How the 'ACTION REQUIRED' Section Works in Reverse-Skill: A Complete Technical Guide

The 'ACTION REQUIRED' section is a mandatory, convention-driven header block in every SKILL.md file that forces operators to execute a three-phase checklist (NOW, NEXT, ACT) before any analysis workflow begins.

This article examines how the reverse-skill repository by zhaoxuya520 implements a strict execution protocol through its 'ACTION REQUIRED' section. Found in skill modules ranging from reverse-engineering to Windows AD analysis, this block transforms markdown documentation into an actionable, auditable contract that gates all downstream operations.

Anatomy of the ACTION REQUIRED Block

The 'ACTION REQUIRED' section appears immediately after frontmatter in every SKILL.md. In skills/reverse-engineering/SKILL.md (lines 13-22), the block follows a rigid three-phase structure:

Phase	Purpose	Example from Source
NOW	Pre-analysis checks that must complete immediately	Verify authorization via ../field-journal/precedent-reverse.md
NEXT	Environment preparation that can be deferred	Validate tool paths against tool-index.md
ACT	First concrete step of the actual workflow	Jump into re-agent-workflow.md triage stage

The router defined in skills/MASTER-ROUTING.md (line 12) enforces this sequence: no primary skill proceeds to downstream modules until its ACTION REQUIRED checklist is satisfied.

Gate-Keeping and Security Enforcement

The 'ACTION REQUIRED' section serves as the repository's primary security checkpoint. The NOW phase implements mandatory compliance with RULES.md policies through explicit operator confirmations:

• "确认本 skill 的操作是已授权的常规操作" (confirm authorized operation)
• "确认当前任务是否命中本 skill 的适用范围" (confirm scope applicability)

These statements are non-optional. The routing engine blocks execution until the operator ticks corresponding items in the 任务完成自检 (task completion self-check) section at each SKILL file's end.

Tool-Chain Validation Without Path Guessing

The NEXT phase eliminates configuration drift through deterministic dependency resolution. Instead of hardcoded paths, operators must:

1. Read skills/tool-index.md for canonical tool locations
2. Invoke bootstrap-reverse.ps1 when tools are missing
3. Never guess or assume paths

This pattern appears consistently across skill modules:

• skills/windows-ad/SKILL.md (lines 8-15)
• skills/wifi-wireless/SKILL.md (lines 8-15)
• skills/malware-analysis/SKILL.md (lines 7-14)

Workflow Kick-Off: The ACT Phase

The ACT phase transitions from preparation to execution. In skills/reverse-engineering/SKILL.md, this means entering references/re-agent-workflow.md—a deterministic state machine with stages:

• Triage
• Static analysis
• Dynamic analysis
• Synthesis

The routing engine tracks progress through this workflow, enabling automated self-inspection via embedded checklists.

Practical Implementation Examples

Parsing ACTION REQUIRED with Python

import pathlib, re, json

def load_action_required(skill_path: str) -> list[dict]:
    """Extract ordered steps from the ACTION REQUIRED block."""
    text = pathlib.Path(skill_path).read_text(encoding="utf-8")
    block = re.search(r"## ACTION REQUIRED.*?(?=\n## |\Z)", text, re.S)

    if not block:
        raise ValueError("No ACTION REQUIRED block found")
    steps = re.findall(r"^\s*\d+\.\s*`(\w+)`:\s*(.+)$", block.group(0), re.M)
    return [{"phase": p, "description": d.strip()} for p, d in steps]

# Usage for reverse-engineering skill

steps = load_action_required(
    "/cache/repos/github.com/zhaoxuya520/reverse-skill/main/"
    "skills/reverse-engineering/SKILL.md"
)
print(json.dumps(steps, ensure_ascii=False, indent=2))

Sample output showing the three-phase structure:

