pi-skill-publish

name	pi-skill-publish
description	Reusable workflow for packaging a Pi extension/skill for public release, publishing to GitHub + npm, and submitting to community platforms.

Pi Skill Publish

Reusable workflow for packaging a Pi extension/skill for public release, publishing to GitHub + npm, and submitting to community platforms.

When to Use

Trigger on: "publish this skill", "release this package", "make this public", "submit to community", "publish to npm", "share this extension", "package for release".

Workflow

Step 1: Validate Package

Check the project root for required files:

File	Required	Check
package.json	✅	Must have name, version, description, "keywords": ["pi-package"], license, repository.url, "pi": { "extensions": [...] }
README.md	✅	Must exist and include: feature list, install command, usage, screenshot/preview
LICENSE	✅	Must exist (MIT recommended for Pi ecosystem)
index.ts or extension entry	✅	Must match pi.extensions path in package.json
.gitignore	⚠️	Recommended: node_modules/, *.log, .DS_Store
CHANGELOG.md	⚠️	Recommended for releases after v0.1.0

Validation actions:

1. Read package.json and verify all required fields
2. If "keywords" doesn't include "pi-package", add it (required for pi.dev/packages discovery)
3. Ensure repository.url points to the correct GitHub URL
4. Verify the extension entry file exists and exports a default function
5. Check README has an ## Installation section with pi install command

Report any issues before proceeding. Fix automatically if confidence ≥ 90%.

Step 2: Polish README

Ensure the README contains these sections in order:

# {emoji} {package-name}
> One-line description

![preview](preview.png)    ← screenshot/preview image

## ✨ Features                ← bullet list of capabilities
## 📦 Installation            ← pi install command + manual settings.json
## 🚀 Usage                   ← slash command + keyboard shortcuts
## 🔍 How it works            ← technical details (optional but recommended)
## ⚙️ Configuration           ← customization options (if any)
## 🤝 Contributing            ← PR welcome note
## 📄 License                 ← license + author link

Screenshot handling:

• If user provides a screenshot/image, copy it to the repo root as preview.png
• Add ![preview](preview.png) after the tagline in README
• The raw GitHub URL (https://raw.githubusercontent.com/{owner}/{repo}/{branch}/preview.png) is used for external embeds

Step 3: Publish to GitHub

# 1. Stage and commit any changes from Steps 1-2
cd {project_root}
git add -A
git commit -m "docs: prepare for public release v{version}"

# 2. Create public GitHub repo (if not exists)
gh repo create {owner}/{repo} \
  --public \
  --source=. \
  --remote=origin \
  --description="{description}" \
  --push

# 3. Tag and create release
git tag v{version}
git push origin v{version}
gh release create v{version} \
  --title "v{version} — {release_title}" \
  --notes "{release_notes}"

Step 4: Publish to npm (optional but recommended)

npm publish is the primary gateway to:

• pi.dev/packages — the official Pi package catalog (auto-discovers pi-package keyword)
• awesome-pi-coding-agent — auto-generated community directory (scrapes npm daily)

# Check npm auth
npm whoami

# If not logged in:
npm login
# or: npm adduser

# Publish (public, unscoped)
npm publish --access public

If user is not logged into npm: Flag it as a manual follow-up action. Do NOT block the rest of the workflow on npm auth.

Step 4b: Publish to GitHub Packages (mandatory)

Always dual-publish to GitHub Packages so the package appears on Ben's GitHub profile Packages tab. This runs immediately after Step 4.

cd {project_root}
$GH_TOKEN = gh auth token

# Temp .npmrc for GitHub Packages auth
"@cymatistatic:registry=https://npm.pkg.github.com`n//npm.pkg.github.com/:_authToken=$GH_TOKEN" | Set-Content .npmrc

# Temporarily scope the package name
node -e "const fs=require('fs'); const p=JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync('package.json','utf8')); fs.writeFileSync('package.json.bak',JSON.stringify(p,null,2)); p.name='@cymatistatic/'+p.name.replace('@cymatistatic/',''); p.publishConfig={registry:'https://npm.pkg.github.com'}; fs.writeFileSync('package.json',JSON.stringify(p,null,2));"

