Patterns and troubleshooting

These patterns emerged from skills created by early adopters and internal teams. They represent common approaches we've seen work well, not prescriptive templates.

Choosing your approach: Problem-first vs. tool-first

Think of it like Home Depot. You might walk in with a problem - "I need to fix a kitchen cabinet" - and an employee points you to the right tools. Or you might pick out a new drill and ask how to use it for your specific job.

Skills work the same way:

• • Problem-first: "I need to set up a project workspace" → Your skill orchestrates the right MCP calls in the right sequence. Users describe outcomes; the skill handles the tools.
• • Tool-first: "I have Notion MCP connected" → Your skill teaches Claude the optimal workflows and best practices. Users have access; the skill provides expertise.

Most skills lean one direction. Knowing which framing fits your use case helps you choose the right pattern below.

Pattern 1: Sequential workflow orchestration

Use when: Your users need multi-step processes in a specific order.

Example structure:

## Workflow: Onboard New Customer

### Step 1: Create Account
Call MCP tool: `create_customer`
Parameters: name, email, company

### Step 2: Setup Payment
Call MCP tool: `setup_payment_method`
Wait for: payment method verification

### Step 3: Create Subscription
Call MCP tool: `create_subscription`
Parameters: plan_id, customer_id (from Step 1)

### Step 4: Send Welcome Email
Call MCP tool: `send_email`
Template: welcome_email_template

Key techniques:

• • Explicit step ordering
• • Dependencies between steps
• • Validation at each stage
• • Rollback instructions for failures