch, Retire

Skills should evolve with real work. The goal is not to collect documents. The goal is to keep durable procedures accurate enough that Hermes can use them safely.

Create

Create a skill after a workflow proves valuable and repeatable. Include exact commands, file paths, verification steps, and safety boundaries. Ask for confirmation before saving new procedures when the user did not explicitly request persistence.

Patch

Patch a skill immediately when it causes confusion, misses a prerequisite, uses a stale command, or fails to mention an important pitfall. Small targeted edits are better than rewriting everything.

Retire

Retire or merge skills that no longer match current systems. If a workflow moved into a broader operating guide, mark the old skill as absorbed instead of leaving duplicate guidance.

Quality checklist

• The skill has a clear trigger.
• It names required tools or commands.
• It avoids secrets and private data.
• It includes verification steps.
• It explains known failure modes.
• It is short enough to be loaded and followed.

Why this matters

Hermes improves when skills capture hard-won experience. It gets worse when old instructions remain unchallenged.