# Scaffold > Generate new Claude Code plugin components from templates. Creates properly-structured agents, skills, hooks, rules, patterns, CLAUDE.md, and copilot-instructions files. Use when this capability is needed. - Skill: `tomevault-io/scaffold-5` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add tomevault-io/scaffold-5` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/tomevault-io/scaffold-5/raw - Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector CAUTION) - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - Author: tomevault-io (https://skillmd.com/u/tomevault-io) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/tomevault-io/scaffold-5 --- # Scaffold Skill Generate new Claude Code plugin components from templates with proper structure and conventions. ## Usage ``` /scaffold # Interactive: ask what to create /scaffold pattern # Create new pattern rule /scaffold agent # Create new agent definition /scaffold skill # Create new skill definition /scaffold hook # Create new hook script /scaffold rule # Create new rule file /scaffold claude-md # Create project CLAUDE.md /scaffold copilot-instructions # Create .github/copilot-instructions.md ``` ## Parameters | Parameter | Required | Description | |-----------|----------|-------------| | `component-type` | No | What to scaffold: `pattern`, `agent`, `skill`, `hook`, `rule`, `claude-md`, `copilot-instructions` | | `name` | No | Component name (required for pattern/agent/skill/hook/rule) | ## Component Types | Type | Description | Output Location | |------|-------------|-----------------| | `pattern` | Technology-specific coding patterns | `.claude/rules/patterns/.md` | | `agent` | Agent definition with role and tools | `.claude/agents/.md` | | `skill` | Skill definition with slash command | `.claude/skills//SKILL.md` | | `hook` | Hook script with event handler | `.claude/hooks/.js` + `hooks.json` | | `rule` | Rule file (path-scoped or always-loaded) | `.claude/rules/.md` | | `claude-md` | Project-level instructions | `CLAUDE.md` | | `copilot-instructions` | GitHub Copilot instructions | `.github/copilot-instructions.md` | ## Execution Flow ### 1. Determine Component Type Parse `$ARGUMENTS` to extract component type and name: ``` /scaffold → Interactive mode /scaffold pattern dotnet-foo → pattern, name="dotnet-foo" /scaffold agent researcher → agent, name="researcher" /scaffold claude-md → claude-md, no name needed ``` If no arguments provided, ask the user what they want to create. ### 2. Gather Context For each component type, gather context via targeted questions: #### Pattern - **Technology**: What technology? (e.g., dotnet, typescript, react) - **Topic**: What aspect? (e.g., testing, error-handling, api-design) - **Paths**: Which file patterns should trigger this? (e.g., `**/*.cs`, `src/**/*.tsx`) - **Guidance**: What are the key rules/conventions? - **Examples**: Provide good and bad examples #### Agent - **Role**: What is the agent's primary responsibility? - **Specialization**: What domain/task does it specialize in? - **Model**: Which model? (opus for complex reasoning, sonnet for implementation, haiku for cleanup) - **Tools**: Which tools needed? (Read/Grep/Glob for read-only, add Write/Edit/Bash for full access) - **Do/Don't**: What should it do vs avoid? #### Skill - **Purpose**: What task does this skill automate? - **Command**: What slash command name? (lowercase, hyphens) - **Parameters**: What parameters/flags does it accept? - **Workflow**: What are the execution steps? - **Tools**: Which tools are needed? #### Hook - **Event**: Which event? (PreToolUse, PostToolUse, PermissionRequest, UserPromptSubmit, SessionStart, SessionEnd, Stop, SubagentStop, PreCompact, Notification) - **Matcher**: What to match? (tool name, regex pattern, or none for session events) - **Action**: What should the hook do? - **Timeout**: How long can it run? (default 30000ms) #### Rule - **Type**: Path-scoped or always-loaded? - **Paths**: If path-scoped, which file patterns? - **Topic**: What does this rule govern? - **Enforcement**: What's the severity model? (REJECT/WARN/INFO) #### CLAUDE.md Scan the project to auto-detect: - **Tech stack**: Look for `.csproj`, `package.json`, `requirements.txt` - **Directory structure**: Key directories (src, tests, docs) - **Build/test