gh-cskiro-claudex-meta-tools/skills/skill-creator/README.md

Skill Creator

Automated skill generation tool that creates production-ready Claude Code skills following Claudex marketplace standards with intelligent templates, pattern detection, and quality validation.

Quick Start

User: "Create a new skill for validating API responses"

Claude will:

1. Guide you through interactive questions
2. Detect appropriate skill type and pattern
3. Generate all required files with templates
4. Install to ~/.claude/skills/
5. Provide testing guidance and next steps

Features

Feature 1: Intelligent Skill Generation

• Interactive guided creation with smart defaults
• Automatic skill type detection (minimal/standard/complex)
• Pattern selection based on skill purpose
• Jinja2-based template population
• Quality validation before finalization

Feature 2: Multiple Creation Modes

• Guided Creation: Full interactive process with questions
• Quick Start: Template-based for fast setup
• Clone & Modify: Base on existing skill patterns
• Validation Only: Check existing skill quality

Feature 3: Comprehensive Structure

• All required files (SKILL.md, README.md, plugin.json, CHANGELOG.md)
• Optional directories based on complexity (data/, examples/, templates/, modes/, scripts/)
• Pattern-specific templates and guidance
• Clear TODO markers for customization

Feature 4: Quality Assurance

• Built-in quality checklist validation
• Security checks (no secrets or sensitive data)
• Syntax validation (YAML, JSON, Markdown)
• Naming convention enforcement
• Grade-based scoring (A-F)

Installation

# Already installed in your .claude directory!
# Located at: ~/.claude/skills/skill-creator/

Or install manually:

cp -r skill-creator ~/.claude/skills/

Usage Examples

Example 1: Create Analysis Skill

Scenario: Create a skill that audits React components for performance issues

User: "Create a new skill for auditing React components"

Claude will ask:

1. Skill name: "react-performance-auditor"
2. Description: "Analyzes React components for performance anti-patterns"
3. Category: analysis (auto-suggested)
4. Trigger phrases: (auto-generated + user confirms)
5. Complexity: Standard (has reference materials)

Result:

• Complete skill directory created
• Standard structure with data/ for anti-patterns reference
• Validation pattern applied
• Quality report: Grade A
• Ready for customization

Example 2: Create Multi-Mode Skill

Scenario: Create a skill that manages environment variables (create/update/delete/list)

User: "Create a skill for managing environment variables with multiple modes"

Claude will ask:

1. Basic info (name, description, author)
2. Confirms: Complex skill with modes
3. How many modes? 4 (create, update, delete, list)
4. For each mode: name and trigger phrase
5. Structure: Creates modes/ directory

Result:

• Complex skill with mode-based pattern
• Separate workflow files for each mode
• Mode detection logic in SKILL.md
• Quick decision matrix included
• Ready for mode-specific customization

Example 3: Create Data Processing Skill

Scenario: Create a skill that analyzes git commit history

User: "Create a skill that analyzes git commit patterns"

Claude will detect:

• Data processing skill (analyzes git data)
• Needs scripts/ directory
• Should generate reports

Result:

• Complex data-processing structure
• scripts/ directory with placeholder scripts
• Data pipeline architecture documented
• Report templates included
• Performance characteristics section

Example 4: Quick Start with Template

Scenario: Quickly scaffold a minimal skill

User: "Create a minimal skill called code-formatter"

Claude will:

1. Recognize "minimal" keyword
2. Ask only essential questions (name, description)
3. Use minimal template from examples/
4. Generate with defaults
5. Flag customization points

Result:

• Minimal structure (4 required files only)
• Fast generation (<1 minute)
• All customization points marked with TODO
• Simple phase-based workflow template

Example 5: Clone Existing Pattern

Scenario: Create skill with same structure as codebase-auditor

User: "Create a skill similar to codebase-auditor for database schemas"

Claude will:

1. Read codebase-auditor structure
2. Extract pattern (validation, phase-based)
3. Ask for new skill details
4. Generate with same organizational structure
5. Clear codebase-specific content

Result:

• Same directory structure as codebase-auditor
• Validation pattern applied
• data/ and examples/ directories included
• Content cleared, ready for customization

Example 6: Validate Existing Skill

Scenario: Check quality of skill you're working on

User: "Validate my custom-skill"

