Base Template Generator

L1 Improvement

• Standardized the SOP with Skill Forge required sections and explicit completion checks for scaffolds.
• Added prompt-architect style constraint capture and safety rails to avoid bloated or insecure templates.

STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE

Purpose

Deliver clean starter templates for Node.js, Python, Go, React, Vue, and similar stacks with opinionated defaults for security, testing, and DX.

Trigger Conditions

• Positive: starting a new project, creating reproducible boilerplates, aligning teams on baseline configs.
• Negative/reroute: small code snippets (use prompt-architect) or full platform scaffolds (consider meta-tools/platform skills).

Guardrails

• Keep dependencies minimal and well-justified; avoid framework lock-in unless requested.
• Include linting, formatting, testing, and basic CI hooks; no silent TODO omissions.
• Output English documentation with explicit confidence ceilings.
• Surface security defaults (env handling, secrets, supply-chain hygiene).

Execution Phases

1. Intake: Capture stack, language, package manager, deployment target, and constraints; classify hard/soft.
2. Design: Select template baseline, directory layout, and required tooling (lint, test, CI, containerization).
3. Generate: Produce files with sensible defaults, comments, and quickstart instructions.
4. Validate: Run static checks (lint/test) where feasible; note gaps and risks.
5. Deliver: Summarize outputs, commands to run, and next-step hardening items.

Pattern Recognition

• API services → emphasize routing, logging, error handling, health checks.
• Frontend apps → focus on routing, state management, accessibility, testing harness.
• Libraries/SDKs → prioritize typing, semantic versioning, and publishing workflows.

Advanced Techniques

• Provide switchable presets (secure-by-default vs minimal) with rationale.
• Include container artifacts (Dockerfile/compose) when deployment hints are given.
• Offer optional observability hooks (metrics/logging) without hard dependencies.

Common Anti-Patterns

• Bundling unnecessary dependencies or example code that hides defects.
• Omitting env handling or secret management guidance.
• Shipping without runnable tests or lint configs.

Practical Guidelines

• Prefer explicit scripts in package manifests for onboarding.
• Keep README quickstart under 10 steps; include expected tool versions.
• Document how to extend the template safely.

Cross-Skill Coordination

• Upstream: prompt-architect to refine requirements; skill-builder/skill-forge for directory structure alignment.
• Downstream: delivery/operations skills for deployment; security skills for threat modeling.

MCP Requirements

• Optional: filesystem + command MCP for scaffolding and verification; tag WHO=base-template-generator-{session}, WHY=skill-execution.

Input/Output Contracts

inputs:
  stack: string  # required technology stack
  project_type: string  # api, frontend, library, cli
  constraints: list[string]  # optional hard/soft/inferred constraints
  ci_target: string  # optional platform (github-actions, gitlab, etc)
outputs:
  template_files: list[file]  # generated boilerplate
  quickstart: file  # README with setup/run/test steps
  validation: summary  # checks executed and gaps

Recursive Improvement

• Run recursive-improvement using feedback from initial runs to trim bloat and improve defaults.

Examples

• Create a Node.js REST API template with TypeScript, eslint, vitest, and OpenAPI stub.
• Build a React SPA starter with Vite, eslint, prettier, testing-library, and accessibility checks.

Troubleshooting

• Dependency conflicts → downgrade to stable LTS or pin versions and document.
• Missing tests → scaffold minimal smoke tests and mark TODO with next steps.
• CI not available → provide local validation commands and stub workflows.

Completion Verification

• Template includes lint/test/config with commands documented.
• Quickstart provided; env/secrets guidance included.
• Confidence ceiling stated with any TODOs noted.
• Directory layout matches requested stack.

Confidence: 0.70 (ceiling: inference 0.70) - Template SOP rewritten with Skill Forge and prompt-architect scaffolding.