[
  {
    "phase": "NOW",
    "description": "读取 `../field-journal/precedent-reverse.md` — 确认本 skill 的操作是已授权的常规操作"
  },
  {
    "phase": "NOW",
    "description": "确认当前任务是否命中本 skill 的适用范围"
  },
  {
    "phase": "NEXT",
    "description": "读取 `../tool-index.md`，校验工具可用性和实际路径"
  },
  {
    "phase": "NEXT",
    "description": "缺工具时调用 bootstrap，不要猜路径"
  },
  {
    "phase": "ACT",
    "description": "按 re-agent-workflow 推进；进入工作流第一步并执行，不要停在确认状态"
  }
]

CI Enforcement of NOW Steps

# ci/validate-action.ps1

param([string]$SkillPath = "skills/reverse-engineering/SKILL.md")

$content = Get-Content $SkillPath -Raw
if ($content -notmatch '## ACTION REQUIRED') {

    Write-Error "Skill file missing ACTION REQUIRED block."
    exit 1
}

$nowLines = ($content -split "`n") |
    Where-Object { $_ -match '^\s*\d+\.\s*`NOW`' }

foreach ($line in $nowLines) {
    Write-Host "Executing NOW step:`n$line"
    $cmd = $line -replace '^\s*\d+\.\s*`NOW`:\s*', '' -replace '`', ''
    Invoke-Expression $cmd
}

Self-Checklist Completion Template

- [x] I have read `../field-journal/precedent-reverse.md`
- [x] I confirmed the task matches this skill's scope
- [x] I verified tool availability via `tool-index.md`
- [x] I bootstrapped missing tools (if any)
- [x] I started the first step of `re-agent-workflow.md`

Completing this checklist in the 任务完成自检 section satisfies the validation performed by test-routing.ps1.

Key Source Files

File	Purpose
skills/reverse-engineering/SKILL.md	Exemplary ACTION REQUIRED implementation (lines 13-22)
skills/MASTER-ROUTING.md	Routing engine rules requiring ACTION REQUIRED execution
RULES.md	Security policies enforced through NOW-phase checks
skills/tool-index.md	Central tool registry referenced in NEXT phase
skills/ops/role-map.md	Role assignments for skill operators
skills/reverse-engineering/references/re-agent-workflow.md	Workflow triggered by ACT phase

Summary

• The 'ACTION REQUIRED' section is mandatory in every SKILL.md file across the reverse-skill repository
• It enforces a three-phase execution model: NOW (immediate checks), NEXT (setup), ACT (workflow start)
• The routing engine blocks progression until the operator completes all checklist items
• Security compliance is embedded through authorization confirmations in the NOW phase
• Tool validation uses canonical references rather than assumed paths
• CI automation can parse and enforce the block through regex extraction

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if I skip the ACTION REQUIRED section?

The routing engine will not permit progression to downstream modules. Per skills/MASTER-ROUTING.md, opening a primary skill and executing its ACTION REQUIRED are both required before any other skills are considered. The 任务完成自检 checklist must show all items ticked.

Can I modify the three-phase structure?

All skill modules use the same NOW/NEXT/ACT pattern for uniform onboarding. While skills/CONTRIBUTING.md provides contributor guidelines, the three-phase structure is convention-driven and expected by test-routing.ps1. Custom phases would break automated validation.

How does the CI system validate ACTION REQUIRED compliance?

The test-routing.ps1 script and helper tools like ci/validate-action.ps1 parse SKILL.md files using regex searches for ## ACTION REQUIRED headers. They extract numbered steps, verify NOW-phase completeness, and confirm the 任务完成自检 section matches expected entries.

Is the ACTION REQUIRED section used for non-technical skills?

Yes. The pattern appears in skills/windows-ad/SKILL.md, skills/wifi-wireless/SKILL.md, and skills/malware-analysis/SKILL.md. The content adapts to each domain—Active Directory workflows, wireless tools, or sandbox configurations—but the three-phase structure remains consistent.

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  "mcpServers": {
    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
    }
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}