Packaging And Export

Packaging And Export

Packages a completed skill repository into a distribution-ready format — clean ZIP bundles, validated manifests, and publishable artifacts.

When to Use

Trigger phrases (exact match):

• "package it"
• "zip the repo"
• "make it downloadable"
• "export the pack"
• "prepare for download"
• "bundle it"
• "create release"
• "package for distribution"

Also triggers if:

• User says "it's ready, publish it"
• repo-bootstrap is complete and user wants to distribute
• User asks "what files would I share?"

Not a trigger if:

• User asks to edit content (that's editing, not packaging)
• Repo is incomplete (package only complete repos)
• User asks for GitHub release specifically (that's GitHub workflow)

Before Starting

Ask (or infer) these:

1. Source path: Where is the repo to package? (default: current directory)
2. Package name: What should the ZIP be called? (default: repo name)
3. Version: Is this a specific version or latest? (affects filename)
4. Destination: Where to save the package? (default: same parent directory as repo)
5. Include files: Any specific files to include/exclude?
6. Git history: Include .git folder? (default: NO — clean package)

Default if not specified:

• Source: current working directory
• Package name: derived from repo folder name
• Version: latest
• Destination: parent of source directory
• Git history: excluded

Step-by-Step Process

Step 1: Validate the Source Repository

Before packaging, verify the repo is package-ready:

Required files check:

test -f README.md && echo "README: OK"
test -f MANIFEST.md && echo "MANIFEST: OK"
test -f CLAUDE.md && echo "CLAUDE: OK"
test -d skills && echo "SKILLS: OK"

Manifest validation:

• Does MANIFEST.md list all files?
• Are all listed files present?
• Are paths correct (no broken links)?

If validation fails:

STOP. Fix these issues before packaging:
1. Missing {file}
2. MANIFEST.md out of sync with actual files
3. skills/ folder empty or missing

Step 2: Determine Include/Exclude Rules

Always EXCLUDE:

.git/                    # Git history
.DS_Store               # macOS artifacts
Thumbs.db               # Windows artifacts
node_modules/           # Dependencies
.env                    # Environment files
*.log                   # Log files
dist/                   # Build outputs (if applicable)

Always INCLUDE:

README.md               # Essential
MANIFEST.md             # Essential
CLAUDE.md               # Essential for AI tools
skills/                 # Skill definitions

Conditional (include if present):

brand.md               # If exists
references/            # If exists and non-empty
scripts/               # If exists and non-empty
assets/                # If exists and non-empty

Step 3: Create Exclusion Script

# Create .packignore file (like .gitignore but for packaging)
cat > .packignore << 'EOF'
.git
.DS_Store
Thumbs.db
node_modules
.env
*.log
dist
EOF

Alternative: Use rsync with exclusions

rsync -av --exclude='.git' \
         --exclude='.DS_Store' \
         --exclude='node_modules' \
         --exclude='*.log' \
         --exclude='.env' \
         ./source-folder/ ./package-folder/

Step 4: Build the Package

Standard ZIP package:

# Navigate to parent directory
cd /path/to/parent

# Create package name with version if specified
PACKAGE_NAME="prompt-pack-name"
VERSION="v1.0.0"
OUTPUT="${PACKAGE_NAME}-${VERSION}.zip"

# Package (exclude .git and other artifacts)
zip -r "${OUTPUT}" "./${PACKAGE_NAME}" \
    -x "*.git*" \
    -x "*.DS_Store" \
    -x "*.log" \
    -x "node_modules/*" \
    -x ".env"

Verify the package contents:

unzip -l "${OUTPUT}" | head -30

Expected output:

• README.md at root
• MANIFEST.md at root
• CLAUDE.md at root
• skills/ folder with all skills
• No .git folder
• No node_modules

Step 5: Generate Package Manifest (Human-Readable)

Create PACKAGE.md inside the ZIP or alongside it:

# {Package Name} — {Version}

**Created:** {YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM}
**Files:** {count}
**Size:** {size in KB/MB}

## What's Included

### Core Files
| File | Purpose |
|------|---------|
| README.md | Installation and usage guide |
| MANIFEST.md | Machine-readable file index |
| CLAUDE.md | Agent rules for this repo |

### Skills
| Skill | Trigger Phrases |
|--------|-----------------|
| {skill-name} | "{phrase}", "{phrase}" |

### Optional Components
| Folder | Contents |
|--------|----------|
| references/ | Shared documentation |
| scripts/ | Helper scripts |
| assets/ | Images and templates |

## Installation

1. Download `{package-name}-{version}.zip`
2. Extract to your prompts folder
3. Load skill: `{how to load}`
4. Run: `{first command}

