skill-creator

name	skill-creator
description	Guide for creating effective skills. Use when users want to create or update a skill that extends Claude with specialized knowledge, workflows, or tool integrations.
license	Complete terms in LICENSE.txt

OpenCode Skill Template

Disclaimer: This is a living template.

This document formalizes how to design and implement OpenCode skills in this repo so they are:

• Portable (shareable across machines/users)
• Reconstructable (can recreate required local state)
• Self-building (can bootstrap config/state and keep itself up to date)
• Credential-safe (no secrets in git; graceful first-time setup)

---

Target Operating Model (WIP)

The intended long-term workflow:

1. Run OpenCode in a Docker container.
2. Use a skills package manager to:
   • Push skills from this repo
   • Let other users (e.g. family) pull the same skills

Key constraint: skills must be able to self-bootstrap their local state and credentials, because “pulling a skill” should not require manual repo surgery.

---

Definitions

• Skill: A folder under .opencode/skill/<skill-name>/ primarily anchored by SKILL.md.
• Portable bundle (tracked): Files safe to commit and share.
• Local overlay (untracked): Per-user/per-machine state and secrets (gitignored).

A good skill clearly separates these.

---

Folder Layout (Preferred)

Collocated scaffold (no src/):

.opencode/skill/<skill-name>/
├── SKILL.md                    # Required. Human-readable + copy/paste commands.
├── .skill.config.example           # Tracked. Declares required env vars.
├── .skill.config                   # Gitignored. Actual credentials.
├── load-env.ts                  # Tracked. Validates env vars; exports config.
├── client.ts                    # Tracked. Request helper (fetch wrapper).
├── first-call.ts                # Tracked. Minimal “does auth work?” check.
├── openapi.json                 # Optional. Tracked API spec when available.
├── <thing>.example.json         # Optional. Tracked template for local state.
├── <thing>.json                 # Optional. Gitignored generated local state.
└── scripts/                     # Optional. Tracked reusable scripts.
    ├── bootstrap.ts             # Optional. Creates/validates local overlay.
    └── <action>.ts              # Optional. Deterministic helpers.

Notes:

• If a skill does not need credentials, you can omit .skill.config* and load-env.ts.
• If a skill needs local configuration/state, include an *.example.* template and treat the real file as local overlay.
• Prefer putting runnable helpers under scripts/ so they stay collocated and discoverable.
• Prefer TypeScript scripts runnable with bun (repo convention).

---

Naming Rules

• Folder name is kebab-case: ^[a-z0-9]+(-[a-z0-9]+)*$.
• SKILL.md frontmatter name matches folder name.
• description is one line and task-oriented.

---

Non-Negotiables (Safety + Portability)

Never commit secrets

Tracked files must never contain:

• API keys / tokens
• Passwords
• Session cookies
• User-specific IDs that should remain private

If it’s sensitive, it goes in the local overlay (.skill.config, *.json, OS keychain, Bitwarden).

Always provide a first-time path

Every credentialed skill needs:

• A quick “credential check” command
• A first-time setup section that tells the user exactly what to gather and where to put it
• A minimal verification call

Prefer standards and stable APIs

• Use official REST APIs when available.
• Use browser automation only as a fallback.

---

Credential Strategy (Multi-User Friendly)

Primary: per-skill .skill.config

• Store credentials in .opencode/skill/<skill-name>/.skill.config (gitignored).
• Document required variables in .skill.config.example.
• Prefer this name over plain .env to avoid collisions with repo-root .env files.

Recommended SKILL.md snippet:

# Always run commands from the skill folder
cd .opencode/skill/<skill-name>

# Load credentials
source .skill.config

Optional: Bitwarden or OS keychain

If you expect multiple users or frequent rotation, document a Bitwarden-based setup.

Rule of thumb:

• Local .skill.config: fastest and simplest.
• Bitwarden: best when credentials must be shared across machines/users without committing.

---

Local State & “Self-Building” Skills

A self-building skill can:

• Detect missing local state (e.g. telegram-chats.json, torrent-sources.json).
• Create it from an *.example.json template.
• Guide the user to fill in required values.
• Validate the result.