commands**: Scripts in `package.json`, project scripts - **Conventions**: Check for existing patterns in `.claude/rules/` #### Copilot Instructions Scan the project to auto-detect: - **Coding conventions**: Check existing code for naming, structure - **Testing patterns**: Check test directories for patterns - **Architecture**: Check for layers, modules, patterns - **Build/deploy**: Check for CI/CD configs ### 3. Read Template Read the appropriate template from the plugin's `templates/` directory: | Component | Template File | |-----------|---------------| | pattern | `pattern-rule.md` | | agent | `agent-definition.md` | | skill | `skill-definition.md` | | hook | `hook-template.js` | | rule | `rule-definition.md` | | claude-md | `claude-md.md` | | copilot-instructions | `copilot-instructions.md` | Templates use placeholder syntax: `{{PLACEHOLDER_NAME}}` ### 4. Replace Placeholders Replace all `{{...}}` placeholders with gathered context: #### Common Placeholders - `{{NAME}}` - Component name (lowercase-hyphenated) - `{{NAME_UPPER}}` - Component name (UPPERCASE) - `{{NAME_PASCAL}}` - Component name (PascalCase) - `{{DESCRIPTION}}` - Brief description - `{{DATE}}` - Today's date (YYYY-MM-DD) #### Component-Specific Placeholders **Pattern**: - `{{TECHNOLOGY}}` - Technology name - `{{TOPIC}}` - Topic/aspect - `{{PATHS}}` - YAML array of file patterns - `{{RULES}}` - Rule content - `{{EXAMPLES_GOOD}}` - Good examples - `{{EXAMPLES_BAD}}` - Bad examples **Agent**: - `{{ROLE}}` - Agent role/responsibility - `{{MODEL}}` - Recommended model - `{{TOOLS}}` - Comma-separated tool list - `{{DO_TABLE}}` - What agent should do - `{{DONT_TABLE}}` - What agent should avoid **Skill**: - `{{COMMAND}}` - Slash command name - `{{PARAMETERS}}` - Parameter table - `{{WORKFLOW}}` - Numbered execution steps - `{{TOOLS}}` - Comma-separated tool list **Hook**: - `{{EVENT}}` - Hook event name - `{{MATCHER}}` - Matcher pattern (or "N/A" for session events) - `{{ACTION_CODE}}` - JavaScript action logic - `{{TIMEOUT}}` - Timeout in milliseconds **Rule**: - `{{SCOPE}}` - "Path-scoped" or "Always-loaded" - `{{PATHS}}` - YAML paths array (if path-scoped) - `{{TOPIC}}` - Rule topic - `{{ENFORCEMENT_TABLE}}` - Severity table ### 5. Write Component Write the generated content to the appropriate location: ``` Pattern: .claude/rules/patterns/{name}.md Agent: .claude/agents/{name}.md Skill: .claude/skills/{name}/SKILL.md Hook: .claude/hooks/{name}.js Rule: .claude/rules/{name}.md CLAUDE.md: CLAUDE.md Copilot: .github/copilot-instructions.md ``` **Special handling for hooks**: 1. Write hook script to `.claude/hooks/{name}.js` 2. Read existing `.claude/hooks/hooks.json` 3. Add hook registration entry 4. Write updated `hooks.json` ### 6. Verify Generated Output After writing, perform validation: #### All Markdown Files - YAML frontmatter is valid (if present) - No placeholder markers remain (`{{...}}`) - File follows naming conventions - File exists at expected path #### Hook Scripts - JavaScript is syntactically valid - Has stdin/stdout handling - Has error handling (fail-closed) - Has feature flag pattern - Registered in `hooks.json` #### CLAUDE.md / Copilot - No secrets or credentials - Commands are accurate - Imports reference existing files (if `@path` syntax used) ### 7. Post-Generation Guidance Tell the user: #### What was created ``` Created {component-type}: {path} ``` #### How to customize - **Pattern**: Add more examples, refine path matchers - **Agent**: Adjust model, fine-tune tools, expand Do/Don't - **Skill**: Add more parameters, refine workflow steps - **Hook**: Test with sample input, adjust timeout - **Rule**: Add enforcement details, refine paths #### How to test - **Pattern**: Edit a file matching the paths to verify it loads - **Agent**: Spawn the agent with a test prompt - **Skill**: Run the slash command (e.g., `/my-skill`) - **Hook**: Use the hook testing feature (e.g., `hooks.json` with `test: true`) - **Rule**: Read the file to verify it loads - **CLAUDE.md**: Start new session and verify instructions apply - **Copilot**: Open Copilot chat and ask for code suggestions #### Next steps - Run `/config-lint {component-type}` to validate structure - Add to version control - Update documentation index (e.g., `.claude/skills/README.md`) ## Component