Reference Creation

Create references/ directories for complex skills. Reference files organize content into focused sub-topic guides, improving navigability and token efficiency.

When to Use

• Skill has 40+ patterns or 4+ distinct sub-topics
• SKILL.md would exceed 300 lines with all patterns inline
• Advanced techniques would overwhelm beginners in main SKILL.md

Don't use for:

• Simple skills (<15 patterns, 1 topic)
• Skills that fit comfortably in SKILL.md alone

Critical Patterns