Combo Test: Skill-Driven Task Templates
Skills can define task graph templates that get instantiated on invocation.
Skills can define task graph templates by instructing Claude to invoke TaskCreate and TaskUpdate for each task in a workflow.
How It Works
A skill file contains instructions that specify a multi-task workflow structure, including task names, arguments, and dependency constraints. When invoked, Claude interprets the skill, calls TaskCreate for each task, then uses TaskUpdate to establish ordering constraints. The skill itself is the template: no separate templating system exists. Refinement happens via hot-reload (updating skill instructions), not via template versioning.
What the Test Found
The combo test created a skill defining a 3-task sequence (Setup, Work, Cleanup) with linear dependencies. Invocation worked: Claude read the instructions and created the task graph using available tools. The test marked this "VALIDATED (by design)," but this reflects confirmation that Claude follows instructions, not validation of a robust templating mechanism. The test acknowledged the actual primitives: instructions → tool calls → realized graph.
Why It Matters
This pattern enables workflows to live as declarative text (in skill definitions), reducing hard-coded graph construction in code. Hot-reload allows on-the-fly refinement without redeploying task runners. It folds templating cost into skill authoring, not runtime infrastructure.
Caveats
- No strong parameterization: argument interpolation depends on Claude's text parsing; no schema-validated slots
- Unpredictable task IDs: returned by TaskCreate based on session state; templates cannot reliably capture identities for later reference
- Hot-reload scope: updates skill text but does not mutate already-instantiated tasks
- Epistemic status: this is a design-confirmed pattern, not a stress-tested subsystem
Epistemic status: inconclusive. The test validated that the pattern works in favorable conditions, not that it scales to complex graphs or fails gracefully under adversity.
- file2.1.16/tests/combo-04-skill-templates/TEST-RESULTS.md
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- instance-of Scheduler / IPC Class
- introduces (in) 2.1.16 Battle Test (2.1.16) Release
- verifies (in) Combo Test: Skill-Driven Task Templates — runtime test Test