How do I install the Md Frontmatter skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add foogunlana/md-frontmatter 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.

Is Md Frontmatter 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 Md Frontmatter?

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 Md Frontmatter free to use?

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

Who published Md Frontmatter?

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

Md Frontmatter by foogunlana — Agent Skill

Name: Md Frontmatter
Author: foogunlana

Md Frontmatter

Add provenance frontmatter to every .md file Claude creates. MUST activate whenever Claude uses the Write tool to create a NEW .md file. Ensures every Claude-generated markdown file has frontmatter recording authorship, creation date, purpose, context provided, and source references. Does NOT apply when editing existing files or writing non-.md files.

foogunlana 9d3cce5 2.3 KB Updated Sep 17, 2026

File contents

Markdown Frontmatter Provenance

When creating any new .md file, include YAML frontmatter with these fields:

---
author: claude
created: YYYY-MM-DD
purpose: |
  <1-2 sentence summary of why this file was created — what the user asked for>
context: |
  <Brief description of what information or instructions the user provided that led to this file>
references:
  - <file paths, URLs, conversation context, or tools consulted to produce this content>
  - <additional sources as needed>
---

Rules

Always add frontmatter when using the Write tool to create a new .md file
Never add frontmatter when editing an existing file (Edit tool) — do not retroactively stamp files
Never add frontmatter to non-.md files
Preserve existing frontmatter — if a file already has frontmatter (e.g. from a template), merge the provenance fields into it rather than duplicating the --- block
Be specific in purpose — "Created daily review note" not "Created a file the user asked for"
Be specific in context — mention the key inputs: "User provided their weekly goals and asked for a structured review template"
List real references — file paths read, URLs fetched, tools/MCPs consulted. Use - conversation context only when no external sources were used
Use today's date for created (from the system date, not guessed)
Author is always claude — if a file was not created by Claude (i.e. the author would be the user), use their configured name or "user"

Example

User asks: "Create a note summarizing the key ideas from Naked Statistics chapter 3"

---
author: claude
created: 2026-05-02
purpose: |
  Summary of key ideas from Naked Statistics chapter 3, as requested by user.
context: |
  User asked for a chapter summary. Content drawn from user's existing notes in the vault.
references:
  - "L&D - Growth/Books/Naked Statistics.md"
---

---name: md-frontmatterdescription: Add provenance frontmatter to every .md file Claude creates. MUST activate whenever Claude uses the Write tool to create a NEW .md file. Ensures every Claude-generated markdown file has frontmatter recording authorship, creation date, purpose, context provided, and source references. Does NOT apply when editing existing files or writing non-.md files.---# Markdown Frontmatter ProvenanceWhen creating any new `.md` file, include YAML frontmatter with these fields:```yaml---author: claudecreated: YYYY-MM-DDpurpose: | <1-2 sentence summary of why this file was created — what the user asked for>context: | <Brief description of what information or instructions the user provided that led to this file>references: - <file paths, URLs, conversation context, or tools consulted to produce this content> - <additional sources as needed>---```## Rules1. **Always add frontmatter** when using the Write tool to create a new `.md` file2. **Never add frontmatter** when editing an existing file (Edit tool) — do not retroactively stamp files3. **Never add frontmatter** to non-`.md` files4. **Preserve existing frontmatter** — if a file already has frontmatter (e.g. from a template), merge the provenance fields into it rather than duplicating the `---` block5. **Be specific in `purpose`** — "Created daily review note" not "Created a file the user asked for"6. **Be specific in `context`** — mention the key inputs: "User provided their weekly goals and asked for a structured review template"7. **List real references** — file paths read, URLs fetched, tools/MCPs consulted. Use `- conversation context` only when no external sources were used8. **Use today's date** for `created` (from the system date, not guessed)9. **Author is always `claude`** — if a file was not created by Claude (i.e. the author would be the user), use their configured name or "user"## ExampleUser asks: "Create a note summarizing the key ideas from Naked Statistics chapter 3"```yaml---author: claudecreated: 2026-05-02purpose: | Summary of key ideas from Naked Statistics chapter 3, as requested by user.context: | User asked for a chapter summary. Content drawn from user's existing notes in the vault.references: - "L&D - Growth/Books/Naked Statistics.md"---```

Frequently asked questions