# Lythoskill Creator

> Scaffold and build projects for the lythoskill ecosystem only. Creates thin-skill monorepos: heavy logic in npm packages (Starter), agent-facing instructions in lightweight SKILL.md (Skill), build output committed to skills/ (Output).

- Skill: `lythos-labs/lythoskill-creator` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 6 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add lythos-labs/lythoskill-creator`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/lythos-labs/lythoskill-creator/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: AI & ML
- Author: lythos-labs (https://skillmd.com/u/lythos-labs)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/lythos-labs/lythoskill-creator

---


# lythoskill-creator

> **Not a generic skill creator.** This scaffolds projects for the lythoskill ecosystem only.
> If you just want to write a skill, create a `SKILL.md` file directly — no tooling needed.

A lythoskill project separates concerns into three layers:

1. **Starter** (`packages/<name>/`): npm-publishable package with CLI. All dependencies managed here.
2. **Skill** (`packages/<name>/skill/`): Thin SKILL.md + scripts that call the starter via `bunx`.
3. **Output** (`skills/<name>/`): Build output copied from Skill layer. Committed to Git so consumers can clone and use without building.

## Scripts

### init

Scaffold a new lythoskill monorepo.

```bash
bunx @lythos/skill-creator@0.19.1 init <project-name>
```

Creates a monorepo with a starter package and an example skill.

### add-skill

Add a new skill to an existing lythoskill monorepo. Follows the cortex Step 1/2/3 pattern:
CLI creates template → agent fills content → probe verifies.

```bash
bunx @lythos/skill-creator@0.19.1 add-skill <skill-name>
```

**Step 1 (CLI)**: Creates `packages/<skill-name>/skill/SKILL.md` template.
**Step 2 (agent)**: Edit SKILL.md — fill description, when_to_use, body, gotchas.
  → After editing, run `bunx @lythos/skill-coach` to validate against 12-dimension quality rubric.
  → Fix issues coach flags, then proceed to Step 3.
**Step 3 (verify)**: Run `cortex probe` to confirm no empty-shell template.

**Two skill types, decided upfront**:

| Type | Has CLI? | Has package.json? | npm publish? | Example |
|------|----------|-------------------|-------------|---------|
| **Skill + CLI** | ✅ bin field | ✅ required | ✅ to npm | deck, arena, curator, cortex |
| **Pure skill** | ❌ no CLI | ❌ none needed | ❌ skip | scribe, onboarding, coach, journalist |

- **Skill + CLI**: `add-skill` creates `packages/<name>/` with `package.json` + `src/cli.ts` + `skill/SKILL.md`. Add to `scripts/publish.sh` PACKAGES array.
- **Pure skill**: Create `packages/<name>/skill/SKILL.md` directly. No package.json, no CLI, no npm. Distribution via cold pool (git clone / localhost). The pre-commit build hook auto-creates `skills/<name>/` output.

**After creation**: run `bunx @lythos/skill-creator build <name>` to build the skill output, then `git add skills/<name>/`.

### build

Build a skill for distribution. Copies `packages/<name>/skill/` to `skills/<name>/`, strips dev-only files, validates SKILL.md frontmatter, and enforces the unified version.

```bash
bunx @lythos/skill-creator@0.19.1 build <skill-name>
```

**Version placeholder rule**: Source `packages/<name>/skill/SKILL.md` must use `version: 0.19.1`. The build command substitutes this with the current root `package.json` version. **Never write a literal version** (e.g., `version: 0.15.5`) in source — this breaks future version bumps. If you find a hardcoded version in source, restore the placeholder and rebuild.

Build all skills at once (used by pre-commit):

```bash
bunx @lythos/skill-creator@0.19.1 build --all
```

### align

Audit an existing project against current lythoskill conventions. Reports drift between your project and the latest scaffolding standards.

```bash
# Audit only — reports what would change
bunx @lythos/skill-creator@0.19.1 align

# Auto-fix drift where possible
bunx @lythos/skill-creator@0.19.1 align --fix
```

Checks for: outdated `package.json` scripts, stale `.gitignore` patterns, missing skill-layer boilerplate, and version mismatches.

### bump

Lock-step version bump for the entire monorepo. Updates root `package.json` + every `packages/*/package.json` to the same version (per `project_lockstep_versioning` policy). Used before `npm publish` runs.

```bash
# Semver targets
bunx @lythos/skill-creator@0.19.1 bump patch
bunx @lythos/skill-creator@0.19.1 bump minor
bunx @lythos/skill-creator@0.19.1 bump major

# Explicit version (e.g. for major milestones)
bunx @lythos/skill-creator@0.19.1 bump 1.0.0

# Preview the bump without writing files
bunx @lythos/skill-creator@0.19.1 bump 1.0.0 --dry-run
```

Run from the project root. Expects source at `packages/<name>/skill/` and outputs to `skills/<name>/`.