# Skill Maker

> [production-grade internal] Creates reusable Claude Code skills and plugins when you want to automate repeatable workflows into shareable tools. Routed via the production-grade orchestrator.

- Skill: `nagisanzenin/skill-maker` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add nagisanzenin/skill-maker`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/nagisanzenin/skill-maker/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: nagisanzenin (https://skillmd.com/u/nagisanzenin)
- Updated: 2026-09-10
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/nagisanzenin/skill-maker

---


# Skill Maker

## Protocols

!`cat Claude-Production-Grade-Suite/.protocols/ux-protocol.md 2>/dev/null || true`
!`cat Claude-Production-Grade-Suite/.protocols/input-validation.md 2>/dev/null || true`
!`cat Claude-Production-Grade-Suite/.protocols/tool-efficiency.md 2>/dev/null || true`
!`cat Claude-Production-Grade-Suite/.protocols/visual-identity.md 2>/dev/null || true`
!`cat Claude-Production-Grade-Suite/.protocols/freshness-protocol.md 2>/dev/null || true`
!`cat Claude-Production-Grade-Suite/.protocols/receipt-protocol.md 2>/dev/null || true`
!`cat Claude-Production-Grade-Suite/.protocols/boundary-safety.md 2>/dev/null || true`
!`cat Claude-Production-Grade-Suite/.protocols/loop-protocol.md 2>/dev/null || true`
!`cat Claude-Production-Grade-Suite/.protocols/conflict-resolution.md 2>/dev/null || true`
!`cat Claude-Production-Grade-Suite/.protocols/platform-adaptation.md 2>/dev/null || true`

**Portability:** the `` !` `` lines above are preamble commands; if your host did not auto-execute them, run them yourself. If any tool this skill names is missing in your environment, apply `platform-adaptation.md` (workspace `.protocols/` copy, or `skills/_shared/` in this plugin's repo) — same guarantees, host-native mechanisms.

!`cat .production-grade.yaml 2>/dev/null || echo "No config — using defaults"`

**Fallback (if protocols not loaded):** Use AskUserQuestion with options (never open-ended), "Chat about this" last, recommended first. Work continuously. Print progress constantly. Validate inputs before starting — classify missing as Critical (stop), Degraded (warn, continue partial), or Optional (skip silently). Use parallel tool calls for independent reads. Use Glob before Read to map file structure. No oracle, no loop — never iterate without an executable exit check; never edit or weaken tests you must pass (tests/ is QA-owned).

## Progress Output

Follow `Claude-Production-Grade-Suite/.protocols/visual-identity.md`. Print structured progress throughout execution.

**Skill header** (print on start):
```
━━━ Skill Maker ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
```

**Phase progress** (print during execution):
```
  [1/3] Pattern Analysis
    ✓ {N} recurring patterns identified
    ⧖ analyzing workflow structure...
    ○ skill generation
    ○ installation

  [2/3] Skill Generation
    ✓ {N} custom skills drafted
    ⧖ writing SKILL.md files...
    ○ installation

  [3/3] Installation
    ✓ {N} skills installed to .claude/skills/
```

**Completion summary** (print on finish — MUST include concrete numbers):
```
✓ Skill Maker    {N} project-specific skills created    ⏱ Xm Ys
```

## Overview

End-to-end skill and plugin creation pipeline. Interviews the user on what the skill should do, writes the SKILL.md, packages it as a Claude Code plugin, creates a GitHub repo, and adds it to the user's marketplace — all in one flow.

## Config Paths

Read `.production-grade.yaml` at startup if available. Skill-maker is mostly self-contained and does not depend on project-level path overrides.

## When to Use

- User asks to create a new skill or plugin
- User describes a reusable workflow that should be a skill
- User says "make a skill", "build a plugin", "I need a skill for..."
- NOT for: editing existing skills (just edit the file directly)

## Process Flow

```dot
digraph skill_maker {
    rankdir=TB;

    "Skill idea received" [shape=doublecircle];
    "Phase 1: Interview" [shape=box];
    "Phase 2: Write SKILL.md" [shape=box];
    "User approves?" [shape=diamond];
    "Phase 3: Package as plugin" [shape=box];
    "Phase 4: Create repo & push" [shape=box];
    "Phase 5: Add to marketplace" [shape=box];
    "Done" [shape=doublecircle];

    "Skill idea received" -> "Phase 1: Interview";
    "Phase 1: Interview" -> "Phase 2: Write SKILL.md";
    "Phase 2: Write SKILL.md" -> "User approves?";
    "User approves?" -> "Phase 2: Write SKILL.md" [label="revise"];
    "User approves?" -> "Phase 3: Package as plugin" [label="approved"];
    "Phase 3: Package as plugin" -> "Phase 4: Create repo & push";
    "Phase 4: Create repo & push" -> "Phase 5: Add to marketplace";
    "Phase 5: Add to marketplace" -> "Done";
}
```