Claude will:

1. Locate skill at ~/.claude/skills/custom-skill/
2. Run quality checklist
3. Check all files and syntax
4. Generate detailed report
5. Provide remediation steps

Result:

# Quality Report: custom-skill

## Grade: B (85/100)

### Issues Found:
⚠️ HIGH: Missing usage examples in README.md
📋 MEDIUM: Could use more trigger phrases (only 2, recommend 3-5)
ℹ️ LOW: CHANGELOG could include more detail

### Remediation:
1. Add 2-3 concrete examples to README.md
2. Add 1-2 more trigger phrases to SKILL.md
3. Expand CHANGELOG Added section

### Security: ✅ PASS (no issues)
### Syntax: ✅ PASS (all valid)

Requirements

• Claude Code with Skills support
• Write access to ~/.claude/skills/ directory
• Python 3.8+ (for Jinja2 templates, if using scripts)

Configuration

No additional configuration required. The skill uses:

• Built-in templates from templates/
• Pattern libraries from patterns/
• Reference data from data/
• Examples from examples/

Troubleshooting

Issue 1: Skill name already exists

Problem: Directory ~/.claude/skills/[name]/ already exists Solution:

• Choose a different name, or
• Backup existing skill and remove directory, or
• Use validation mode to check existing skill instead

Issue 2: Permission denied

Problem: Cannot write to ~/.claude/skills/ Solution:

# Check permissions
ls -la ~/.claude/

# Fix permissions if needed
chmod 755 ~/.claude/skills/

# Verify
ls -la ~/.claude/skills/

Issue 3: Generated skill won't load

Problem: Claude Code doesn't recognize new skill Solution:

1. Check YAML frontmatter syntax in SKILL.md
2. Verify plugin.json is valid JSON
3. Restart Claude Code session
4. Check skill appears in skill list

Issue 4: Templates not rendering

Problem: Jinja2 template errors during generation Solution:

• Verify templates/ directory exists
• Check template syntax
• Report issue with specific error message

Best Practices

1. Start Simple: Use minimal structure, grow as needed
2. Clear Trigger Phrases: Make them intuitive and specific
3. Concrete Examples: Show real usage scenarios in README
4. Test Early: Try trigger phrases immediately after generation
5. Iterate: Customize, test, refine workflow
6. Validate Often: Run validation after changes
7. Reference Examples: Look at existing skills for inspiration
8. Document Well: Future you will thank you

Limitations

• Cannot automatically implement skill logic (only scaffolding)
• Jinja2 templates are opinionated (based on Claudex standards)
• Assumes standard skill structure (may not fit all use cases)
• Quality validation is structural (doesn't test functionality)
• Mode detection requires clear user intent

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md for contribution guidelines.

License

Apache 2.0

Version History

See CHANGELOG.md for version history.

Quick Reference

Skill Types

• Minimal: Simple automation, single workflow (4 files)
• Standard: Sequential phases, reference materials (4 files + 3 dirs)
• Complex (Mode-Based): Multiple distinct modes (4 files + modes/)
• Complex (Data Processing): Data analysis, reports (4 files + scripts/)

Patterns

• Phase-Based: Sequential workflow with clear stages
• Mode-Based: Multiple workflows based on user intent
• Validation: Audit/compliance checking pattern
• Data Processing: Ingest → Process → Analyze → Report

Categories

• analysis: Code analysis, auditing, quality checking
• tooling: Development tools, configuration validators
• productivity: Workflow, automation, insights
• devops: Infrastructure, deployment, monitoring

Creation Modes

• Guided: Full interactive (most control)
• Quick Start: Template-based (fastest)
• Clone: Copy existing pattern (proven structure)
• Validate: Check existing quality (QA)

Support

For questions or issues:

1. Check this README for common scenarios
2. Review examples/ directory for structure guidance
3. Consult patterns/ for pattern-specific guidance
4. Read data/quality-checklist.md for validation criteria
5. Open a discussion on GitHub

Related Skills

• claude-md-auditor: Validates SKILL.md files specifically
• codebase-auditor: General code quality analysis
• All skills in ~/.claude/skills/ serve as examples

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Remember: This skill handles the boring scaffolding work so you can focus on the creative and domain-specific parts of your skill!