What does this skill do, and when should you use it?
Ask Matt is a routing skill that helps developers choose the most appropriate skill or workflow from a complex skill set. It details a complete path from idea to shipping, including requirements elicitation, prototyping, specification, ticket breakdown, implementation, and code review, along with standalone skills and context management strategies. Created by well-known developer Matt Pocock, it serves as an entry point to the engineering skills in this repository.
This skill takes a description of your engineering task and matches it to the appropriate skill or flow based on context (e.g., working directory presence, task size, multi-session needs). It reads the repository structure and skill definitions, then provides a recommendation with explanation of the workflow path. It does not execute engineering tasks itself but acts as a navigation and routing aid.
- A developer new to this skill set doesn't know which skill to start with for feature development.
- A user has a new idea and needs to refine it through an interview-style discussion.
- A user faces a large, vague engineering effort requiring multi-session planning.
- A user has a backlog of bugs and requests that need triaging first.
- A user needs to decide whether to continue, clear, hand off, or compact context at a phase boundary.
How do you install this skill?
- This skill references other skills; its actual effectiveness depends on those skills. Users should verify the safety and reliability of the dependent skills.
- Data flow and permission details are not disclosed; if dependent skills involve sensitive data or external operations, additional review is needed.
- Mainland China network reachability is not specified, which may affect usage of skills dependent on overseas services.
- Local filesystem
Install via npx skills@latest add mattpocock/skills, or as a Claude Code plugin. Ensure you select this skill (ask-matt) and /setup-matt-pocock-skills, then run /setup-matt-pocock-skills before first use.
tmp="$(mktemp -d)"
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/mattpocock/skills.git "$tmp"
mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills
cp -R "$tmp/skills/engineering/ask-matt" ~/.claude/skills/
rm -rf "$tmp"Generated from the source repository and skill path; it copies only this skill's folder. If the author's install steps above differ, follow those first. To scope it to one project, replace ~/.claude/skills with that project's .claude/skills.
How do you use this skill?
Once installed, send your agent any of these to trigger it:
- I have a new idea and want to start building.
Invoke /ask-matt in a compatible coding agent and describe your situation, e.g., 'I have a new idea and want to start building.' The skill will guide you to the next step.
What are this skill's strengths and limitations?
- Provides a clear workflow map covering the entire path from idea to shipping.
- Supports diverse scenarios (multi-session, prototyping, triage, architecture improvement).
- Emphasizes context hygiene to avoid model degradation.
- Open-source and freely modifiable for personal adaptation.
- Highly dependent on other skills in the repo; limited value in isolation.
- Complexity may overwhelm beginners.
- Requires pre-configuration of tools like issue trackers.
- No automated tests or release process for the skill itself.
How does this skill compare with similar options?
Side by side with related skills; every score comes from the same FSRS standard.
| Skill | FS score | Stars | Last updated | License |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ask Matt Skill Router this page | 50 · Use with care | ★ 281k | 3d ago | MIT |
| Expo Skill Eval | 48 · Use with care | ★ 2.7k | 6d ago | MIT |
| Verification Before Completion | 48 · Use with care | ★ 297k | 16d ago | MIT |
| Engineering Workflow Navigator | 46 · Use with care | ★ 103k | 8d ago | MIT |
| Superpowers Skill Bootstrap | 35 · Not recommended | ★ 297k | 16d ago | MIT |
This skill is the entry router for the repository, not an alternative to other skills. It has no direct comparison, as it is part of a larger skill set.
How did FollowSkills review this skill?
The skill is a router/documentation type, does not itself execute code, and has low permission requirements. However, it references other skills in the repo, which may involve external effects and sensitive data operations, and the current file does not clearly specify data flow, confirmation mechanisms, or rollback strategies. Deductions accordingly.
The skill mainly depends on other skills; its own instructions are mostly routing logic. Static review cannot verify its execution results, and there are no tests or failure feedback mechanisms. Hence low score.
The skill targets Matt Pocock's engineering workflow; audience is clear, but boundaries and non-fit scenarios are not explicitly declared, trigger conditions depend on prerequisite skills, and mainland China network reachability is not considered.
Documentation structure is clear with phase breakdowns, but lacks installation instructions, version history, maintenance responsibility, and clear disclosure of known limitations.
As a router, its value lies in guiding users, but actual effectiveness is not verified; output depends on other skills' performance, and static review cannot confirm direct usability.
Only documentation and example references provided; no tests or other evidence, conclusions cannot be independently reproduced.
Open a dimension to read why it scored that way
Evidence confidence：Low — Mostly static review, author material or a limited demo; useful for discovery, not high-risk decisions.
See the full review method →