name	cross-platform-timeout
description	Run a command with a time limit in a cross-platform way. Do not rely on GNU timeout (coreutils)—it is not default on macOS. Use when agents may run on macOS or when timeout 10s npm run dev fails.

Cross-Platform "Run with Timeout"

Do not use timeout (GNU coreutils) when agents may run on macOS—it is not installed by default.

macOS / BSD: (cmd &); sleep N; kill $! — run command in background, sleep N seconds, then kill the background job.
Alternative: Small Node script that spawns the command and kills it after N seconds.

When a task uses something like timeout 10s npm run dev and it fails on macOS.
Prefer documenting one cross-platform pattern rather than retrying with timeout repeatedly.

This skill should stay a few lines; the main point is "do not use timeout unless the environment is known to provide it."

name	cross-platform-timeout
description	Run a command with a time limit in a cross-platform way. Do not rely on GNU timeout (coreutils)—it is not default on macOS. Use when agents may run on macOS or when timeout 10s npm run dev fails.

Do not use timeout (GNU coreutils) when agents may run on macOS—it is not installed by default.

macOS / BSD: (cmd &); sleep N; kill $! — run command in background, sleep N seconds, then kill the background job.
Alternative: Small Node script that spawns the command and kills it after N seconds.

When a task uses something like timeout 10s npm run dev and it fails on macOS.
Prefer documenting one cross-platform pattern rather than retrying with timeout repeatedly.

This skill should stay a few lines; the main point is "do not use timeout unless the environment is known to provide it."

cross-platform-timeout