Developer using AI coding agentsRising demand

AI coding agent brief

Immediate result: A precise brief for an AI coding agent: goal, files, constraints, acceptance tests and what not to touch.

Problem it solvesVague prompts to coding agents (Cursor, Claude Code, Copilot) produce code that misses the point.

Add this skill to

You paste

Add dark mode to our React app; don't touch the charts library

You get

Goal: user-selectable dark theme, saved per user, default follows the OS.

Out of scope: src/charts/** (do not edit).

Done when: toggling theme updates all pages; contrast ≥ 4.5:1; existing tests pass.

About this skill

About AI coding agent brief

Coding agents such as Cursor, Claude Code and Copilot are only as good as the brief they get. This skill turns a loose request into a precise one: the goal, a definition of done, the files in scope and the ones that are off-limits, acceptance tests the agent must make pass, constraints on style and dependencies, and the points where it should stop and ask. Briefs written this way produce smaller, reviewable changes and fewer surprise rewrites. It is the core habit of working with agents — and works for briefing human developers too.

AI coding agent brief AI skill for Developer using AI coding agents: you paste "Add dark mode to our React app; don't touch the charts library" and get "Goal: user-selectable dark theme, saved per user, default follows the OS."
AI coding agent brief — example input and the first lines it returns. Works in ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini.
Job profile
Software engineering · Developer using AI coding agents
Works in
ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot, Claude Code
Format
Agent Skills (SKILL.md)
Price
Free, no sign-up
Install instructions

Copy, paste, send

  1. Cold email writerCopy skillCopied ✓1 Copy the skillPress Copy skill.
  2. ANY AI ASSISTANTSKILLPaste here, then press Enter2 Paste it into a new chatChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Copilot.
  3. ANY AI ASSISTANT3 Send your inputSend what you want built or changed.
The skill — paste this into your AI assistant
# Skill: AI coding agent brief

You are running the "AI coding agent brief" skill for me. I work as: Developer using AI coding agents. What I need from you: a precise brief for an AI coding agent: goal, files, constraints, acceptance tests and what not to touch.

## When I send you what I want built or changed, my stack and anything that must not change
1. Turn the request into a goal and a definition of done.
2. List the files or areas likely involved and the ones that are off-limits.
3. Write acceptance tests the agent must make pass.
4. Add constraints: style, dependencies allowed, no new packages unless approved.

## Reply in this format
- Goal
- Definition of done
- Scope (in / out)
- Acceptance tests
- Constraints
- Ask before

## Rules
- Use only the facts I give you; mark anything you had to assume with [ASSUMPTION].
- If something essential is missing, ask me one short question, then continue.
- No preamble or filler: start with the result.

Confirm you're ready in one line, then wait for me to send what I want built or changed, my stack and anything that must not change.

Then sendWhat you want built or changed, your stack and anything that must not change. For example: Add dark mode to our React app; don't touch the charts library

ChatGPT

  1. Fastest: paste the skill as your first message in a new chat, then send your input.
  2. To keep it: open a Project, choose Instructions (or Settings → Personalization → Custom instructions for every chat) and paste it there.
  3. To share it with a team: create a custom GPT and paste the skill into its Instructions.
  4. In the Codex app: copy the skill's folder into ~/.codex/skills/ (or Customize → Skills → Add → Create skill).

Claude

  1. Fastest: paste the skill as your first message in a new chat, then send your input.
  2. To keep it: create a Project, open Project instructions and paste the skill.
  3. As a Claude Skill: download the skill's ZIP, then in Claude open Settings → Skills → Add → Upload skill and choose the file.

Gemini

  1. Fastest: paste the skill as your first message in a new chat, then send your input.
  2. To keep it: open Gems → New Gem, paste the skill into Instructions and save.

Microsoft Copilot

  1. Fastest: paste the skill as your first message, then send your input.
  2. In Microsoft 365 Copilot, save it as a prompt or paste it into an agent's instructions to reuse it.

Any other assistant

  1. Paste the skill as the system prompt or first message in any chat assistant (Perplexity, Meta AI, DeepSeek, Mistral, local models).
  2. Coding agents that read the Agent Skills format (SKILL.md) can load the downloaded file from their skills folder.

Install it permanently

Upload it to Claude, add it to ChatGPT's Codex app, clone it into Claude Code, or download the SKILL.md for any agent. Full guide with screenshots →

Download the ZIP and upload it in Claude. Claude then uses the skill on its own whenever a request matches.

Download ZIP

Quick setup

  1. In Claude, open Settings → Skills (under Customize).
  2. Click Add → Upload skill.
  3. Choose the ZIP — don't unzip it — and make sure the skill is switched on.
Claude Settings with Skills selected under Customize, and the Add menu open showing Upload skill, Create a skill, Create with Claude and Record your screen

Repositoryscienceofapps.com/skills/ai-skills.git · all 200 skills, one folder each, plain git over HTTPS

What it does

The steps it follows

  1. Turn the request into a goal and a definition of done.
  2. List the files or areas likely involved and the ones that are off-limits.
  3. Write acceptance tests the agent must make pass.
  4. Add constraints: style, dependencies allowed, no new packages unless approved.
What you get back

The reply format

  • Goal
  • Definition of done
  • Scope (in / out)
  • Acceptance tests
  • Constraints
  • Ask before
FAQs

Questions about AI coding agent brief

What does the AI coding agent brief skill do?

Vague prompts to coding agents (Cursor, Claude Code, Copilot) produce code that misses the point. The skill fixes that: a precise brief for an AI coding agent: goal, files, constraints, acceptance tests and what not to touch.

How do I install AI coding agent brief in ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini?

Copy the skill and paste it as the first message of a new chat, then send your input. To keep it, paste it into a ChatGPT Project or custom GPT, a Claude Project or a Gemini Gem, or upload the SKILL.md file as a Claude Skill.

What do I send AI coding agent brief after installing it?

Send what you want built or changed, your stack and anything that must not change. If something essential is missing, the skill asks you one short question and then continues.

Is the AI coding agent brief skill free?

Yes. It's free to copy, use and adapt, with no sign-up, and works in the free versions of ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Copilot.

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You get

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