Template Creator

Template Creator

Create or update a reference-backed template. Keep the source file, Site project, or a canonical Google Workspace URL and rendered reference image inside the skill so later use can reproduce its structure, voice, and visual system precisely.

Routing

• Manage only personal skills under ${CODEX_HOME:-~/.codex}/skills.
• Create a new template by default. Use a numbered skill name instead of overwriting an existing template.
• Update only when the user explicitly asks to edit or update exactly one passed artifact-template skill. Treat that passed skill as the exact target; never choose a similarly named template.
• Do not modify an installed or bundled plugin cache. If the passed template is plugin-backed, explain that this skill can update only a personal template.
• Do not create, modify, upload, or publish a plugin. If the request also asks to share the template with a workspace, explain that this skill only manages personal templates.
• A template exists only after create-template-skill.mjs succeeds. Never hand-author, rename, or copy a normal skill and report it as an artifact template.

Create workflow

1. Require exactly one supported reference unless the user explicitly requests a batch. For a batch, complete this workflow separately for every reference:

   • Document: .docx
   • Presentation: .pptx
   • Spreadsheet: .xlsx
   • Google Workspace: one Google Docs, Google Slides, or Google Sheets URL
   • ImageGen or Product Design image: .png
   • Email or Slack message: .txt
   • Site: an existing Site project directory
   • When email or Slack content is pasted rather than attached, materialize the exact content as a temporary UTF-8 reference.txt without rewriting it.

2. Infer a concise display name and intended-use description from the reference and request. Infer document, presentation, spreadsheet, and image from the file extension. For a Site project directory, use site. Infer google-docs, google-slides, or google-sheets from the supplied Workspace URL; for a generic Drive share URL, use Google Drive metadata to identify the native file type and resolve its canonical docs.google.com URL. Ask only when the link is inaccessible or does not identify a supported native Workspace artifact. For an image, set its gallery kind to product-design when the request includes @Product Design; otherwise default to imagegen, including when the user provides only the image and this skill. Ask only when the request explicitly includes both Product Design and ImageGen and the intended target remains unclear. For .txt, determine whether the user requested email or slack; ask if the intended type is ambiguous.

3. For references other than Site projects, create preview.png before packaging:

   • DOCX: use Documents to render the reference and copy its first page PNG.
   • PPTX: use Presentations to render the reference and copy its first slide PNG.
   • XLSX: use Spreadsheets to render the used range of the first visible non-empty sheet.
   • Google Workspace: load the google-drive skill and the matching google-docs, google-slides, or google-sheets skill from @Google Drive, inspect the native artifact, and use the file bridge below. Then:
     • Google Docs: export to PDF and render its first content page to reference.png. Normally this is PDF page 1. For a tabbed Doc, Google may prepend one or more synthetic pages that contain only a tab title; skip only those consecutive tab-title separator pages and use the first page containing the first tab's actual document body. Treat that page as the artifact's first page rather than as a later-page substitution. Do not skip a real content page merely to choose a more attractive preview, and stop if the export contains no representative content page.
     • Google Slides: export to PDF and render only its first slide to reference.png.
     • Google Sheets: identify the first visible non-empty sheet, export to XLSX, and use Spreadsheets to render that sheet's used range to reference.png.
   • PNG: copy the reference PNG unchanged.
   • Email or Slack: render a legible representative portion of the exact reference text on a neutral canvas. Do not paraphrase, decorate, or invent content.
   • For a Google Workspace template, copy the checked reference.png unchanged to preview.png.
   • A Google Workspace URL is sufficient to activate the Google Drive workflow; do not require the user to add @Google Drive. Before entering functions.exec, check whether the Google Drive fetch tool is callable. If it is not, use tool_search once to find and load the Google Drive action that fetches a native Google Doc, Sheet, or Slides file with raw-file download support, then check the callable tools again. Do not run the file bridge until fetch is loaded, and do not report that it is unavailable before this discovery attempt has failed or returned no matching action.
   • For every Google Workspace export, use the connected Google Drive fetch tool with download_raw_file and raw_export_mime_type. Do not download through the in-app browser, open a Google /export URL, follow a googleusercontent.com download redirect, use a shell HTTP client, or request browser download permission. Browser inspection does not substitute for connector export. If fetch is unavailable, the Drive connection lacks access, or the connector does not return the requested file, stop and explain the connector requirement instead of falling back to a browser download.

