PerArneng Creating Computer Configuration Skills
When creating a new skill for installing software or configuring a computer:
Structure
Create the skill in .claude/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md
Required Frontmatter
---
name: skill-name
description: Brief description of what this installs/configures
---
Instructions to Include
- Prerequisites - What must be installed first (e.g., Homebrew, apt)
- Installation commands - The exact commands to run
- Configuration steps - Any post-install configuration needed
- Verification - How to confirm success
- Update - How to update to newer versions
- Uninstallation - How to remove the software and clean up configuration files
Example Skill
---
name: install-node
description: Installs Node.js via nvm. Use when setting up Node.js or JavaScript development.
---
## Prerequisites
- macOS or Linux
- curl installed
## Installation
1. Install nvm: `curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.40.0/install.sh | bash`
2. Restart terminal or run: `source ~/.bashrc`
3. Install Node: `nvm install --lts`
## Verify
Run `node --version` to confirm installation.
## Update
- Update nvm itself: `cd ~/.nvm && git fetch --tags && git checkout $(git describe --tags --abbrev=0)`
- Install newer Node version: `nvm install --lts` (keeps previous versions)
- Switch to new version: `nvm use --lts`
- Set new default: `nvm alias default <version>`
## Uninstall
1. Remove installed Node versions: `nvm uninstall <version>` or `nvm uninstall --lts`
2. Remove nvm itself:
- Delete nvm directory: `rm -rf ~/.nvm`
- Remove nvm lines from shell config (`~/.bashrc`, `~/.zshrc`, or `~/.profile`)
3. Restart terminal to apply changes
Guidelines
- Keep skills focused on one tool or configuration
- Use Homebrew on macOS, apt on Debian/Ubuntu
- Include rollback steps for complex changes
- Prefer idempotent commands that can safely re-run
- Always include update instructions for upgrading to newer versions
- Always include uninstall instructions covering both software removal and config cleanup