| name | skill-boilerplate |
| description | Define a standard per-skill local data layout at <project_root>/.skills-data/<skill-name> and required SKILL.md guidance for env/config/deps/tools. Use when starting a new skill and you must specify where to store data, env files, local binaries, and dependencies. |
Skill Boilerplate
Purpose
Document the mandatory local data layout and instructions to embed in new skills. This skill does not create any folders or files.
Determine project_root and data dir
- Let be the folder containing SKILL.md.
- If /.. is
skills, guess project_root as two levels above the skills folder (i.e. /../../..).
- This works when skills are stored as <project_root>//skills/, where can be .codex, .claude, .github, or any other parent.
- Ask the user to confirm the guess; if it is wrong, request project_root.
- If the skill is not under a
skills directory, do not guess; ask the user for project_root.
- Data dir: <project_root>/.skills-data//.
Mandatory SKILL.md section (copy into every new skill)
## Local data and env
- Store all mutable state under <project_root>/.skills-data/<skill-name>/.
- Keep config and registries in .skills-data/<skill-name>/ (for example: config.json, <feature>.json).
- Use .skills-data/<skill-name>/.env for SKILL_ROOT, SKILL_DATA_DIR, and any per-skill env keys.
- Install local tools into .skills-data/<skill-name>/bin and prepend it to PATH when needed.
- Install dependencies under .skills-data/<skill-name>/venv:
- Python: .skills-data/<skill-name>/venv/python
- Node: .skills-data/<skill-name>/venv/node_modules
- Go: .skills-data/<skill-name>/venv/go (modcache, gocache)
- PHP: .skills-data/<skill-name>/venv/php (cache, vendor)
- Write logs/cache/tmp under .skills-data/<skill-name>/logs, .skills-data/<skill-name>/cache, .skills-data/<skill-name>/tmp.
- Keep automation in <skill-root>/scripts and read SKILL_DATA_DIR (default to <project_root>/.skills-data/<skill-name>/).
- Do not write outside <skill-root> and <project_root>/.skills-data/<skill-name>/ unless the user requests it.
Environment variables
Write these keys into .skills-data//.env:
- SKILL_ROOT: absolute path to the skill directory
- SKILL_NAME: skill name
- SKILL_DATA_ROOT: absolute path to <project_root>/.skills-data
- SKILL_DATA_DIR: absolute path to <project_root>/.skills-data/
Optional language-specific keys (use only if the skill needs that runtime):
- PYTHON_VENV
- NODE_PATH
- NPM_CONFIG_CACHE
- GOMODCACHE
- GOCACHE
- COMPOSER_CACHE_DIR
- COMPOSER_VENDOR_DIR
- COMPOSER_HOME
Boilerplate helper functions
If a skill needs setup automation, add helper scripts under that skill's scripts/ directory. Keep them opt-in and document them in that skill's SKILL.md. Use references/boilerplate-functions.md for copy-ready snippets.
OS utilities (optional)
If a skill needs system utilities (rg, jq, git), document manual install commands and reference references/os-install.md.
