Guide · Agent skill
How to use the SOP and Policy Writer agent skill (sop-writer)
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
The sop-writer skill is an agent skill that turns a rough description of how work is done today into a standard operating procedure (SOP) or a policy, delivered as a Word document. It is written for operations leads, compliance and HR staff, and teams updating older SOPs. After this guide you will know what the skill does, how to install it from the ZIP, how to ask for a document in plain language, and what to check before you rely on the result.
SOP and Policy Writergenspark-ai/genoffice · Apache-2.0 Download the skill Quick start
- 1Install the skill. Download the sop-writer ZIP from this page and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ or a project's .claude/skills/ folder, or upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills in the Claude apps.
- 2Confirm a document tool is available. Check that your agent environment has a document-creation tool, since the skill needs one to produce the Word file.
- 3Describe the process. Paste or dictate how the work is done today, including the trigger, the end result, the people and systems involved, and any old documents.
- 4Decide SOP or policy. Answer the agent's question about whether you need a step-by-step procedure or a document that defines who may do what.
- 5Answer clarifying questions. Respond to questions on scope, roles, existing forms and common failure points so the steps and checkpoints are accurate.
- 6Review the Word document. Read the steps, checkpoints, exception table and version history, and check each placeholder against your own records.
- 7Decide the TBD items. Give the owners, deadlines and thresholds the agent lists as pending, then ask for a revised version.
What an agent skill is and what sop-writer makes the agent do
An agent skill is a folder containing a SKILL.md file that gives an AI agent specific instructions for a task. When the skill is installed, the agent can use those instructions when a request matches them. This skill's source is a single file, SKILL.md.
Once installed, the agent takes your description of a process (spoken notes, a chat log or an old document) and decides first whether it is an SOP or a policy. An SOP teaches someone how to do something step by step. A policy defines who may do what and what happens on violation. The agent then fixes the boundaries, lays out the steps, sets checkpoints, adds exception handling and builds the Word document with its document structure, including a version history table.
- Separates procedures from policies, and splits them into two documents or chapters if they are mixed.
- Defines roles as job titles, not people's names.
- Writes each step with one action, one executing role, one input and one output.
- Defines checkpoints with what is checked, who checks it, what happens on failure and what record is left.
- Asks whether common exceptions you did not mention (timeouts, missing materials, system outage, staff absence) should be covered.
- Lists the owners, deadlines and thresholds marked TBD and asks you to decide them.
Install the sop-writer skill from the ZIP
Download the ZIP for sop-writer from this page and unzip it. The folder contains SKILL.md. Place the unzipped skill folder in your personal skills directory ~/.claude/skills/, or in a project's .claude/skills/ folder if you want it available only for that project.
If you use the Claude apps, you can instead upload the skill under Settings → Capabilities → Skills. Use whichever route matches how you work; the skill content is the same.
- Personal install: unzip into ~/.claude/skills/
- Project install: unzip into the project's .claude/skills/ folder
- Claude apps: upload under Settings → Capabilities → Skills
Check that your environment can produce a Word file
The skill needs a document-creation tool available in the agent environment, because the skill refers to 'the document tools available here' to produce the Word file. If no such tool is available, the agent cannot deliver the .docx output described in the skill.
The skill does not run scripts and does not use the network, according to the source. Confirm the document tool is available before you start a long session, so you do not spend time describing a process that cannot be exported.
How to trigger the skill with natural requests
You do not need a special command. Describe what you want in plain language and say that you want an SOP or policy. The skill's quick prompts in the source show the kind of request that fits: write a current process up as an SOP, or draft a policy from a description.
Give the agent the messy version of the process. Include who does what, what triggers the process, what the end result is, and any forms or systems involved. Answer the clarifying questions the agent asks about scope, roles and failure points.
- Write our current expense reimbursement process up as an SOP.
- Draft an on-call duty policy from this description.
- Turn this chat log about how we grant system access into a policy with roles and escalation paths.
- Update our old onboarding SOP and keep its numbering and add a version history entry for each change.
What a finished document contains and what to review
For an SOP, the source describes a document with document information (number, version, effective date, author, approver, scope), purpose, definitions, a roles table, a process overview, step detail, an exception handling table, related forms and records, and a version history table. Policies add two chapters: Rewards, penalties and violations, and Interpretation and effective date.
Review the output with the TBD list in mind. For labour discipline, penalties, financial approval limits and similar items, the skill uses the placeholder 'per company policy and local regulations' instead of setting figures. You must supply those figures yourself if they are needed.
- Confirm every TBD owner, deadline and threshold before the document is approved.
- Check that each step names an executing role and leaves a record.
- Have qualified counsel or a compliance owner review any legal or regulatory content.
What people use it for
- Writing an expense reimbursement process as an SOP so new staff can follow it and an auditor can trace each approval.
- Drafting an on-call duty policy with roles, escalation paths and the placeholder for penalties left to company policy.
- Updating an older access-request SOP while keeping its numbering and recording each change in the version history.
- Mapping a cross-department handover so each hand-off is a checkpoint with a confirmed receipt.
Frequently asked questions
How do I install the sop-writer agent skill?
Download the ZIP from this page and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder. In the Claude apps you can instead upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
What does the sop-writer skill require to run?
It requires a document-creation tool available in the agent environment, because it produces a Word document. According to the source, it runs no scripts and uses no network.
Is sop-writer free to use?
The source lists the licence as Apache-2.0 and does not state any price, so check the licence text for the terms that apply to you.
Can sop-writer replace legal or compliance review?
No. The output is a draft and does not replace review by qualified counsel or a compliance owner, so any legal or regulatory content needs that sign-off.
What is the difference between an SOP and a policy in this skill?
An SOP teaches someone how to do something step by step. A policy defines who may do what and what happens on violation, and the skill splits mixed content into separate documents or chapters.
Why does the agent leave penalties and approval limits blank?
The skill is instructed to use the placeholder 'per company policy and local regulations' for penalties, labour discipline and financial approval limits instead of choosing figures. You need to supply those amounts from your own policies.
New agent skills, repos and AI tools — every week
The best new skills and open-source projects, the fastest-growing repos, and one free prompt. Five minutes to read. Unsubscribe anytime.
Our verdict
Use sop-writer if you need to turn an informal process into a structured, auditable SOP or policy draft and your agent environment can produce Word files. Pick something else if you need a signed legal or regulatory document without expert review, or if you expect the skill to decide penalties, approval limits or payment amounts for you.
Download the skill