   Load the workspace dependencies and use the checked-in file bridge for Google Docs and Slides PDF exports and Google Sheets XLSX exports. Run this inside one functions.exec call. The bridge resolves the Google Drive fetch action, requests an authenticated raw export, validates the returned base64 file, and writes it inside the task workspace without exposing it to a shell argument or browser download:

const SKILL_DIR = "<absolute-template-creator-skill-directory>";
const WORKSPACE = "<absolute-task-workspace>";
const NODE_BIN = "<absolute-node-path-from-workspace-dependency-loader>";
const usesPowerShell = /^(?:[A-Za-z]:[\\/]|\\\\)/.test(SKILL_DIR);
const loadCommand = usesPowerShell
  ? "Get-Content -Raw -LiteralPath '.\\host\\export-google-workspace-file.mjs'"
  : "/bin/cat -- ./host/export-google-workspace-file.mjs";
const loaded = await tools.exec_command({
  cmd: loadCommand,
  shell: usesPowerShell ? "powershell.exe" : "/bin/sh",
  workdir: SKILL_DIR,
  login: false,
  yield_time_ms: 30000,
  max_output_tokens: 30000,
});
if (loaded.exit_code !== 0)
  throw new Error("Could not load the Google Workspace exporter");
const exportGoogleWorkspaceFile = new Function(
  `${loaded.output}\nreturn exportGoogleWorkspaceFile;`,
)();
const result = await exportGoogleWorkspaceFile({
  sourceUrl: "<canonical-google-workspace-url>",
  mimeType: "<application/pdf-or-xlsx-mime-type>",
  nodePath: NODE_BIN,
  receiverPath: `${SKILL_DIR}/host/google-workspace-export-stdin-receiver.mjs`,
  outputPath: `${WORKSPACE}/<reference.pdf-or-reference.xlsx>`,
  workspaceRoot: WORKSPACE,
  tools,
});
text(JSON.stringify(result));

Use the canonical docs.google.com URL, including any resourcekey query parameter required for link access. Use application/pdf and an output ending in .pdf for Google Docs and Slides. Use application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet and an output ending in .xlsx for Google Sheets. Do not manually copy base64 export content into a command or file-editing tool.

4. Visually inspect the PNG when one was created. Stop if it is blank, clipped, corrupted, or not representative of the reference. Site templates use a bundled generic Sites PNG preview and do not require a screenshot.
5. Do not create an intermediary request file or use a file-editing tool for script inputs. Set SKILL_DIR to the directory containing this SKILL.md, load the workspace dependency runtime, and pass the values directly. Before substituting real values into the command, shell-escape each value as one argument for the active shell. Never interpolate a raw path, display name, description, or skill name.

"$NODE_BIN" "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/create-template-skill.mjs" \
  --reference-path "/absolute/path/reference.docx" \
  --preview-path "/absolute/path/preview.png" \
  --display-name "Standup" \
  --description "Run a structured daily standup with updates, blockers, and owners."

Use the Node path returned by the dependency loader for NODE_BIN. Do not use a system Node installation.

Pass --kind "image" and --gallery-kind "imagegen" or --gallery-kind "product-design" for image templates. Pass --kind "email" or --kind "slack" for text templates, and --kind "site" for Site project directories. The script can infer the three Office kinds and image from their extensions, but Template Creator must pass the image gallery kind explicitly so ImageGen and Product Design templates remain separate. .txt always requires --kind "email" or --kind "slack". Site templates never require --preview-path.

For a Google Workspace template, pass its exact kind, resolved docs.google.com link as --source-url, and the rendered PNG as both the reference and preview inputs. The script validates that the link matches the requested kind and stores a canonical file URL without account-routing or deep-link parameters while preserving a resourcekey required for link-based access.

"$NODE_BIN" "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/create-template-skill.mjs" \
  --kind "google-docs" \
  --source-url "https://docs.google.com/document/d/example/edit?usp=sharing" \
  --reference-path "/absolute/path/reference.png" \
  --preview-path "/absolute/path/reference.png" \
  --display-name "Project Brief" \
  --description "Create project briefs with this Google Doc's native structure and visual system."

"$NODE_BIN" "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/create-template-skill.mjs" \
  --kind "image" \
  --gallery-kind "product-design" \
  --reference-path "/absolute/path/reference.png" \
  --preview-path "/absolute/path/preview.png" \
  --display-name "Launch Visual" \
  --description "Create launch visuals with this product-design direction."

"$NODE_BIN" "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/create-template-skill.mjs" \
  --kind "email" \
  --reference-path "/absolute/path/reference.txt" \
  --preview-path "/absolute/path/preview.png" \
  --display-name "Launch Email" \
  --description "Draft launch emails with this structure, voice, and call to action."

"$NODE_BIN" "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/create-template-skill.mjs" \
  --kind "site" \
  --reference-path "/absolute/path/existing-site" \
  --display-name "Marketing Site" \
  --description "Create a marketing site with this layout and component system."

6. Read the JSON result. Verify that skillName begins with artifact-template- and that the generated directory contains SKILL.md, artifact-template.json, agents/openai.yaml, and assets/preview.png. For Site templates, verify that the project is retained in assets/source with the generic Sites preview. Read the original project's .gitignore when present, inspect assets/source, and remove ignored files, project-specific credentials, customer exports, runtime data, generated archives, and unnecessary large files from the generated copy without modifying the original project before reporting success. For all other templates, verify the retained canonical assets/reference.<ext>. For a Google Workspace template, also verify that the manifest contains the canonical sourceUrl and assets/reference.png. If any check fails, do not claim the template was created or emit an artifact-template card.

