optimizing-large-skills

Systematic methodology for reducing skill file size while preserving functionality through separation of concerns and strategic code organization.

Before: 654-line skill with heavy inline Python implementations After: 150-line skill with external tools and references

| Externalize Python modules | 60-70% reduction | Heavy implementations (>20 lines) | | Consolidate similar functions | 15-20% reduction | Repeated patterns with minor variations | | Replace code with structured data | 10-15% reduction | Configuration-driven logic | | Progressive loading patterns | 5-10% reduction | Multi-stage workflows |

Systematic methodology to reduce skill file size through externalization, consolidation, and progressive loading patterns. Use when skills exceed 300 lines, multiple code blocks (10+) with similar functionality, heavy Python inline with markdown, functions >20 lines embedded. Do not use when skill is under 300 lines and well-organized. creating new skills - use modular-skills instead. Consult this skill when skills-eval shows "Large skill file" warnings. Source: athola/claude-night-market.