create-meta-prompts
Create-meta-prompts generates optimized prompts for sequential Claude processing by structuring outputs with XML formatting and metadata for efficient parsing. Use this skill when designing multi-stage workflows where one Claude instance's output feeds into another instance's input, or when implementing research-to-planning-to-implementation pipelines that require clean handoffs between different prompt stages.
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/glittercowboy/taches-cc-resources /tmp/create-meta-prompts && cp -r /tmp/create-meta-prompts/skills/create-meta-prompts ~/.claude/skills/create-meta-promptsSKILL.md
<objective>
Create prompts optimized for Claude-to-Claude communication in multi-stage workflows. Outputs are structured with XML and metadata for efficient parsing by subsequent prompts.
Every execution produces a `SUMMARY.md` for quick human scanning without reading full outputs.
Each prompt gets its own folder in `.prompts/` with its output artifacts, enabling clear provenance and chain detection.
</objective>
<quick_start>
<workflow>
1. **Intake**: Determine purpose (Do/Plan/Research/Refine), gather requirements
2. **Chain detection**: Check for existing research/plan files to reference
3. **Generate**: Create prompt using purpose-specific patterns
4. **Save**: Create folder in `.prompts/{number}-{topic}-{purpose}/`
5. **Present**: Show decision tree for running
6. **Execute**: Run prompt(s) with dependency-aware execution engine
7. **Summarize**: Create SUMMARY.md for human scanning
</workflow>
<folder_structure>
```
.prompts/
├── 001-auth-research/
│ ├── completed/
│ │ └── 001-auth-research.md # Prompt (archived after run)
│ ├── auth-research.md # Full output (XML for Claude)
│ └── SUMMARY.md # Executive summary (markdown for human)
├── 002-auth-plan/
│ ├── completed/
│ │ └── 002-auth-plan.md
│ ├── auth-plan.md
│ └── SUMMARY.md
├── 003-auth-implement/
│ ├── completed/
│ │ └── 003-auth-implement.md
│ └── SUMMARY.md # Do prompts create code elsewhere
├── 004-auth-research-refine/
│ ├── completed/
│ │ └── 004-auth-research-refine.md
│ ├── archive/
│ │ └── auth-research-v1.md # Previous version
│ └── SUMMARY.md
```
</folder_structure>
</quick_start>
<context>
Prompts directory: !`[ -d ./.prompts ] && echo "exists" || echo "missing"`
Existing research/plans: !`find ./.prompts -name "*-research.md" -o -name "*-plan.md" 2>/dev/null | head -10`
Next prompt number: !`ls -d ./.prompts/*/ 2>/dev/null | wc -l | xargs -I {} expr {} + 1`
</context>
<automated_workflow>
<step_0_intake_gate>
<title>Adaptive Requirements Gathering</title>
<critical_first_action>
**BEFORE analyzing anything**, check if context was provided.
IF no context provided (skill invoked without description):
→ **IMMEDIATELY use AskUserQuestion** with:
- header: "Purpose"
- question: "What is the purpose of this prompt?"
- options:
- "Do" - Execute a task, produce an artifact
- "Plan" - Create an approach, roadmap, or strategy
- "Research" - Gather information or understand something
- "Refine" - Improve an existing research or plan output
After selection, ask: "Describe what you want to accomplish" (they select "Other" to provide free text).
IF context was provided:
→ Check if purpose is inferable from keywords:
- `implement`, `build`, `create`, `fix`, `add`, `refactor` → Do
- `plan`, `roadmap`, `approach`, `strategy`, `decide`, `phases` → Plan
- `research`, `understand`, `learn`, `gather`, `analyze`, `explore` → Research
- `refine`, `improve`, `deepen`, `expand`, `iterate`, `update` → Refine
→ If unclear, ask the Purpose question above as first contextual question
→ If clear, proceed to adaptive_analysis with inferred purpose
</critical_first_action>
<adaptive_analysis>
Extract and infer:
- **Purpose**: Do, Plan, Research, or Refine
- **Topic identifier**: Kebab-case identifier for file naming (e.g., `auth`, `stripe-payments`)
- **Complexity**: Simple vs complex (affects prompt depth)
- **Prompt structure**: Single vs multiple prompts
- **Target** (Refine only): Which existing output to improve
If topic identifier not obvious, ask:
- header: "Topic"
- question: "What topic/feature is this for? (used for file naming)"
- Let user provide via "Other" option
- Enforce kebab-case (convert spaces/underscores to hyphens)
For Refine purpose, also identify target output from `.prompts/*/` to improve.
</adaptive_analysis>
<chain_detection>
Scan `.prompts/*/` for existing `*-research.md` and `*-plan.md` files.
If found:
1. List them: "Found existing files: auth-research.md (in 001-auth-research/), stripe-plan.md (in 005-stripe-plan/)"
2. Use AskUserQuestion:
- header: "Reference"
- question: "Should this prompt reference any existing research or plans?"
- options: List found files + "None"
- multiSelect: true
Match by topic keyword when possible (e.g., "auth plan" → suggest auth-research.md).
</chain_detection>
<contextual_questioning>
Generate 2-4 questions using AskUserQuestion based on purpose and gaps.
Load questions from: [references/question-bank.md](references/question-bank.md)
Route by purpose:
- Do → artifact type, scope, approach
- Plan → plan purpose, format, constraints
- Research → depth, sources, output format
- Refine → target selection, feedback, preservation
</contextual_questioning>
<decision_gate>
After receiving answers, present decision gate using AskUserQuestion:
- header: "Ready"
- question: "Ready to create the prompt?"
- options:
- "Proceed" - Create the prompt with current context
- "Ask more questions" - I have more details to clarify
- "Let me add context" - I want to provide additional information
Loop until "Proceed" selected.
</decision_gate>
<finalization>
After "Proceed" selected, state confirmation:
"Creating a {purpose} prompt for: {topic}
Folder: .prompts/{number}-{topic}-{purpose}/
References: {list any chained files}"
Then proceed to generation.
</finalization>
</step_0_intake_gate>
<step_1_generate>
<title>Generate Prompt</title>
Load purpose-specific patterns:
- Do: [references/do-patterns.md](references/do-patterns.md)
- Plan: [references/plan-patterns.md](references/plan-patterns.md)
- Research: [references/research-patterns.md](references/research-patterns.md)
- Refine: [references/refine-patterns.md](references/refine-patterns.md)
Load intelligence rules: [references/intelligence-rules.md](references/intelligence-rules.md)
<prompt_structure>
All generated prompts include:
1. **Objective**: What to accomplish, why it matters
2. **CoExpert skill auditor for Claude Code Skills. Use when auditing, reviewing, or evaluating SKILL.md files for best practices compliance. MUST BE USED when user asks to audit a skill.
Expert slash command auditor for Claude Code slash commands. Use when auditing, reviewing, or evaluating slash command .md files for best practices compliance. MUST BE USED when user asks to audit a slash command.
Expert subagent auditor for Claude Code subagents. Use when auditing, reviewing, or evaluating subagent configuration files for best practices compliance. MUST BE USED when user asks to audit a subagent.
Add todo item to TO-DOS.md with context from conversation
Gather requirements through adaptive questioning before executing any task
Heal skill documentation by applying corrections discovered during execution with approval workflow
Audit slash command file for YAML, arguments, dynamic context, tool restrictions, and content quality
Audit subagent configuration for role definition, prompt quality, tool selection, XML structure compliance, and effectiveness