Naming Conventions | Component | Pattern | Example | |-----------|---------|---------| | Pattern | `{technology}-{topic}.md` | `dotnet-testing.md`, `react-hooks.md` | | Agent | `{role}-{specialization}.md` | `code-investigator.md`, `research-scout.md` | | Skill | `{verb}-{noun}` or descriptive | `git-commit`, `config-lint`, `scaffold` | | Hook | `{action}-{target}.js` | `validate-quality-gates.js`, `detect-anomaly.js` | | Rule | `{topic}.md` | `quality-gates.md`, `git-workflow.md` | ## Template Placeholder Reference ### Common ``` {{NAME}} - Component name (lowercase-hyphenated) {{NAME_UPPER}} - Component name (UPPERCASE_UNDERSCORED) {{NAME_PASCAL}} - Component name (PascalCase) {{DESCRIPTION}} - Brief description {{DATE}} - ISO date (YYYY-MM-DD) {{VERSION}} - Version number (default: 1.0.0) ``` ### Pattern-Specific ``` {{TECHNOLOGY}} - Technology name (dotnet, typescript, etc.) {{TOPIC}} - Topic/aspect (testing, error-handling, etc.) {{PATHS}} - YAML array of file patterns {{RULES}} - Rule/convention content {{EXAMPLES_GOOD}} - Good code examples {{EXAMPLES_BAD}} - Bad code examples (anti-patterns) {{REFERENCES}} - External documentation links ``` ### Agent-Specific ``` {{ROLE}} - Primary responsibility {{MODEL}} - Recommended model (opus/sonnet/haiku) {{TOOLS}} - Comma-separated tool list {{DO_TABLE}} - What to do (markdown table) {{DONT_TABLE}} - What not to do (markdown table) {{OUTPUT_FORMAT}} - Expected output format ``` ### Skill-Specific ``` {{COMMAND}} - Slash command name {{PARAMETERS}} - Parameter table (markdown) {{WORKFLOW}} - Numbered workflow steps {{TOOLS}} - Comma-separated allowed tools {{EXAMPLES}} - Usage examples {{ERROR_TABLE}} - Error handling table ``` ### Hook-Specific ``` {{EVENT}} - Hook event name {{MATCHER}} - Matcher pattern/tool name {{ACTION_CODE}} - JavaScript action logic {{TIMEOUT}} - Timeout (milliseconds) {{FEATURE_FLAG}} - Feature flag name (auto-generated) ``` ### Rule-Specific ``` {{SCOPE}} - "Path-scoped" or "Always-loaded" {{PATHS}} - YAML paths array (if path-scoped) {{TOPIC}} - Rule topic/subject {{ENFORCEMENT_TABLE}} - Severity/enforcement table {{EXAMPLES}} - Rule examples ``` ## Safety Rules - NEVER overwrite existing files without confirmation - ALWAYS validate generated output before writing - ALWAYS use absolute paths for file operations - ALWAYS verify templates exist before reading - NEVER include secrets or credentials in generated files - NEVER create components outside `.claude/`, `.github/`, or project root ## Error Handling | Error | Cause | Resolution | |-------|-------|------------| | Template not found | Plugin templates/ directory missing | Verify plugin installation | | Invalid component type | Unknown type in command | Use valid type: pattern/agent/skill/hook/rule/claude-md/copilot-instructions | | Missing required context | User didn't provide needed info | Re-prompt for missing context | | File already exists | Component with same name exists | Ask user to confirm overwrite or choose different name | | Invalid placeholder | Template has unknown `{{VAR}}` | Report to plugin maintainer (template bug) | | Hooks.json update failed | JSON parse error or write failure | Manually add hook to hooks.json | ## Output After successful scaffolding: ```markdown ## Scaffold Complete **Component**: {type} **Location**: {absolute-path} **Status**: Created ### Next Steps 1. Customize the generated file: - {customization guidance} 2. Test the component: - {testing instructions} 3. Validate structure: - Run: /config-lint {type} 4. Add to version control: - git add {path} ``` ## Integration This skill is used by: - Developers creating new plugin components - Plugin authors scaffolding initial structure - Teams standardizing configuration across projects ## Notes - Templates are read from the plugin's `templates/` directory - All generated files follow official Anthropic and GitHub best practices - Hook scripts include feature flag pattern for easy enable/disable - Pattern files use path-scoped loading for efficiency - CLAUDE.md generation scans project for auto-detection - Copilot instructions generation analyzes existing code patterns --- > Source: [tmalcolm-0607/mad-council-claw](https://github.com/tmalcolm-0607/mad-council-claw) — distributed by [TomeVault](https://tomevault.io).