repo-maintainer

name	repo-maintainer
description	Creating and maintaining skill repos. Covers setup, directory layout, PR review, multi-repo, and hosting.
version	2026.02.27
trigger	Use when the user wants to create a skill repo, review skill PRs, or configure repo hosting
license	MIT OR Apache-2.0
author	Josh Rotenberg
categories	["tools","configuration"]
tags	["skillet","repo","maintenance","hosting","review"]

Repo Maintainer Guide

A skill repo is a git repo with a flat directory structure of skillpacks. Anyone can create one. Skillet is the tool, repos are data.

Creating a Repo

skillet init-registry path/to/my-repo
skillet init-registry path/to/my-repo --name "My Repo" --description "Team skills"

This creates a git repo with:

• skillet.toml -- repo metadata
• README.md -- instructions for contributors
• .gitignore
• An initial commit

Directory Layout

my-repo/
  skillet.toml          # repo config
  owner1/skill-a/       # flat: owner/name
    SKILL.md
  owner1/skill-b/
    SKILL.md
  owner2/tool/
    SKILL.md

Nested paths are also supported (e.g. acme/lang/java/maven-build/). The directory path determines the skill's owner and name. Metadata (description, tags, categories) comes from SKILL.md YAML frontmatter.

Repo Configuration

skillet.toml (preferred):

[registry]
name = "my-repo"
version = 1
description = "Team skills for our org"

[registry.maintainer]
name = "Jane Doe"
github = "janedoe"
email = "[e-mail]"

[[suggest]]
url = "https://github.com/joshrotenberg/skillet.git"
description = "Official community skills"

[registry.defaults]
refresh_interval = "10m"

Accepting PRs

When contributors submit skills, review:

1. SKILL.md frontmatter: valid fields, appropriate categories/tags, version format
2. SKILL.md content: clear instructions, no dangerous patterns
3. Extra files: scripts should be safe, references should be relevant

npm-style Repository Bridging

Skillet can read skills from npm-style repos where skills live under a skills/ subdirectory. Use --subdir skills when serving:

skillet --repo path/to/npm-repo --subdir skills

Multi-Repo

Users can aggregate multiple repos. First-match-wins on name collision:

skillet search "*" --repo ./primary --repo ./secondary
skillet --repo ./primary --remote https://github.com/org/skills.git

Hosting

Skill repos are git repos. Host anywhere git is accessible:

• GitHub / GitLab / Bitbucket (public or private)
• Self-hosted git servers
• Any URL that git clone can reach

No special server infrastructure needed. Skillet clones the repo and indexes it locally.