# Template Creator > Create or update a reusable personal Codex artifact-template skill. Use when the user invokes $template-creator or asks in natural language to create a template using, from, or based on an attached Word document, PowerPoint presentation, or Excel workbook, or explicitly asks to edit or update a passed artifact-template skill. Do not use for one-off artifact creation from an existing template. - Skill: `steffencarlsen/template-creator` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 3 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add steffencarlsen/template-creator` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/steffencarlsen/template-creator/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Data & Analytics - Author: SteffenCarlsen (https://skillmd.com/u/steffencarlsen) - Updated: 2026-09-22 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/steffencarlsen/template-creator --- # Template Creator Create or update a reference-backed artifact template. Keep the source Office file inside the skill so later use can clone or import it precisely. ## Routing - Manage only personal skills under `${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. ## Create workflow 1. Require exactly one `.docx`, `.pptx`, or `.xlsx` reference unless the user explicitly requests a batch. For a batch, complete this workflow separately for every file. 2. Infer a concise display name, intended-use description, and artifact kind from the reference and request. 3. 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. 4. Visually inspect the PNG. Stop if it is blank, clipped, corrupted, or not representative of the reference. 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. ```bash "$NODE_BIN" "$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. 6. Read the JSON result. Verify that the generated directory contains `SKILL.md`, `artifact-template.json`, `agents/openai.yaml`, the retained `assets/reference.`, and `assets/preview.png`. ## 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 and 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 plugin to edit a temporary copy of the retained reference, render a new preview from it, and visually inspect the result. - For display-name or intended-use changes, preserve the current reference and preview unless the request also changes them. - 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 values for every unchanged field directly to the script. Do not create or edit a request file: ```bash "$NODE_BIN" "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/create-template-skill.mjs" \ --mode "update" \ --skill-name "artifact-template-standup" \ --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 these paragraphs followed by 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 ${skillName} and describe what you want to build. ### Sharing Personal Templates are private by default. To share one, you can ask Codex to: - Package the Template into a new Plugin or Add the Template to an existing Plugin - Share plugin with team or entire workspace Whoever you share this template with can then install the plugin to use any of the templates inside! ::artifact-template{skill_name="{skillName}" skill_directory="{skillPath}" display_name="{displayName}" artifact_kind="{kind}"} Formatting rules: - Keep the paragraph wording and punctuation unchanged apart from replacing `{displayName}`, `{skillPath}`, `{skillName}`, and `{kind}`. - In the how to find template section, substitute @{kind} with `@Documents`, `@Presentations`, or `@Spreadsheets` as appropriate. Preserve the literal `@` so Codex renders an unquoted plugin mention. - In the usage sentence, preserve the literal `$` before the exact returned `skillName` so Codex renders an unquoted skill mention. - 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 four-part 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 the retained reference; the user chose reference retention for fidelity. - 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.