| name | initialize |
| version | 1.0.0 |
| description | Initialize a sklock workspace in a project — install sklock, scaffold the skills directory, infer requires[] dependencies from skill descriptions, generate skill.lock, and verify the workspace is healthy. Use when setting up sklock for the first time or onboarding a project that already has skills. |
Initialize a sklock workspace
Step 1 — Install sklock
Check whether sklock is already installed:
sklock --version 2>/dev/null && echo "already installed"
If missing, install with whichever package manager the project uses:
npm install -g github:artieax/sklock
Step 2 — Scaffold the skills directory
sklock init --root skills --no-infer
--no-infer skips the automated static analysis so you can handle dependency
inference yourself with full semantic understanding in Step 4.
Step 3 — Scan and validate structure
sklock validate
sklock tree
Fix any structural errors (duplicate IDs, orphan sub-skills) before continuing.
Step 4 — Infer requires[] dependencies
This is the most important step and where your semantic understanding adds value
over automated tools.
4a. Run static analysis first
sklock infer
This detects dependencies that are explicitly referenced in file contents
(import statements, path patterns, <!-- READ: --> directives). Apply if the
suggestions look correct:
sklock infer --apply
4b. Semantic pass — read every skill and reason about relationships
Read each skill's SKILL.md. For every pair (A, B), ask:
- Does A describe a workflow that produces what B describes?
- Does A's description mention B's domain or outputs?
- Would A fail or produce worse results without B?
If yes → add the dependency:
sklock add <skill-a> --dep <skill-b>
Do not add dependencies based on loose thematic similarity — only add them when
skill A genuinely requires skill B to function.
Step 5 — Lock and verify
sklock validate
sklock lock
sklock check
Step 6 — Visualize
Show the dependency graph to the user so they can confirm it looks correct:
sklock tree
sklock graph --mermaid
Step 7 — Lint (optional)
sklock lint
Address any warnings that matter (missing descriptions, oversized files).
Step 8 — Document sklock in the project
After the workspace is healthy, record sklock usage in the right place.
Use the first matching tier below and stop — don't write to multiple tiers.
Priority 1 — skill-creator skill
Look for a skill whose name or description involves creating, scaffolding, or
building skills (e.g. skill-builder, skill-creator, create-skill):
sklock tree | grep -iE "skill.?(builder|creator|create|scaffold|new)"
Also check installed Claude Code plugins:
/plugin list
If found → append to that skill's SKILL.md:
## sklock integration
This project uses sklock to manage the skill workspace.
After creating or editing any `SKILL.md`, run:
\`\`\`bash
sklock validate && sklock lock
\`\`\`
To view the dependency graph: `sklock tree` or `sklock graph --mermaid`
Priority 2 — rules directory
Check for a rules directory used by the agent platform:
ls .claude/rules/ ~/.claude/rules/ .cursor/rules/ 2>/dev/null
If a rules directory exists → create a new rule file there (e.g.
.claude/rules/sklock.md) scoped to skills/**:
---
description: Keep skill.lock in sync whenever a SKILL.md is edited
globs: ["skills/**"]
---
# sklock
Skills are managed with [sklock](https://github.com/artieax/sklock).
After any `SKILL.md` edit, run:
\`\`\`bash
sklock validate && sklock lock
\`\`\`
To view the dependency graph: `sklock tree` or `sklock graph --mermaid`
Use the platform-appropriate directory (.claude/rules/ for Claude Code,
.cursor/rules/ for Cursor, etc.).
Priority 3 — project-level config (fallback)
Only if neither a skill-creator skill nor a rules directory exists, detect
which agent config files are present:
ls CLAUDE.md AGENTS.md GEMINI.md 2>/dev/null
Append to whichever exist (all of them if multiple):
## sklock
Skills are managed with [sklock](https://github.com/artieax/sklock).
After any `SKILL.md` edit, run:
\`\`\`bash
sklock validate && sklock lock
\`\`\`
If none of the above exist, tell the user no config file was found and show
the block above for them to paste manually.
When to re-run
Re-run sklock validate && sklock lock after any change to a SKILL.md file.
Re-run this skill when adding new skills to an established workspace.
