skill-creator

name	skill-creator
description	Use PROACTIVELY when creating new Claude Code skills from scratch. Automated generation tool following Claudex marketplace standards with intelligent templates, pattern detection, and quality validation. Supports guided creation, quick start templates, clone-and-modify, and validation-only modes. Not for modifying existing skills or non-skill Claude Code configurations.

Skill Creator

Automates creation of Claude Code skills through interactive guidance, template generation, and quality validation.

When to Use

Trigger Phrases:

• "create a new skill for [purpose]"
• "generate a skill called [name]"
• "scaffold a [type] skill"
• "set up a new skill"

Use Cases:

• Creating new skills from scratch
• Following Claudex marketplace standards
• Learning skill structure through examples

Quick Decision Matrix

User Request	Mode	Action
"create skill for [purpose]"	Guided	Interactive creation
"create [type] skill"	Quick Start	Template-based
"skill like [existing]"	Clone	Copy pattern
"validate skill"	Validate	Quality check

Mode 1: Guided Creation (Default)

Use when: User wants full guidance and customization

Process:

1. Gather basic info (name, description, author)
2. Define purpose, category, triggers
3. Assess complexity → determine skill type
4. Customize directory structure
5. Select pattern (mode-based, phase-based, validation, data-processing)
6. Generate files from templates
7. Run quality validation
8. Provide installation and next steps

Workflow: workflow/guided-creation.md

Mode 2: Quick Start

Use when: User specifies skill type directly (minimal, standard, complex)

Process:

1. Confirm skill type
2. Gather minimal required info
3. Generate with standardized defaults
4. Flag ALL customization points

Advantages: Fast, minimal questions Trade-off: More TODO sections to customize

Mode 3: Clone & Modify

Use when: User wants to base skill on existing one

Process:

1. Read existing skill's structure
2. Extract organizational pattern (not content)
3. Generate new skill with same structure
4. Clear example-specific content

Advantages: Proven structure, familiar patterns

Mode 4: Validation Only

Use when: User wants to check existing skill quality

Process:

1. Read existing skill files
2. Run quality checklist
3. Generate validation report
4. Offer to fix issues automatically

Use Case: Before submission, after modifications

Skill Types

Type	Complexity	Directories	Pattern
Minimal	Low	SKILL.md, README.md only	phase-based
Standard	Medium	+ data/, examples/	phase-based or validation
Complex (mode)	High	+ modes/, templates/	mode-based
Complex (data)	High	+ scripts/, data/	data-processing

Generated Files

Required (all skills):

• SKILL.md - Main skill manifest (with YAML frontmatter)
• README.md - User documentation
• CHANGELOG.md - Version history

Optional (based on type):

• modes/ - Mode-specific workflows
• data/ - Reference materials
• examples/ - Example outputs
• templates/ - Reusable templates
• scripts/ - Automation scripts

Note: plugin.json is NOT required. The marketplace.json is the single source of truth for plugin metadata.

Quality Validation

Validates against data/quality-checklist.md:

• File existence (all required files)
• Syntax (YAML frontmatter, JSON)
• Content completeness
• Security (no secrets)
• Naming conventions (kebab-case)
• Quality grade (A-F)

Success Criteria

• All required files generated (SKILL.md, README.md, CHANGELOG.md)
• Valid YAML frontmatter with name and description
• name matches directory name (Anthropic spec requirement)
• No security issues (no secrets in files)
• Kebab-case naming (lowercase + hyphens only)
• Version 0.1.0 for new skills
• Description includes capabilities AND trigger context
• Quality grade C or better

Reference Materials

Templates

• templates/SKILL.md.j2 - Main manifest with frontmatter
• templates/README.md.j2 - User documentation
• templates/CHANGELOG.md.j2 - Version history

Patterns

• patterns/mode-based.md - Multi-mode skills
• patterns/phase-based.md - Sequential workflows
• patterns/validation.md - Audit skills
• patterns/data-processing.md - Data analysis

Reference Data

• data/categories.yaml - Valid categories
• data/skill-types.yaml - Type definitions
• data/quality-checklist.md - Validation criteria

Examples

• examples/minimal-skill/
• examples/standard-skill/
• examples/complex-skill/

Quick Commands

# Check existing skills
ls ~/.claude/skills/

# View skill structure
tree ~/.claude/skills/[skill-name]/

# Validate frontmatter syntax
head -20 ~/.claude/skills/[skill-name]/SKILL.md

# Run marketplace validation
python3 scripts/validate-skills.py

Error Handling

Error	Solution
Name exists	Suggest alternatives or confirm overwrite
Invalid name	Explain kebab-case, provide corrected suggestion
Permission denied	Check ~/.claude/skills/ write access
Template fails	Fallback to manual creation with guidance

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Version: 0.1.0 | Author: Connor