Update workflow

1. Resolve the exact passed artifact-template skill and read its SKILL.md, artifact-template.json, agents/openai.yaml, retained reference, and preview. Stop if it is not a direct child of the personal skills directory or if more than one target was passed.
2. Preserve the skill folder name. For Sites, rebuild the entire template from the selected source; for other templates, preserve every file or behavior the user did not ask to change.
3. Apply the requested edit:
   • For reference content or visual changes, use the matching artifact, image, or text workflow to edit a temporary copy of the retained reference, render a new preview from it, and visually inspect the result. Never edit a linked Google Workspace source artifact; update its canonical URL and rendered reference image only when the user explicitly changes the template source.
   • For Site project changes, use the updated project directory as the reference without creating a preview.
   • For display-name or intended-use changes, preserve the current reference and, when applicable, preview unless the request also changes them. For Site metadata-only changes, use the existing template's assets/source, not the current project.
   • For instruction-only or other skill-owned text changes, edit only the requested files directly and keep the manifest and agent metadata consistent.
4. When the reference, preview, display name, or description changes, pass the existing kind and values for every unchanged field directly to the script. For an image template, also pass its existing galleryKind as --gallery-kind. For a Google Workspace template, pass its existing or explicitly updated sourceUrl as --source-url. For a Site template, pass the updated project directory or the existing template's assets/source, as selected above, as --reference-path without --preview-path. Do not create or edit a request file:

"$NODE_BIN" "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/create-template-skill.mjs" \
  --mode "update" \
  --skill-name "artifact-template-standup" \
  --kind "document" \
  --reference-path "/absolute/path/updated-reference.docx" \
  --preview-path "/absolute/path/updated-preview.png" \
  --display-name "Standup" \
  --description "Run a structured daily standup with updates, blockers, and owners."

5. The script validates the existing template kind, preserves additional skill-owned files, and replaces the package atomically without changing its skill name.
6. Verify every requested change in the target directory and confirm there are no staging or backup directories left behind.

Response

After verification, replace the placeholders with the script result and respond with only the applicable content between the comment markers below. The markers delimit the response template; do not emit them. For templates other than Sites, also include the card directive:

Here’s your {displayName} template.

How to find templates

Find it in the Template Gallery when @{kind} is added to the prompt.

How to use a template

Tag ${skillName} and describe what you want to build.

::artifact-template{skill_name="{skillName}" skill_directory="{skillPath}" display_name="{displayName}" artifact_kind="{kind}"}

Formatting rules:

• Include the How to find templates section for document, presentation, spreadsheet, Google Workspace, and image templates. Omit its heading and sentence for email, Slack, and Site templates because their source plugins do not open the Template Gallery.
• Keep the paragraph wording and punctuation unchanged apart from replacing {displayName}, {skillPath}, {skillName}, and {kind}.
• For an image template, append gallery_kind="{galleryKind}" inside the artifact-template directive, using the exact galleryKind returned by the script. Omit gallery_kind for every non-image template.
• In the how to find template section, substitute @{kind} with the matching gallery-enabled mention: @Documents, @Presentations, @Spreadsheets, $google-drive:google-docs, $google-drive:google-slides, $google-drive:google-sheets, $imagegen, or @Product Design. @Google Drive also shows all three Google Workspace template kinds together. For image templates, use the generated template's exact galleryKind; never treat ImageGen and Product Design as interchangeable. Preserve the literal @ or $ so Codex renders an unquoted mention.
• Do not tell users to add @Gmail, @Outlook Email, or @Slack to open the Template Gallery. Email and Slack templates are used by tagging their saved template skill directly.
• In the usage sentence, preserve the literal $ before the exact returned skillName so Codex renders an unquoted skill mention.
• For Site templates, omit the ::artifact-template directive because the result-card renderer does not support site.
• Put the directive on its own line, using the exact returned skillName, skillPath, displayName, and lowercase kind values.
• Escape directive attribute values when needed so the directive remains valid.
• For a batch, repeat the applicable response block for each created or updated skill.

Constraints

• Do not search for or fetch remote templates.
• Do not create or edit request.json or any other intermediary request file. Pass script inputs through command-line flags so Template creation never surfaces a code-file edit card.
• Do not delete or sanitize retained artifact-reference files; the user chose reference retention for fidelity. For Site projects, retain application source, project configuration, package-manager metadata, static assets, migrations, and logical D1/R2 bindings. Use the project's .gitignore to guide cleanup of the generated source, and exclude environment files, credentials, private keys, symlinks, dependencies, caches, build outputs, databases, and runtime or customer data without modifying the original project. Remove the original project_id from .openai/hosting.json.
• Treat every linked Google Workspace source artifact as read-only. Generated template skills must copy the complete native artifact before making changes.
• Generated Site templates must use the existing Sites workflow with assets/source; do not scaffold a new project over the retained source.
• Do not send an email or post a Slack message merely because a template was created or invoked.
• Do not create or mutate workspace plugins or marketplaces.
• Do not add Artifact.md package generation here. The artifact plugins own template distillation and creation.
• Do not modify global skill metadata or protocol files.