# Publish to GitHub Packages
npm publish

# Restore original package.json and clean up
mv package.json.bak package.json
rm .npmrc

Requires: gh auth must have write:packages scope. If missing: gh auth refresh -h github.com -s write:packages

Verify: gh api user/packages?package_type=npm --jq '.[].name'

Step 5: Submit to Communities

Execute all applicable submissions:

5a. Pi GitHub Discussions (earendel-works/pi)

Create a showcase post in the General category:

gh api graphql -f query='mutation {
  createDiscussion(input: {
    repositoryId: "R_kgDOPbFNkw",
    categoryId: "DIC_kwDOPbFNk84Cz0vb",
    title: "{emoji} {package-name} — {short_description}",
    body: "{discussion_body}"
  }) { discussion { url } }
}'

Discussion body template:

## {package-name}

{one-paragraph description}

![preview](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/{owner}/{repo}/{branch}/preview.png)

### Features
{bullet list}

### Install
\```
pi install {owner}/{repo}
\```

Or add to `~/.pi/agent/settings.json`:
\```json
"packages": ["github:{owner}/{repo}"]
\```

Then type `/{command}` in any Pi session.

**Repo:** https://github.com/{owner}/{repo}
**License:** {license}

5b. awesome-pi-coding-agent (if on npm)

The awesome-pi-coding-agent list auto-discovers npm packages with the pi-package keyword daily. If the package is published to npm, it will appear automatically — no PR needed.

If NOT on npm, open a PR to add a manual entry:

gh repo fork shaftoe/awesome-pi-coding-agent --clone
# Add entry to README.md under ## Extensions section
# Follow the table format: | Health | Name | Description | Popularity | Updated |
gh pr create --title "Add {package-name}" --body "..."

5c. Reddit / Social (optional templates)

r/PiCodingAgent post:

🎴 pi-skill-deck — categorized skill browser with bookmarks & frecency

Replaces the flat skill list with a two-pane TUI. Features:
- Categories, search, bookmarks (Ctrl+B), Top 10, daily suggestions
- Scans all standard skill locations automatically

Install: `pi install {owner}/{repo}`
Repo: https://github.com/{owner}/{repo}

Twitter/X post:

🎴 Just shipped {package-name} for @PiCodingAgent

{one-line pitch}

pi install {owner}/{repo}

{screenshot_url}

Step 6: Report

[PUBLISH REPORT]
Package:     {package-name} v{version}
GitHub:      https://github.com/{owner}/{repo} ✅
Release:     v{version} ✅
npm:         {published | ⚠️ needs npm login}
Discussion:  {url} ✅
Awesome PR:  {url | skipped (not on npm)}
Reddit:      {posted | template ready}

Follow-up:
- [ ] npm login + npm publish (for pi.dev/packages auto-discovery)
- [ ] Post to Reddit/X/Discord

Community Submission Targets (Reference)

Platform	URL	How to submit
pi.dev/packages	https://pi.dev/packages	Auto-discovered from npm (pi-package keyword)
awesome-pi-coding-agent	https://github.com/shaftoe/awesome-pi-coding-agent	Auto from npm; manual PR for GitHub-only
Pi Discussions	https://github.com/earendil-works/pi/discussions	Create discussion (General category)
skills.sh	https://skills.sh	npx skills publish (for SKILL.md-based skills)
Reddit	r/PiCodingAgent	Post with template
X / Twitter	—	Post with screenshot
Discord	Pi community server	Share in #showcase or #extensions

Notes

• The pi-package keyword in package.json is critical — it's how pi.dev/packages auto-discovers extensions
• GitHub-only packages work for pi install github:{owner}/{repo} but miss the npm auto-discovery channels
• npm publish unlocks 3 distribution channels at once (pi.dev, awesome list, npm search)
• Always include a screenshot — visual packages get significantly more engagement