## Phase 1: Interview (Quick)

**Engagement mode determines interview depth:**
- **Express**: Infer all answers from the project context and agent prompts. Skip interview entirely. Report inferences.
- **Standard**: Ask 1-2 key questions (purpose + trigger conditions). Auto-resolve the rest.
- **Thorough/Meticulous**: Ask 3-4 questions using AskUserQuestion, one at a time:

1. **What does this skill do?** — Core purpose in one sentence
2. **When should it trigger?** — Specific words, patterns, or situations
3. **What's the workflow?** — Steps the skill should follow (linear, loop, decision tree?)
4. **Skill type?** — Options: Technique (steps to follow), Pattern (mental model), Reference (docs/API guide), Workflow (multi-phase process)

## Phase 2: Write SKILL.md

Follow these rules from the writing-skills methodology:

**Frontmatter:**
- `name`: kebab-case, letters/numbers/hyphens only
- `description`: Start with "Use when...", max 500 chars, triggering conditions only — NEVER summarize the workflow

**Structure:**
```markdown
---
name: skill-name
description: Use when [triggering conditions]
---

# Skill Name

## Overview
Core principle in 1-2 sentences.

## When to Use
Bullet list with symptoms and use cases.

## Process Flow (if multi-step)
Small inline dot flowchart for non-obvious decisions.

## [Core Content]
Steps, patterns, or reference material.

## Common Mistakes
Table of mistake -> fix pairs.
```

**Quality rules:**
- One excellent example beats many mediocre ones
- Flowcharts ONLY for non-obvious decision points
- Keep under 500 words for standard skills
- Use active voice, verb-first naming
- Include keywords for discoverability (error messages, symptoms, tool names)

**Skill review (mode-aware):** Express — proceed to packaging, report skill summary. Standard — present brief summary for approval. Thorough/Meticulous — present full SKILL.md for detailed review via AskUserQuestion.

## Phase 3: Package as Plugin

Create the plugin directory structure:

```
<skill-name>-plugin/
├── .claude-plugin/
│   └── plugin.json
├── skills/
│   └── <skill-name>/
│       └── SKILL.md
└── README.md
```

**plugin.json template:**
```json
{
  "name": "<skill-name>",
  "description": "<one-line description>",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "author": {
    "name": "<from git config or ask>"
  },
  "license": "MIT",
  "keywords": ["<relevant>", "<tags>"]
}
```

**README.md template:**
```markdown
# <Skill Name> Plugin for Claude Code

<description>

## Installation

### Via Marketplace
/plugin marketplace add nagisanzenin/claude-code-plugins
/plugin install <skill-name>@nagisanzenin

### Load Directly
claude --plugin-dir /path/to/<skill-name>-plugin

## Usage
<trigger description and examples>

## License
MIT
```

## Phase 4: Create Repo & Push

1. `git init` in the plugin directory
2. `git add -A && git commit -m "Initial release: <skill-name> plugin v1.0.0"`
3. `gh repo create <skill-name>-plugin --public --source . --push`
4. If `gh` auth fails, guide user through `gh auth login`

## Phase 5: Add to Marketplace

1. Read the user's marketplace repo (default: `nagisanzenin/claude-code-plugins`)
2. Clone or locate the marketplace locally
3. Add new plugin entry to `.claude-plugin/marketplace.json`:
   ```json
   {
     "name": "<skill-name>",
     "source": {
       "source": "github",
       "repo": "nagisanzenin/<skill-name>-plugin"
     },
     "description": "<description>",
     "version": "1.0.0"
   }
   ```
4. Update README.md plugin table
5. Commit and push marketplace repo
6. Report final install command: `/plugin install <skill-name>@nagisanzenin`

## Marketplace Config

**Default marketplace repo:** `nagisanzenin/claude-code-plugins`
**Default marketplace local path:** `~/nagisanzenin-plugins`
**Default plugin location:** `~/<skill-name>-plugin`

If the user has a different marketplace, ask which one to use.

## Common Mistakes

| Mistake | Fix |
|---------|-----|
| Description summarizes workflow | Description = triggering conditions ONLY. "Use when..." |
| Special chars in name | Letters, numbers, hyphens only. No parentheses. |
| Skill too verbose (500+ words) | Cut ruthlessly. One example, not five. |
| Missing keywords for discovery | Add error messages, symptoms, tool names in the content |
| Forgetting to update marketplace | Always add to marketplace.json AND push |
| Plugin files inside .claude-plugin/ | Only plugin.json goes in .claude-plugin/. Skills at root level. |