Generate Skill Rules

This command parses YAML frontmatter from SKILL.md files and generates skill-rules.json entries for the auto-activation system.

Usage

/generate-skill-rules [options]

What It Does

1. Scans for SKILL.md files in the specified directory
2. Parses YAML frontmatter to extract trigger information
3. Converts to skill-rules.json format
4. Outputs generated JSON to stdout or writes to file

Options

• --plugin - Plugin directory to scan (default: current directory)
• --namespace - Plugin namespace (required if --write)
• --write - Write directly to skill-rules.json
• --dry-run - Output to stdout without writing (default)

Examples

Preview Generated Rules

/generate-skill-rules --plugin plugins/tanstack-tools --namespace tanstack

Write to skill-rules.json

/generate-skill-rules --plugin plugins/api-tools --namespace api --write

Instructions for Claude

When this command is invoked:

1. Locate SKILL.md Files

   find {plugin-dir}/skills -name "SKILL.md" -type f
   

2. Parse Each SKILL.md

   • Read YAML frontmatter (between --- delimiters)
   • Extract these fields:
     • name → skill ID
     • description → skill description
     • category → determines skill type
     • triggers.keywords → promptTriggers.keywords
     • triggers.patterns → promptTriggers.intentPatterns
     • priority (if present) → priority field

3. Map Fields to skill-rules.json Schema

   {
     "plugin": {
       "name": "{extracted-from-plugin-json}",
       "version": "{extracted-from-plugin-json}",
       "namespace": "{from-cli-arg-or-plugin-json}"
     },
     "skills": {
       "{skill-name}": {
         "type": "domain",
         "enforcement": "suggest",
         "priority": "{from-yaml-or-default-high}",
         "description": "{from-yaml}",
         "promptTriggers": {
           "keywords": ["{from-yaml-triggers-keywords}"],
           "intentPatterns": ["{from-yaml-triggers-patterns}"]
         }
       }
     }
   }
   

4. Handle Edge Cases

   • Skills without triggers → create empty arrays
   • Skills without priority → default to "high"
   • Skills with category "guardrail" → type: "guardrail"
   • All other categories → type: "domain"

5. Validation

   • Check namespace is valid (lowercase, no spaces)
   • Ensure skill names are kebab-case
   • Validate regex patterns are valid
   • Warn about missing required fields

6. Output Format

   • Dry run: Print formatted JSON to stdout with guidance
   • Write mode: Create/update {plugin-dir}/skills/skill-rules.json
   • Include success message with file location

Example YAML → JSON Conversion

SKILL.md frontmatter:

---
name: skill-creator
description: Generate new Claude Code skills
category: workflow-automation
priority: high
triggers:
  keywords:
    - create skill
    - new skill
    - skill template
  patterns:
    - (create|add|generate).*?skill
    - how to.*?create.*?skill
---

Generated skill-rules.json entry:

{
  "skill-creator": {
    "type": "domain",
    "enforcement": "suggest",
    "priority": "high",
    "description": "Generate new Claude Code skills",
    "promptTriggers": {
      "keywords": ["create skill", "new skill", "skill template"],
      "intentPatterns": [
        "(create|add|generate).*?skill",
        "how to.*?create.*?skill"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Success Criteria

• Successfully parses all SKILL.md files
• Generates valid JSON matching schema
• Handles skills without triggers gracefully
• Provides clear output and error messages
• Works for both dry-run and write modes

Notes

• This is a maintainer tool for initial migration
• After migration, maintain skill-rules.json directly
• YAML triggers in SKILL.md can be removed after migration
• Always validate generated JSON with /workflow:configure