> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.tuannvm.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.tuannvm.com/blog/reading/2025-11-06-i-was-wrong-about-agent-skills-and-how-i-refactor.md).
# I Was Wrong About Agent Skills and How I Refactor
## Summary
The post discusses a developer's reconsideration of their approach to organizing agent capabilities and skills in Claude-based systems. The author initially believed in structuring agent functionality around discrete "skills" as separate modules, but through practical experience, they discovered limitations and inefficiencies in this architecture.
**Key Points:**
* **Original Approach**: The author organized agent capabilities as isolated skill modules, assuming this would improve maintainability and reusability
* **Discovered Problems**: This structure led to increased complexity, redundant code, and made it harder for Claude to reason about interconnected tasks
* **Core Issue**: Breaking functionality into too granular "skills" created artificial boundaries that didn't reflect how tasks actually interconnect in real-world scenarios
* **New Understanding**: Agent capabilities work better when organized around workflows and domains rather than micro-level skills
* **Better Practice**: Grouping related capabilities together and allowing Claude to understand the full context of interconnected operations leads to better reasoning and performance
* **Refactoring Strategy**: The author now focuses on organizing code by business domain and workflow patterns rather than trying to create perfectly isolated, reusable skills
**Practical Takeaway**: When building Claude-based agents, prioritize coherent task domains and workflow organization over creating maximally reusable, isolated skill components.
{% @mermaid/diagram content="graph TD
A\["Initial Approach:
Discrete Skills"] -->|Practical Issues| B\["Problems Found:
Complexity & Fragmentation"]
B -->|Learning| C\["New Understanding:
Domain-Driven Organization"]
C -->|Result| D\["Better Performance:
Coherent Workflows"]" %}
---
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