curate-a-team-library

name	curate-a-team-library
description	Use when building a managed team skills library for a real stack. Map work to shelves, browse before curating, write meaningful `whyHere` notes, and create a starter pack once the first pass is solid.
category	workflow
version	4.1.0

Curate A Team Library

Goal

Build a managed skills library that another teammate or agent can actually browse, trust, and install.

Do not hand-edit skills.json, README.md, or WORK_AREAS.md when the CLI already has the mutation you need.

First Move

Start with a managed workspace.

npx ai-agent-skills init-library <name>
cd <name>

Ask at most 3 short questions before acting:

• what kinds of work the library needs to support
• whether the first pass should stay small and opinionated or aim broader
• whether the output should stay local or end as a shareable GitHub repo

Shelf System

Use these 5 work areas as the shelf system:

• frontend: web UI, browser work, design systems, visual polish
• backend: APIs, data, security, infrastructure, runtime systems
• mobile: iOS, Android, React Native, Expo, device testing, app delivery
• workflow: docs, testing, release work, files, research, planning
• agent-engineering: prompts, evals, tools, orchestration, agent runtime design

Map the user's stack to shelves before adding anything.

• Example: React Native + Node backend maps to mobile + backend.
• Add workflow only when testing, release, docs, or research are real parts of the job.
• Add agent-engineering only when the team is doing AI features, prompts, evals, or tooling.
• Make sure the first pass covers every primary shelf the user explicitly named.

Discovery Loop

Browse before curating.

npx ai-agent-skills list --area <work-area>
npx ai-agent-skills search <query>
npx ai-agent-skills collections

If the user named multiple primary shelves, inspect each one before choosing skills.

Mutation Rules

Keep the first pass small: around 3 to 8 skills.

• Use add first for bundled picks and simple GitHub imports.
• Use catalog when you want an upstream entry without copying files into skills/.
• Use vendor only for true house copies the team wants to edit or own locally.

Every mutation must include explicit curator metadata like --area, --branch, and --why.

Good branch names:

• React Native / UI
• React Native / QA
• Node / APIs
• Node / Data
• Docs / Release

Bad branch names:

• stuff
• misc
• notes

Writing Good whyHere

whyHere is curator judgment, not filler.

• Mention the stack or workflow it supports.
• Mention the gap it fills in this library.
• Be honest about why it belongs here.

Good:

Covers React Native testing so the mobile shelf has a real device-validation option.

Bad:

I want this on my shelf.

Featured Picks

Use --featured sparingly.

• keep it to about 2 to 3 featured skills per shelf
• reserve it for skills you would tell a new teammate to install first

Collections

After the library has about 5 to 8 solid picks, create a starter-pack collection.

• Use --collection starter-pack while adding new skills.
• Or use npx ai-agent-skills curate <skill> --collection starter-pack for existing entries.
• Keep the collection small and onboarding-friendly.

Sanity Check

Before finishing:

npx ai-agent-skills list --area <work-area>
npx ai-agent-skills collections
npx ai-agent-skills build-docs

• Run list --area for each primary shelf you touched.
• If you created starter-pack, confirm the install command looks right.
• Make sure the final shelf mix still matches the user's actual stack.

Finish

Return:

• what you added
• which shelves you used and why
• which skills are featured
• what starter-pack contains, if you created one
• whether the library is local-only or ready to share