# Arckit Template Builder

> Create new document templates by interviewing the user about their organization's requirements

- Skill: `tractorjuice/arckit-template-builder` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add tractorjuice/arckit-template-builder`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/tractorjuice/arckit-template-builder/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: tractorjuice (https://skillmd.com/u/tractorjuice)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/tractorjuice/arckit-template-builder

---


You are helping an enterprise architect create a brand-new document template tailored to their organization's specific needs. Unlike `$arckit-customize` (which copies existing templates for editing), this command creates entirely new templates from scratch through an interactive interview process.

## User Input

```text
$ARGUMENTS
```

## Overview

This command generates:

1. **A new document template** in `.arckit/templates-custom/{name}-template.md` with `Template Origin: Community` banner
2. **A usage guide** in `.arckit/guides-custom/{name}.md` with `Guide Origin: Community` banner
3. **Optionally**: A matching Codex skill in `.agents/skills/arckit-community-{name}/SKILL.md`
4. **Optionally**: A shareable bundle in `.arckit/community/{name}/`

All community-generated content is clearly marked with origin banners to distinguish it from official ArcKit templates.

## Three-Tier Origin Model

ArcKit uses three origin tiers for all templates and guides:

- **Official** — Shipped with ArcKit (e.g., `Template Origin: Official`)
- **Custom** — User-modified copies of official templates via `$arckit-customize` (e.g., `Template Origin: Custom`)
- **Community** — Entirely new templates created via this command (e.g., `Template Origin: Community`)

## Instructions

### Step 1: Parse User Input

Extract the template type from `$ARGUMENTS`. If blank or vague, ask the user what kind of document template they want to create.

Check for the `--share` flag in arguments. If present, strip it from the template name and generate a shareable bundle in Step 8.

Slugify the template name: lowercase, replace spaces/special chars with hyphens, trim (e.g., "Security Assessment" -> "security-assessment").

### Step 2: Interview the User

Ask these questions BEFORE reading any templates. Ask the user all 4 questions below at once, in one message. Do NOT proceed until the user has answered. Follow the one-message interview in `.arckit/references/interview-pattern.md`: prefill from the arguments, and where no answer comes (a headless run, a dismissed prompt) take each question's **(Recommended)** option and list it as an assumption.

**Question 1** — header: `Category`, multiSelect: false
> "What category best describes this template?"

- **Governance (Recommended)**: Compliance assessments, audits, policy reviews
- **Technical**: Architecture patterns, design specs, technical evaluations
- **Procurement**: Vendor assessments, scoring matrices, contract templates
- **Strategy**: Roadmaps, capability assessments, transformation plans

**Question 2** — header: `Elements`, multiSelect: true
> "Which structural elements should the template include?"

- **Scoring/Rating Matrix**: Quantitative scoring with weighted criteria
- **Compliance Checklist**: Pass/fail items against a framework or standard
- **Approval Workflow**: Sign-off gates, review stages, escalation paths
- **Risk Assessment**: Risk identification, likelihood, impact, mitigations

**Question 3** — header: `Context`, multiSelect: false
> "What organizational context should the template support?"

- **UK Government (Recommended)**: GDS, TCoP, Orange/Green Book alignment
- **Enterprise/Corporate**: Standard corporate governance
- **Regulated Industry**: Financial services, healthcare, defence compliance
- **Technology Startup**: Lightweight, agile-friendly documentation

**Question 4** — header: `Outputs`, multiSelect: true
> "What additional outputs would you like?"

- **Codex Skill**: Generate a matching `$arckit-community-{name}` skill file
- **Minimal Template**: Skip optional sections, keep it lean

Apply the user's selections: the category determines the template's major sections. The structural elements determine which reusable components (matrices, checklists, workflows, risk tables) are included. The organizational context determines compliance sections and terminology. If "Codex Skill" is selected, generate a skill in Step 6. If the user passed `--share`, generate a bundle in Step 7.

### Step 3: Read Reference Templates

Now that you have the user's preferences, read 2-3 existing official templates to understand the standard format. Read these files directly. Do not search broadly or delegate this step.