Pattern: tracked example + gitignored real file

• Tracked: thing.example.json (safe defaults)
• Local: thing.json (customized per environment)

This pattern is already used by:

• Telegram: telegram-chats.example.json → telegram-chats.json
• qBittorrent: torrent-sources.example.json → torrent-sources.json

Pattern: bootstrap script

If the skill is expected to run end-to-end often, include a bootstrap script (tracked) that ensures the local overlay exists.

Preferred location: .opencode/skill/<skill-name>/scripts/bootstrap.ts.

Example responsibilities for scripts/bootstrap.ts:

• If .skill.config missing, print clear “Blocked” instructions (don’t guess secrets).
• If *.json missing, copy from *.example.json.
• Validate required fields exist.
• Print next command(s) to run.

You can invoke it with:

bun .opencode/skill/<skill-name>/scripts/bootstrap.ts

---

“Self-Improving” Skills

Skills should improve after real usage:

• If a command fails and you learn the correct syntax, update SKILL.md immediately.
• If an API returns surprising response codes or formats, document it.
• If a workflow repeats twice, consider adding a small script (*.ts) to make it deterministic.

Keep the updates portable:

• Update templates and docs in git.
• Keep user-specific values in local overlay.

---

SKILL.md Required Sections (Recommended)

Use the following order and headings. This keeps skills consistent across the repo.

1. Frontmatter

---
name: <skill-name>
description: <one-line description>
---

2. Credential Check

• A short command that prints whether config exists.
• Never prints full secrets (truncate tokens).

3. Environment Setup

• Where .skill.config lives.
• Example variables.

4. State / Config Files (if applicable)

• Which files are tracked templates vs local overlays.
• Exact copy commands.

5. Quick Usage

• Copy/paste-ready commands for 80% use cases.

6. Common Gotchas

• “Why it fails” + “how to fix”.

7. First-Time Setup (If Not Configured)

• “What you need from the user” list.
• Step-by-step UI instructions if needed.
• “Test it works” command.

8. API Reference (optional)

• Endpoints, methods, meanings.

---

Minimal .skill.config.example

Keep it short and declarative:

# <Skill Name>
# Base URL (include scheme)
SKILL_URL=

# Token or key
SKILL_TOKEN=

---

Minimal load-env.ts (Template)

Use this pattern for strict validation and ergonomic usage in scripts.

// .opencode/skill/<skill-name>/load-env.ts

import { config as loadDotenv } from "dotenv";
import { resolve } from "node:path";

loadDotenv({ path: resolve(import.meta.dir, ".skill.config") });

function requireEnv(name: string): string {
  const value = process.env[name];
  if (!value) throw new Error(`Missing required env var: ${name}`);
  return value;
}

export const SKILL_URL = requireEnv("SKILL_URL");
export const SKILL_TOKEN = requireEnv("SKILL_TOKEN");

Notes:

• If you don’t want to hard-fail, print guidance and exit with a clear error.
• Don’t auto-create .skill.config with secrets; only create .skill.config from .skill.config.example with blanks.

---

Minimal first-call.ts (Template)

This should be the smallest possible auth/health check.

import { SKILL_TOKEN, SKILL_URL } from "./load-env";

const res = await fetch(`${SKILL_URL}/health`, {
  headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${SKILL_TOKEN}` },
});

if (!res.ok) {
  throw new Error(`Auth check failed: ${res.status} ${await res.text()}`);
}

console.log("OK");

---

Docker Considerations (So Skills Stay Portable)

When running OpenCode in Docker, keep the same split:

• Portable bundle: committed files inside the repo.
• Local overlay:
  • Bind-mount per-user secret/config files, or
  • Provide env vars via Docker runtime, or
  • Use secret managers outside git.

Do not design a skill that requires editing tracked files to run.

---

Skill Authoring Checklist

Before calling a skill “done”:

• SKILL.md contains a working “Credential Check” and “First-Time Setup”.
• Any state/config has an *.example.* tracked template.
• All copy/paste commands are correct and tested.
• Nothing tracked contains secrets.
• There is a minimal “verification” call (first-call.ts or curl).
• The skill can be pulled into a fresh machine and bootstrapped with minimal steps.