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ADK Skill Patterns

by @maxlauriehutchinson

5 proven agent skill design patterns (Tool Wrapper, Generator, Reviewer, Inversion, Pipeline) from Google's ADK. Build reliable, composable skills with templ...

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πŸ“– About This Skill

name: adk-skill-patterns description: 5 proven agent skill design patterns (Tool Wrapper, Generator, Reviewer, Inversion, Pipeline) from Google's ADK. Build reliable, composable skills with templates, decision trees, and composition guides. Stop cramming logic into promptsβ€”use structured patterns instead. metadata: openclaw: emoji: 🧩 version: 1.0.0

ADK Skill Patterns 🧩

Source: Google Cloud Tech β€” 5 Agent Skill Design Patterns Adapted for: OpenClaw Agent System Purpose: Build reliable, composable agent skills using proven architectural patterns

Overview

The specification explains how to package a skill, but offers zero guidance on how to structure the logic inside it. These 5 patterns solve that problem.

| Pattern | Question It Answers | Use When | |---------|---------------------|----------| | Tool Wrapper | "How do I make my agent an expert on a specific library?" | Agent needs deep, contextual knowledge about a technology | | Generator | "How do I enforce consistent output structure?" | Output format must be predictable every time | | Reviewer | "How do I separate what to check from how to check it?" | Code review, quality gates, compliance checking | | Inversion | "How do I stop the agent from guessing and gather requirements first?" | Complex tasks requiring full context before execution | | Pipeline | "How do I enforce a strict multi-step workflow?" | Multi-phase tasks with checkpoints and approvals |

Pattern 1: Tool Wrapper

Purpose: Give your agent on-demand context for a specific library/framework.

Mechanism:

  • Listens for library keywords in prompts
  • Dynamically loads documentation from references/
  • Applies conventions as absolute truth only when needed

    • Example Use Cases:

  • FastAPI conventions
  • Internal coding standards
  • Framework-specific best practices
  • API design guidelines

    • Template: See templates/tool-wrapper-SKILL.md

    Pattern 2: Generator

    Purpose: Enforce consistent output via fill-in-the-blank orchestration.

    Mechanism:

  • assets/ holds output template
  • references/ holds style guide
  • Instructions act as project manager
  • Asks for missing variables before generating

    • Example Use Cases:

  • API documentation generation
  • Standardized commit messages
  • Project scaffolding
  • Technical reports

    • Template: See templates/generator-SKILL.md

    Pattern 3: Reviewer

    Purpose: Separate review criteria from review execution.

    Mechanism:

  • Stores modular rubric in references/review-checklist.md
  • Methodically scores submissions
  • Groups findings by severity
  • Swap checklist = completely different audit

    • Example Use Cases:

  • PR review automation
  • Security vulnerability scanning
  • Code quality audits
  • Compliance checking

    • Template: See templates/reviewer-SKILL.md

    Pattern 4: Inversion

    Purpose: Stop agents from guessing β€” make them interview first.

    Mechanism:

  • Agent acts as interviewer, not executor
  • Structured questions in phases
  • Hard gates prevent premature synthesis
  • User drives through answers, not prompts

    • Example Use Cases:

  • Project planning/requirements gathering
  • System design interviews
  • Complex task specification
  • Knowledge extraction

    • Template: See templates/inversion-SKILL.md

    Pattern 5: Pipeline

    Purpose: Enforce strict sequential workflow with hard checkpoints.

    Mechanism:

  • Instructions = workflow definition
  • Diamond gate conditions (user approval required)
  • Cannot bypass steps or present unvalidated results
  • Progressive disclosure keeps context clean

    • Example Use Cases:

  • Documentation generation workflows
  • Multi-step code generation
  • Complex build/deploy pipelines
  • Research synthesis workflows

    • Template: See templates/pipeline-SKILL.md

    Decision Tree

    START: What does your skill need to do?
β”‚
β”œβ”€β†’ Provide deep knowledge about a specific library/framework?
β”‚   └─→ Use: TOOL WRAPPER
β”‚
β”œβ”€β†’ Produce consistent, templated output?
β”‚   └─→ Use: GENERATOR
β”‚
β”œβ”€β†’ Check/audit something against criteria?
β”‚   └─→ Use: REVIEWER
β”‚
β”œβ”€β†’ Gather requirements before acting?
β”‚   └─→ Use: INVERSION
β”‚
β”œβ”€β†’ Execute strict multi-step workflow?
β”‚   └─→ Use: PIPELINE
β”‚
└─→ Multiple of the above?
    └─→ Patterns COMPOSE (see below)

    Pattern Composition

    These patterns are not mutually exclusive β€” they compose:

    | Combination | Effect | |-------------|--------| | Pipeline + Reviewer | Multi-step workflow with quality gate at the end | | Generator + Inversion | Gather variables via interview, then fill template | | Pipeline + Tool Wrapper | Each step loads specific expertise as needed | | Reviewer + Generator | Review output before generating final document |

    Principle: Your agent only spends context tokens on the exact patterns it needs at runtime.

    Quick Reference: Pattern Selection

    | Scenario | Pattern | Why | |----------|---------|-----| | "Teach my agent FastAPI conventions" | Tool Wrapper | Context loads only when FastAPI mentioned | | "Generate consistent API docs" | Generator | Template + style guide = predictable output | | "Automate PR reviews" | Reviewer | Swap checklist for different audit types | | "Plan a new project" | Inversion | Gathers full requirements before designing | | "Generate docs from code" | Pipeline | Parse β†’ Generate β†’ Review β†’ Assemble |

    Directory Structure

    skills/
└── your-skill/
    β”œβ”€β”€ SKILL.md              # Instructions (implements pattern)
    β”œβ”€β”€ references/           # Knowledge, checklists, style guides
    β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ conventions.md
    β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ review-checklist.md
    β”‚   └── style-guide.md
    └── assets/               # Templates, examples
        β”œβ”€β”€ report-template.md
        └── plan-template.md

    Anti-Patterns to Avoid

    ❌ Cramming everything into system prompt β€” Use Tool Wrapper instead ❌ Different output every run β€” Use Generator for consistency ❌ Hardcoded review criteria β€” Use Reviewer for modularity ❌ Agent assumes context β€” Use Inversion to gather requirements ❌ Skipped steps in workflows β€” Use Pipeline for enforcement

    Implementation Notes for OpenClaw

    1. File Loading: Use read tool to load references/assets dynamically 2. Pattern Detection: Check user's intent to determine which pattern to apply 3. Composition: Chain skills via sessions_spawn for complex workflows 4. Gates: Explicit user confirmation before proceeding (especially Pipeline/Inversion)

    Using This Skill

    To Apply a Pattern

    Ask me: "Use the [pattern-name] pattern to [task]"

    Examples:

  • "Use the Tool Wrapper pattern to create a FastAPI expert skill"
  • "Use the Generator pattern to standardize my report outputs"
  • "Use the Reviewer pattern to build a code quality checker"
  • "Use the Inversion pattern to plan my new project"
  • "Use the Pipeline pattern to create a documentation workflow"

    • To Get Pattern Advice

    Ask: "Which pattern should I use for [scenario]?"

    To Compose Patterns

    Ask: "How do I combine [pattern-1] and [pattern-2]?"

    Source Article: https://x.com/GoogleCloudTech/status/2033953579824758855 Last Updated: March 29, 2026