**Always read**:

- `.arckit/templates/requirements-template.md` (canonical Document Control + structure)

**Read one more based on the user's category selection**:

- Governance: `.arckit/templates/conformance-assessment-template.md`
- Technical: `.arckit/templates/platform-design-template.md`
- Procurement: `.arckit/templates/evaluation-criteria-template.md`
- Strategy: `.arckit/templates/architecture-strategy-template.md`

### Step 4: Generate the Template

Create the template file at `.arckit/templates-custom/{name}-template.md`.

**Emit the `<!-- DOC-CONTROL-HEADER -->` marker verbatim — never a Document Control table.** Earlier versions of this command emitted a hand-written 14-row table with a hardcoded UK ladder, so every user-built template was born outside regime routing and drifted from the standard from its first day (#760). The marker resolves at command-execution time to the partial `_partials/RENDERING.md` selects, which is what keeps the fields and the classification ladder correct for the artefact's own regime.

**Template Structure** (mandatory elements):

```markdown
# [DOCUMENT_TYPE]: [PROJECT_NAME]

> **Template Origin**: Community | **Generated By**: `$arckit-template-builder` | **ArcKit Version**: [VERSION]

## Document Control

<!-- DOC-CONTROL-HEADER -->
<!-- Resolved at command-execution time per _partials/RENDERING.md. -->

## Revision History

| Version | Date | Author | Changes | Approved By | Approval Date |
|---------|------|--------|---------|-------------|---------------|
| [VERSION] | [DATE] | ArcKit AI | Initial creation from `$arckit-[COMMAND]` command | [PENDING] | [PENDING] |
```

**Body sections** — Generate based on interview answers:

- **Purpose & Scope** section (always included)
- Category-specific sections based on Round 1 answers
- Structural elements based on user selections (scoring matrix, compliance checklist, etc.)
- Organizational context sections based on Round 2 answers
- **Appendices** section (always included)

**Standard footer** (always included):

```markdown
---

**Generated by**: ArcKit `$arckit-template-builder` command
**Generated on**: [DATE]
**ArcKit Version**: [VERSION]
**Project**: [PROJECT_NAME]
**Model**: [AI_MODEL]
```

**TYPE_CODE**: Generate a short 3-5 character uppercase code for the document type (e.g., "SECAS" for Security Assessment, "VSCR" for Vendor Scorecard). Ensure it does not conflict with existing ArcKit type codes (REQ, RISK, SOBC, STKE, ADR, DIAG, etc.).

### Step 5: Generate the Usage Guide

Create a usage guide at `.arckit/guides-custom/{name}.md`.

**Guide Structure**:

```markdown
# {Template Name} Guide

> **Guide Origin**: Community | **Generated By**: `$arckit-template-builder` | **ArcKit Version**: [VERSION]

`$arckit-community-{name}` generates a {brief description of what the template produces}.

---

## Preparation

| Artefact | Why it matters |
|----------|----------------|
| {prerequisite 1} | {why it's needed} |
| {prerequisite 2} | {why it's needed} |

---

## Usage

```text
$arckit-community-{name} {example arguments}
```

Output: `.arckit/templates-custom/{name}-template.md`

---

## Template Sections

{Describe each major section of the template and what it covers}

---

## Customization

This is a community template. You can:

- Edit `.arckit/templates-custom/{name}-template.md` directly
- Submit it to ArcKit for official inclusion (see Sharing section below)

---

## Sharing

To share this template:

1. Copy the bundle from `.arckit/community/{name}/` (if generated)
2. Share via Git or submit a PR to [tractorjuice/arc-kit](https://github.com/tractorjuice/arc-kit)

For official promotion: rename the generated skill if needed, change banner to `Template Origin: Official`, and open a PR.

```text

### Step 6: Generate Optional Codex Skill

If the user selected "Codex Skill" in Round 2, create `.agents/skills/arckit-community-{name}/SKILL.md`. This location is auto-discovered by Codex as a project-level skill (available as `$arckit-community-{name}`).

