identify-kill-list
Helps writers prune unproductive habits, goals, and content sections based on performance data.
Install
mkdir -p .claude/skills/identify-kill-list && curl -L -o skill.zip "https://agentskills.codes/api/skills/download/13165" && unzip -o skill.zip -d .claude/skills/identify-kill-list && rm skill.zipInstalls to .claude/skills/identify-kill-list
Activation
This is the description your AI agent reads to decide when to run this skill — the better it matches your request, the more reliably it fires.
Names what the substacker writer should stop doing — habits with no evidence of use, goals that became theatre, sections with 2 consecutive dormant quarters, and agents in the team whose output the writer ignores. Produces a bulleted list, each item with one sentence of why. Max 4 items. Ordered by ease (easiest first). Used once per Growth Strategist review. Trigger keywords: kill list, stop doing, what to cut, dead habits, dormant, ignored output.Key capabilities
- →Identify habits with no evidence of use
- →Find goals unchanged for two quarters with no progression
- →Detect sections with two consecutive dormant quarters
- →Name agents whose output the writer ignores
- →Filter identified items to a maximum of four
- →Order items by ease of execution
How it works
The skill processes candidate sources to identify inactive or unutilized items, filters them to a maximum of four, and then orders them by ease of execution, providing a concise reason for each.
Inputs & outputs
When to use identify-kill-list
- →Prune inactive content sections
- →Stop tracking vanity goals
- →Remove unreferenced automation
- →Cleanup writing habits
About this skill
Identify Kill List
Workflow
Per quarterly review:
- [ ] Step 1: Candidate sources:
- Sections classed "candidate-for-prune" in section-portfolio-assessment
- Goals unchanged 2 quarters in a row with no progression
- Agents in the team whose output the writer has not referenced in any decision this quarter
- Habits writer flagged in audience-notes as guilt-producing but unused
- [ ] Step 2: Filter to max 4 items (ruthless)
- [ ] Step 3: Order by ease: easiest kills first
- [ ] Step 4: Each item: one-sentence why
Rules
- Max 4 items. More than 4 and the writer won't stop any of them.
- First kill should be something the writer will actually do within a week.
- Last kill can be harder (a habit, a section) — but still named.
Worked example
- Drop the daily trend-scout digest. You haven't acted on any item from it in 12 weeks.
- Kill the "book reviews" section. One post in two quarters; it's guilt scaffolding, not a section.
- Stop writing the weekly "state of the publication" note to yourself. The Growth Analyst's report is doing that job now.
- Remove the "get on Hacker News front page" goal. It's not a goal, it's an outcome, and chasing it warps the writing.
Guardrails
- Never exceed 4 items.
- Order by ease. First item should be actionable this week.
- One-sentence rationale each. No paragraphs.
- Pull from multiple candidate sources — don't have all 4 be sections.
- Never suggest killing something the writer explicitly committed to this quarter.
- Previous-quarter kills that the writer didn't execute can be re-named — but only once, not indefinitely.
When not to use it
- →When the writer explicitly committed to an item this quarter
- →When more than four items need to be identified
- →When a detailed, multi-sentence rationale is required for each item
Limitations
- →Maximum of 4 items in the output list
- →Each item must have a one-sentence justification
- →Cannot suggest killing something the writer explicitly committed to this quarter
How it compares
This skill provides a structured, constrained method for identifying and prioritizing items to stop doing, focusing on ease of execution and conciseness, unlike a general brainstorming or detailed analysis approach.
Compared to similar skills
identify-kill-list side by side with the closest alternatives in the catalog.
| Skill | Installs | Updated | Safety | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| identify-kill-list (this skill) | 0 | 3mo | No flags | Beginner |
| internal-comms | 8 | 3mo | No flags | Beginner |
| startup-business-analyst-business-case | 6 | 4mo | No flags | Beginner |
| getting-started-guide | 1 | 8mo | No flags | Beginner |
Try saying
Example prompts that trigger this skill in your AI assistant.
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