# Imprint > Set up a repository with a person's standing preferences — configs, lint/format, tsconfig, CI, GitHub settings, AGENTS.md, IDE settings. Use when the user wants to "imprint" a repo, scaffold a new project to their conventions, apply their house style, or bootstrap tooling for a fresh or existing repo. Looks for a `/imprint` repo and applies its IMPRINT.md. Pass `fork` to instead create the caller's own imprint repo from this one. - Skill: `gkurt/imprint` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add gkurt/imprint` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/gkurt/imprint/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - License: MIT - Author: gkurt (https://skillmd.com/u/gkurt) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/gkurt/imprint --- # Imprint Apply a person's standing repository preferences to the current project. Those preferences live in a public `/imprint` repo — a manifest (`IMPRINT.md`) plus template files for configs, CI, IDE settings, and agent instructions. "To imprint" = read that manifest and apply it to the working repo, adapting to what the repo already is rather than blindly overwriting. ## Modes - **Default (no argument)** — apply an imprint to the current repo. Follow the procedure below. - **`fork`** — create the caller's *own* imprint repo from this one, populated with their preferences. Do **not** follow the procedure below; follow [fork.md](fork.md) instead. ## Procedure ### 1. Pick whose imprint to apply An imprint source can be **a local directory** or **a GitHub repo (public or private)**. If the user named one explicitly ("imprint from `~/dev/imprint`", or "from `torvalds`"), use that and skip the detection below. Otherwise, resolve the user's own imprint, checking cheapest-first: 1. **Local clone** — the user may already have it on disk. Check, in order: - `$IMPRINT_DIR` if set. - Common spots near the current repo: a sibling `../imprint`, and dev roots like `~/imprint`, `~/dev/imprint`, `~/Work/**/imprint`, `~/src/imprint`. - A directory is a valid imprint if it contains an `IMPRINT.md`. 2. **Their GitHub handle**, via `gh api user --jq .login` (if `gh` is authenticated), else parse `git config --get remote.origin.url` for `github.com[:/]/`, else `git config user.name` as a hint. Then: ```bash gh repo view /imprint --json name,visibility 2>/dev/null ``` `gh` sees **private** repos the user can access, so this works either way. - **If a local clone or `/imprint` is found** → use it. Tell the user which source (and whether it's local / private / public). For a **local clone with a git remote**, check it isn't stale before trusting it: `git -C fetch` then compare with `git -C status -sb` / `git -C rev-list --count HEAD..@{u}`. If it's behind its upstream (or has uncommitted local edits, or you can't determine freshness — no remote, offline), **ask**: > Your local imprint at `` is N commits behind origin (or: has local > changes / can't verify it's current). Update it, use it as-is, or fetch from > GitHub instead? Only skip the prompt when the clone is verifiably up to date with its upstream. - **If none is found** → ask: > No imprint found for you (local or on GitHub). Imprint from someone else's, or > a local path? (default: `gkurt`) Accept a local path, any `owner/imprint`, or a bare `owner`. If they just confirm, use **`gkurt`** (the author's — the one this skill shipped from). Encourage them to fork it and make their own for next time (see the source repo's README). ### 2. Read the manifest from the source **If the source is a local directory**, read the files directly — no clone needed. Prefer a local clone whenever one exists, but only after the freshness check in step 1: a local clone is the fast path, not an excuse to apply stale preferences. If the user chose "update," pull first (`git -C pull --ff-only`) and then read; if they chose "fetch from GitHub instead," treat it as a remote source below. **If the source is a GitHub repo**, get its `IMPRINT.md` in a way that works for private repos too: ```bash # gh API — authenticated, so it works for private AND public repos: gh api repos//imprint/contents/IMPRINT.md --jq .content | base64 -d ``` If you'll need many files, clone shallowly (SSH or gh handles private auth; `git clone https://…` and `raw.githubusercontent.com` do NOT work for private repos without a token — don't rely on them): ```bash gh repo clone /imprint /imprint -- --depth 1 ``` If `gh` is unavailable/unauthenticated and the repo is public, fall back to `https://raw.githubusercontent.com//imprint/main/IMPRINT.md` or an HTTPS clone. If it's private and `gh` can't reach it, stop and ask the user to either `gh auth login`, clone it locally, or point you at a local path — do not guess. Do NOT assume the imprint content is bundled with this skill — always read it from the resolved source so you get the owner's current preferences. ### 3. Follow IMPRINT.md `IMPRINT.md` is the source of truth. It lists the folders (`stack/`, `config/`, `ide/`, `agents/`, `ci/`, `github/`) and the order to apply them, including the source→destination file mapping and any rename rules (e.g. `gitignore` → `.gitignore`). Read `stack/README.md` first to fix the archetype (Bun monorepo? Astro site? npm lib?), then apply each section. ### 4. Apply — adapt, don't clobber - **Detect the target repo's reality first**: language, existing configs, whether it's a monorepo, what package manager it uses. Only apply what fits. - **Merge, don't overwrite blindly.** For `package.json`, merge scripts and devDependencies into the existing file rather than replacing it. For configs that already exist and differ meaningfully, show the diff and confirm before replacing. - **Fill placeholders** (`PACKAGE_NAME`, `PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION`, the `username` owner in URLs/author blocks) with the target repo's real values and the current user's identity — not the imprint owner's, unless they're the same person. - Rename dotless template files on copy as `IMPRINT.md` specifies. ### 5. Verify and hand off - Install deps (`bun i`, or the repo's manager) and run the aggregate check (`bun run checks`). Fix what lint/format flags. - Report a summary: what you copied, what you merged, what you skipped and why. - Flag anything that needs the user's hands: npm trusted-publishing setup, branch protection that needs the GitHub UI, secrets. ## Notes - This skill is content-free by design — it reads a live imprint source (local dir or GitHub repo) so preferences stay current and anyone can bring their own. - An imprint source can be **local, a private repo, or a public repo.** Prefer a local clone when one exists — but verify it isn't stale first and ask if it is; use `gh` (not raw HTTPS) for private repos. - If the user names a specific source ("imprint from `torvalds`", or a path), skip the detection and use it directly. - Never fabricate imprint content or fall back to a hardcoded stack if you can't reach the source — surface the access problem and ask how to proceed.