The Best Skill Combos I Found in 2025

A skill is useful. A skill combination is a superpower. Over the course of this year I tested many permutations of the skill soup and a few combinations produced disproportionate results. Here are the pairs and triples that kept showing up in my best work.

Combo 1: Agent Orchestration + Serverless

An AI agent that can write Lambda functions, deploy them, and test them end to end collapses the cycle time on any backend feature. One afternoon, one new endpoint, one deployed service, zero handoffs.

Combo 2: WordPress + Block Editor + AI

Custom WordPress development used to be slow. Custom blocks used to be slower. AI agents writing Gutenberg blocks collapse the cost so far that it is back on the table for client projects.

Combo 3: Writing + Building

Writing about a technical topic forces me to understand it more rigorously than building alone does. Building while writing surfaces examples the writing needs. The two activities sharpen each other.

Combo 4: Python + JSON Schema + Validation Libraries

Pydantic plus FastAPI plus a clear JSON Schema is the fastest way I know to ship a validated API. One schema, one source of truth, one integration point with the frontend.

python

from pydantic import BaseModel, Field
 
class SubscriberCreate(BaseModel):
    email: str = Field(min_length=3, max_length=255)
    name: str | None = None

That class validates input, generates OpenAPI docs, and integrates with FastAPI in one step.

Combo 5: Git Tag + Multi-File Edit Session

Before any session that modifies multiple config or workspace files: git tag the current state. Cheap insurance, zero-cost rollback, saved me hours multiple times this year.

Combo 6: CLAUDE.md + Project Convention + Agent

A CLAUDE.md file that encodes project conventions turns a general agent into a project-specific agent. One file, one onboarding doc, one source of truth for how the agent should behave.

Why Combos Beat Single Skills

A senior Python developer is common. A senior Python developer who also orchestrates AI agents and deploys to serverless and writes clearly about the work is rare. The rarity is the leverage.

How to Find Your Own Combos

Notice which tasks consistently take less time than you expected. The skills involved in those tasks are combining well. Notice which tasks take longer than expected. The skills involved there are not combining, they are fighting.

The Compound Rule

Five skills that combine well produce more value than ten skills that do not. Depth through combination beats breadth through collection. That is the soup thesis in one sentence.

Learn more about skill combination models in T-shaped skills research.