Arcanea Skill System

Skills are discrete, reusable capabilities that agents invoke. Each skill has clear inputs, outputs, and purpose.

Skill Categories

Category	Purpose	Example Skills
Creative	Generate new content	write.narrative, design.concept, create.character
Analytical	Evaluate and understand	analyze.coherence, research.thematic, evaluate.audience
Structural	Organize and architect	design.structure, plan.timeline, organize.information
Expressive	Communicate and voice	write.dialogue, translate.complex, narrate.voice
Transformative	Adapt and evolve	transform.style, evolve.concept, adapt.medium
Integration	Coordinate and combine	orchestrate.workflow, synthesize.outputs, coordinate.team

Skill Definition Format

Skills are defined in .arc format:

@skill write.narrative
@version 1.0.0
@category creative
@mode create

@description
  Creates flowing narrative content with emotional resonance.

@parameters
  type: story | poem | script | article
  tone: string        # emotional quality
  length: number      # word count target
  structure: string   # narrative arc type

@output
  format: markdown
  metadata: [word_count, reading_time, themes]

@example
  @invoke write.narrative
  @with {
    type: "short_story",
    tone: "melancholic",
    length: 2000
  }

Core Skills

Creative Skills

write.narrative

@invoke write.narrative
@with { type: "story", tone: "hopeful", length: 1500 }

design.concept

@invoke design.concept
@with { subject: "character", style: "minimalist", variations: 3 }

create.character

@invoke create.character
@with {
  archetype: "mentor",
  traits: ["wise", "scarred", "hopeful"],
  role: "supporting"
}

Analytical Skills

analyze.coherence

@invoke analyze.coherence
@with {
  target: "./chapter-3.md",
  aspects: [logic, timeline, character],
  strictness: "standard"
}

research.thematic

@invoke research.thematic
@with {
  content: "./manuscript.md",
  depth: "deep",
  framework: "psychological"
}

Structural Skills

design.structure

@invoke design.structure
@with {
  content_type: "narrative",
  scale: "book",
  requirements: ["three-act", "dual-timeline"]
}

plan.timeline

@invoke plan.timeline
@with {
  project: "novel-draft",
  phases: ["outline", "draft", "revision", "polish"],
  milestones: ["chapter-complete", "beta-ready"]
}

Expressive Skills

write.dialogue

@invoke write.dialogue
@with {
  characters: ["protagonist", "antagonist"],
  situation: "confrontation",
  subtext: "hidden respect"
}

translate.complex

@invoke translate.complex
@with {
  content: "./technical-doc.md",
  audience: "general",
  preserve: ["accuracy", "core-meaning"]
}

Transformative Skills

transform.style

@invoke transform.style
@with {
  content: "./draft.md",
  target_style: "hemingway",
  degree: "moderate"
}

evolve.concept

@invoke evolve.concept
@with {
  seed: "time-traveling detective",
  direction: "darker",
  iterations: 5
}

Skill Composition

Skills can be combined into workflows:

@workflow character-creation

  @stage 1
    @invoke create.character
    @output → raw_character

  @stage 2
    @invoke analyze.coherence
    @input raw_character
    @output → validated

  @stage 3
    @invoke write.narrative
    @with { type: "backstory" }
    @input validated
    @output → final

@return final

Triggers

Skills can be auto-invoked by triggers:

@trigger on-file-create
@pattern "*.character.arc"
@invoke analyze.coherence
@with { aspects: [consistency, depth] }

@trigger scheduled
@cron "0 9 * * *"
@invoke research.thematic
@with { content: "./current-project/" }

Creating New Skills

@skill my.custom-skill
@version 1.0.0
@category creative
@mode create

@description
  Brief description of what this skill does.

@parameters
  param1: type    # description
  param2: type    # description

@output
  format: output-type

@implementation
  1. Validate parameters
  2. Execute core logic
  3. Format output
  4. Return result

Skill Registry

Skills are registered in core/skills/ with this structure:

core/skills/
├── creative/
│   ├── write.narrative.arc
│   ├── design.concept.arc
│   └── create.character.arc
├── analytical/
│   ├── analyze.coherence.arc
│   └── research.thematic.arc
├── structural/
│   ├── design.structure.arc
│   └── plan.timeline.arc
├── expressive/
│   ├── write.dialogue.arc
│   └── translate.complex.arc
├── transformative/
│   ├── transform.style.arc
│   └── evolve.concept.arc
└── integration/
    ├── orchestrate.workflow.arc
    └── synthesize.outputs.arc

Best Practices

1. Single purpose - Each skill does one thing well
2. Clear parameters - Document what each input means
3. Composable - Skills should chain naturally
4. Testable - Include example invocations
5. Versioned - Track changes over time

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For the full .arc language specification, see spec/arc-language.md.