How do I install the Claude Runtime skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add cleanexpo/claude-runtime in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

What does the Claude Runtime skill do?

Rules for invoking Claude correctly — subprocess vs SDK mode, stream-json parsing, MCP SDK imports, Railway vs local environment differences. It is listed under AI & ML on SkillMD.

Is Claude Runtime safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Claude Runtime?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Claude Runtime free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Claude Runtime?

cleanexpo (@cleanexpo) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Claude Runtime by cleanexpo — Agent Skill

Name: Claude Runtime
Author: cleanexpo

File contents

Claude Runtime Best Practices

Apply when writing code that invokes Claude (subprocess, SDK, or MCP).

Rules

TAO engine (src/tao/) is stub scaffolding. It is not used by the web server. All intelligence is delegated to claude -p subprocess via stream-json output. Parse events: system, assistant (text + tool_use), tool_result, result.
claude -p subprocess requires Claude Code CLI in PATH. In cloud (Railway), the CLI is NOT available — cloud deployments must use ANTHROPIC_API_KEY + claude_agent_sdk. Check TAO_USE_AGENT_SDK env var to switch paths.
MCP SDK subpath imports are required. Use @modelcontextprotocol/sdk/server/mcp.js and @modelcontextprotocol/sdk/server/stdio.js. The top-level @modelcontextprotocol/sdk import does NOT export McpServer directly.
claude_agent_sdk is the chosen Python SDK path. Managed Agents API (client.beta.agents) was rejected — 0 successful PoC cycles, schema blocker on config.setup_commands. See .harness/agents/sdk-migration-plan.md.

Frequently asked questions

Claude Runtime