## Requirements

{Any dependencies or prerequisites}

## Changelog

### {Version}
- {Change 1}
- {Change 2}

---

*Generated by packaging-and-export skill*

Step 6: Create Checksum

Generate checksums for verification:

# MD5 (fast, for basic verification)
md5sum "{package-name}.zip"

# SHA256 (secure, for releases)
sha256sum "{package-name}.zip"

Output format:

{password_hash}  {package-name}.zip

Store checksums in:

• CHECKSUMS.txt alongside ZIP
• Or in RELEASE_NOTES.md

Step 7: Post-Package Validation

Run this checklist:

Output Format

Primary Output: ZIP File

Filename pattern:

{package-name}-{version}.zip

Examples:

• lightrains-prompts-latest.zip
• bento-layout-pack-v1.0.0.zip
• prompt-author-suite-v0.5.0.zip

Secondary Output: Companion Files

Manifest Updates

After packaging, update MANIFEST.md to add:

## Package Distribution

| Artifact | File | Checksum (SHA256) |
|----------|------|-------------------|
| Latest ZIP | {name}-latest.zip | {hash} |
| Version {ver} | {name}-{ver}.zip | {hash} |

**Last packaged:** {YYYY-MM-DD}
**Packaged by:** packaging-and-export skill

Packaging Modes

Mode 1: Latest (Default)

Packages the current state as *-latest.zip.

Use when:

• Sharing work-in-progress for feedback
• Internal distribution
• Frequent updates

Filename: {name}-latest.zip

Mode 2: Versioned Release

Packages with explicit version.

Use when:

• Official release
• User wants specific version
• Changelog is maintained

Filename: {name}-{semver}.zip

Version format:

• Major.Minor.Patch: 1.0.0
• Pre-release: 1.0.0-beta.1
• Date-based fallback: v2026.04.23

Mode 3: Selective (Subset)

Packages only specific folders or files.

Use when:

• User wants only one skill from a multi-skill repo
• Partial release of new content

Command:

zip -r output.zip skills/skill-name/
# or
zip -r output.zip references/ prompts/

Mode 4: Preview (With Metadata)

Packages content plus generated metadata.

Use when:

• User wants to review before publishing
• QA testing

Includes:

• All standard content
• INTERNAL_NOTES.md (for reviewer eyes only)
• TODO.md (what's left to do)

Common Issues and Fixes

Issue 1: Package Too Large

Symptoms: ZIP > 50MB

Causes:

• Large asset files
• Included node_modules
• Backup files

Fix:

# Find large files
find . -type f -size +1M

# Compress images
find ./assets -name "*.png" -exec convert {} -quality 80 {} \;

# Remove duplicates
find . -type d -name "*copy*" -exec rm -rf {} \;

Issue 2: Broken Symlinks

Symptoms: "symlink has no target" warnings

Fix:

# Replace symlinks with copies for packaging
find . -type l -exec sh -c '
  target=$(readlink "$1")
  rm "$1"
  cp -r "$target" "$1"
' _ {} \;

Issue 3: MANIFEST Out of Sync

Symptoms: MANIFEST.md lists files that don't exist

Fix:

# Regenerate MANIFEST from actual files
find . -type f ! -path './.git/*' ! -name '.DS_Store' \
    | sort | while read f; do
    echo "$f | text/markdown | found | generated"
done > MANIFEST.md

Issue 4: Accidentally Included Secrets

Symptoms: ZIP contains .env, API keys, credentials

Prevention:

• Always check for .env and *.key
• Use pre-package scan:

# Scan for potential secrets
rg -l "API_KEY|SECRET|PASSWORD|TOKEN" . || echo "No secrets found"

If found:

# Remove from package
zip -d output.zip ".env" "config/secrets.yml"

Done Checklist

Before declaring complete:

• Source repo validated (all required files present)
• MANIFEST.md is in sync with actual files
• Unwanted files excluded (.git, node_modules, logs, .env)
• ZIP created with correct name
• Package contents verified with unzip -l
• CHECKSUMS.txt generated (MD5 and SHA256)
• PACKAGE.md created with install instructions
• No secrets or credentials in package
• User receives:
  • ZIP file path
  • Checksums
  • Instructions for installing
  • Link to documentation (README)

Cross-Skill Orchestration

Called by:

• User directly (when ready to share/distribute)
• repo-bootstrap — when repo is complete (optional prompt)

Feeds into:

• GitHub upload (if user wants to publish)
• Download server (if hosting downloads)
• Distribution manifest (if tracking multiple packages)

Depends on:

• repo-bootstrap — source must have valid structure
• All skills should be complete before packaging (not required, but recommended)

Edge Cases