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May 16, 2026

SKILL.md YAML Frontmatter Cheat Sheet

Every field that can appear in a SKILL.md frontmatter block, with valid values and gotchas. Bookmark this when authoring skills.

SKILL.md YAML Frontmatter Cheat Sheet

Frontmatter is the YAML block between two --- lines at the top of SKILL.md. Most skills only need two fields, but the spec supports more.

Required

FieldTypeNotes
namestringlowercase-hyphens. Must match the folder name.
descriptionstringTrigger description. Multi-line allowed (indent continuation lines).

Common optional

FieldTypeNotes
allowed-toolsarrayWhitelist of tool names. Omit for unrestricted.
versionstringSemver. Useful for changelog tracking.
authorstringGitHub handle or name.

Gotchas

  • No tabs. YAML hates tabs. Use spaces.
  • Multi-line descriptions need a leading space on continuation lines, or use > for folded scalar.
  • Special characters in description (:, #, [) should be wrapped in quotes.

Example with everything

---
name: stripe-checkout
description: >
  When the user asks to accept payments, build a paywall, or wire up
  subscriptions, create a Stripe Checkout flow end-to-end.
allowed-tools: [Bash, Edit, Read]
version: 1.2.0
author: lovableskills
---

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