**Skill Structure**:

```markdown
---
name: arckit-community-{name}
description: "{Brief description of what this skill generates}"
---

You are generating a {template type} document using a community template.

## User Input

```text
$ARGUMENTS
```

## Instructions

1. **Identify the target project**:
   - Use the **ArcKit Project Context** (above) to find the project matching the user's input
   - If no match, create a new project directory

2. **Read the template**:
   - Read `.arckit/templates-custom/{name}-template.md`

3. **Generate the document** following the template structure

4. **Write the output** to `projects/{project-dir}/ARC-{PROJECT_ID}-{TYPE_CODE}-v1.0.md`

5. **Show summary only** (NOT the full document)

```text

### Step 7: Generate Optional Shareable Bundle

If the user passed `--share` in their arguments, create the bundle directory:

- `.arckit/community/{name}/README.md` — Usage instructions, author info, description, and "Submit to ArcKit" section
- `.arckit/community/{name}/{name}-template.md` — Copy of the template
- `.arckit/community/{name}/{name}.md` — Copy of the usage guide
- `.arckit/community/{name}$arckit-community-{name}.md` — Copy of the skill (if generated)

**README.md for the bundle**:

```markdown
# Community Template: {Template Name}

> **Origin**: Community | **Created with**: ArcKit `$arckit-template-builder`

## Description

{What this template is for and when to use it}

## Installation

Copy the files to your ArcKit project:

- `{name}-template.md` -> `.arckit/templates-custom/`
- `{name}.md` -> `.arckit/guides-custom/`
- `arckit-community-{name}/SKILL.md` -> `.agents/skills/` (optional)

## Submit to ArcKit

To propose this template for official inclusion:

1. Fork [tractorjuice/arc-kit](https://github.com/tractorjuice/arc-kit)
2. Copy template to `.arckit/templates-custom/` and `arckit-claude/templates/`
3. Rename or relocate the community skill if promoting it to an official ArcKit command
4. Change `Template Origin: Community` to `Template Origin: Official`
5. Change `Guide Origin: Community` to `Guide Origin: Official`
6. Add guide metadata to `arckit-claude/config/guide-groups.mjs`
7. Open a PR with description of the template's purpose
```

### Step 8: Show Summary

After writing all files, show ONLY this summary:

```markdown
## Template Builder Complete

**Template**: {Template Name}
**Category**: {Category from Round 1}
**Type Code**: {TYPE_CODE}

### Files Created

| File | Location |
|------|----------|
| Template | `.arckit/templates-custom/{name}-template.md` |
| Usage Guide | `.arckit/guides-custom/{name}.md` |
| Codex Skill | `.agents/skills/arckit-community-{name}/SKILL.md` (if selected) |
| Shareable Bundle | `.arckit/community/{name}/` (if selected) |

### Template Sections

- {List of major sections in the generated template}

### How to Use

1. Run `$arckit-community-{name} <project>` to generate a document from this template
2. Or use `$arckit-customize` to copy any official template for lighter customization

### How to Share

- Share the `.arckit/community/{name}/` bundle via Git
- Submit a PR to [tractorjuice/arc-kit](https://github.com/tractorjuice/arc-kit) for official promotion

### Origin Model

| Tier | Description |
|------|-------------|
| **Official** | Shipped with ArcKit — 50+ templates |
| **Custom** | Your modifications of official templates (`$arckit-customize`) |
| **Community** | New templates you create (`$arckit-template-builder`) |
```

## Important Notes

- All community templates MUST have `Template Origin: Community` banner
- All community guides MUST have `Guide Origin: Community` banner
- Community skills use the `arckit-community-` prefix (e.g., `.agents/skills/arckit-community-security-assessment/SKILL.md`)
- Templates follow the same Document Control standard as official ArcKit templates
- Write generated artifacts to files instead of printing full content in the response
- Never output the full template content in the response — show summary only

## Suggested Next Steps

After completing this command, consider running:

- `$arckit-customize` -- Copy and modify existing official templates instead of creating new ones *(when User wants to customize an existing template rather than build a new one)*