Using Local Configuration

The readme-and-co plugin supports project-specific configuration through a local config file. This allows you to set default values that apply to your project without repeating them in every command.

Setup

First, ensure plugin path resolution works:

Skill(skill="utils:find-claude-plugin-root")

Quick Start

1. Copy the example config:

   mkdir -p .claude
   PLUGIN_ROOT=$(python3 /tmp/cpr.py readme-and-co)
   cp "$PLUGIN_ROOT/examples/readme-and-co.local.md" .claude/readme-and-co.local.md
   

2. Edit the config to match your project:

   ---
   defaults:
     project_name: my-awesome-app
     author_name: Your Name
     license: MIT
   badges:
     enabled: true
     style: flat-square
   ---
   

3. Use the plugin - defaults are automatically loaded:

   # project_name and license come from config
   python scripts/render_template.py --template templates/README/full/README-MINIMAL.template.md --vars '{"description":"Cool app"}' --output README.md
   

Configuration File Format

The config file must be located at .claude/readme-and-co.local.md and use YAML frontmatter:

---
defaults:
  project_name: value
  key: value
badges:
  enabled: true
---
# Optional markdown content below

Configuration Priority

Values are merged with the following priority (highest to lowest):

1. CLI arguments (--vars flag) - Always wins
2. Local config (.claude/readme-and-co.local.md)
3. Auto-detected (from git, package.json, etc.)
4. Built-in defaults

Example

Config file:

---
defaults:
  author_name: Jane Doe
  license: MIT
---

Command:

python scripts/render_template.py --vars '{"license":"Apache-2.0"}' ...

Result: license=Apache-2.0 (CLI overrides config), author_name=Jane Doe (from config)

Available Configuration Options

defaults - Template Variables

Default values for template variables:

defaults:
  # Project metadata
  project_name: my-project
  description: Short description

  # Author info
  author_name: Your Name
  author_email: you@example.com

  # License
  license: MIT

  # Repository
  repo_url: https://github.com/user/repo

badges - Badge Generation

Control badge auto-generation:

badges:
  enabled: true
  style: flat-square  # flat, flat-square, plastic, for-the-badge
  include:
    - license
    - ci-status
    - language-version
    - npm-version
    - coverage

templates - Template Preferences

Control which template variants to use:

templates:
  readme_variant: standard  # minimal, standard, comprehensive

hooks - Documentation Hooks

Control when to suggest documentation updates:

hooks:
  doc_updates:
    enabled: true  # Set to false to disable suggestions

Use Cases

Single Developer Projects

---
defaults:
  author_name: Jane Developer
  author_email: jane@dev.com
  license: MIT
badges:
  enabled: true
  style: flat-square
---

Team Projects

---
defaults:
  # Don't set author_name - will be auto-detected from git
  license: Apache-2.0
  project_name: team-project
badges:
  enabled: true
  include:
    - license
    - build-status
    - coverage
templates:
  readme_variant: comprehensive
---

Open Source Projects

---
defaults:
  license: MIT
badges:
  enabled: true
  style: for-the-badge
  include:
    - license
    - ci-status
    - npm-version
    - downloads
    - contributors
templates:
  readme_variant: comprehensive
hooks:
  doc_updates:
    enabled: true
---

Tips

1. Version control: Commit .claude/readme-and-co.local.md so your team shares the same defaults
2. Privacy: The config file is for defaults, not secrets. Don't include API keys or passwords
3. Override when needed: Use CLI args to override config for one-off changes
4. Validation: The plugin validates the config file format and shows warnings for invalid YAML

Troubleshooting

Config not loading

Check:

• File is at .claude/readme-and-co.local.md (relative to current directory)
• YAML frontmatter starts and ends with --- on their own lines
• YAML syntax is valid (proper indentation, no tabs)

Values not being used

Check priority:

• CLI arguments override config
• Use --vars '{}' to ensure config defaults are used
• Check stderr output for "Loaded N default(s)" message

Invalid YAML

The plugin uses a simple YAML parser. If you have complex YAML:

• Avoid advanced features (anchors, multi-line strings)
• Use simple key: value pairs
• For lists, use - item syntax with proper indentation

Example Workflow

1. Setup (once per project):

   mkdir -p .claude
   PLUGIN_ROOT=$(python3 /tmp/cpr.py readme-and-co)
   cp "$PLUGIN_ROOT/examples/readme-and-co.local.md" .claude/readme-and-co.local.md
   # Edit .claude/readme-and-co.local.md
   git add .claude/readme-and-co.local.md
   git commit -m "Add readme-and-co config"
   

2. Use (ongoing):

   # Defaults from config, only specify what changes
   python scripts/render_template.py \
     --template templates/README/full/README-STANDARD.template.md \
     --vars '{"description":"New feature added"}' \
     --output README.md
   

3. Override (when needed):

   # Different license for this one file
   python scripts/populate_license.py \
     --license Apache-2.0 \
     --output LICENSE-APACHE