A strong example is useful when it helps you see a transferable decision. Copying the entire file carries its branding, assumptions, tools, and constraints into work where they may not belong. SkillForge keeps the reference protected and asks you to identify the exact passage and the reason it works.
Choose an example by structure
Look for a skill that solves a similar reasoning problem. A debugging procedure can teach a research workflow how to separate observations from hypotheses. A design-review skill can teach a release workflow how to cite evidence. Search by job, author, category, description, or content, then read enough of the source to understand its context.
Select the useful passage
Highlight the smallest complete excerpt that contains the decision. “Be clear” is too vague. A paragraph that says which evidence outranks a plan and how to report disagreement is actionable. SkillForge stores the source skill, source revision, and exact excerpt with your note so the later proposal remains traceable.
Explain the intended effect
Describe what the passage should change in your target. Useful explanations sound like “make the review cite the current deployed route before accepting a README claim” or “add a stop condition when the required source is unavailable.” Avoid “make mine like this,” which gives the model no boundary.
Separate pattern from identity
Keep the reasoning pattern, not the example’s company name, repository paths, pricing, permissions, or tool stack. Check whether the source assumes a different user, environment, or risk level. A portable skill should state the general rule and keep host-specific details in an isolated reference.
Use contrast evidence
One positive example can make a preference look universal. Compare a second source that handles the same decision differently, or write a case where the pattern should not apply. Conditional guidance is more reliable than a copied slogan. Record what triggers the pattern, where it ends, and what consequence it protects.
Review what changed
The target remains the only editable document. Read each proposed section against the selected passage and your stated effect. Reject changes that introduce source identity or alter unrelated content. If the proposal is too broad, narrow the explanation and run it again rather than adding more reference material.
Test the transferred pattern
Run a task where the pattern matters and a task where it should stay dormant. Confirm that the resulting behavior is better for the target’s job, not merely closer in wording to the example. Keep the annotation history so future revisions can see why the pattern was accepted, changed, or retired.