CI Setup

Skill: CI Setup

What This Skill Does

Generates a production-ready CI pipeline based on the project's tech stack. Instead of copying a generic template and adapting it, this skill analyzes the project's actual tools and produces a workflow that matches.

When to Use

• When a project has no CI yet
• When migrating CI from another provider to GitHub Actions
• When the user says "set up CI" or "add a pipeline"
• After scaffold creates a new project

Do NOT use this for fixing existing CI — use fix-ci for that.

Execution Model

• Always: the primary agent runs this skill directly.
• Output: .github/workflows/ci.yml (and optionally additional workflow files).

Workflow

Step 1: Detect Project Stack

Check for key files:

Extract from config:

• Language version: from engines, python-requires, go directive
• Package manager: npm vs yarn vs pnpm (check lockfile)
• Test framework: jest, vitest, pytest, go test
• Linter: eslint, ruff, golangci-lint
• Build command: from scripts or Makefile

Step 2: Design Pipeline

Build a workflow with these jobs:

1. Lint / Format — fast, catches style issues early
2. Type Check — if applicable (tsc, mypy, pyright)
3. Test — with matrix strategy for multiple versions if sensible
4. Build — verify the project builds
5. Security — dependency audit (optional)

Step 3: Apply Best Practices

• Pin action versions to SHA for security
• Cache dependencies (node_modules, pip cache, Go modules)
• Explicit permissions (contents: read minimum)
• Concurrency control to cancel stale runs
• Matrix testing for multiple language versions (if applicable)

Step 4: Generate Workflow File

Write .github/workflows/ci.yml with proper structure:

name: CI
on:
  push:
    branches: [main]
  pull_request:
    branches: [main]

permissions:
  contents: read

concurrency:
  group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.ref }}
  cancel-in-progress: true

jobs:
  # ... generated jobs

Step 5: Verify Locally

Run the same commands that CI would run to verify they work:

# Example
npm ci && npm run lint && npm test && npm run build

Step 6: Present to User

Show the generated workflow and explain each job. Ask if any adjustments are needed (additional checks, deployment steps, etc.).

Rules

1. Stack-specific: generate CI that matches the actual project, not a generic template.
2. Security first: pin actions to SHA, use minimal permissions, never put secrets in plain text.
3. Fast feedback: order jobs from fastest to slowest. Lint and type check should run before tests.
4. Cache everything: dependency caching significantly speeds up CI. Always include it.
5. No built-in explore agent: do NOT use the built-in explore subagent type.