From python-engineering
Generates PyPI-compliant README files in Markdown or reStructuredText for Python packages. Useful for publication prep, twine check fixes, format conversion between MD/RST, and pyproject.toml readme configuration.
npx claudepluginhub jamie-bitflight/claude_skills --plugin python-engineeringThis skill uses the workspace's default tool permissions.
Generate professional, PyPI-compliant README files in Markdown or reStructuredText that render correctly on PyPI, GitHub, GitLab, and BitBucket.
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Generate professional, PyPI-compliant README files in Markdown or reStructuredText that render correctly on PyPI, GitHub, GitLab, and BitBucket.
Use this skill when:
pyproject.toml metadata for README inclusionPyPI's README renderer supports three formats with specific constraints:
Plain Text (text/plain)
reStructuredText (text/x-rst)
:py:func:, :ref:, :doc:, or other Sphinx-specific rolessphinx-readme extension to generate PyPI-compatible RST from Sphinx docsMarkdown (text/markdown)
Choose Markdown when:
Choose reStructuredText when:
sphinx-readme to generate from Sphinx docsUse sphinx-readme when:
Include these sections for comprehensive project documentation:
Project Identity (Required)
Installation (Required)
pip install package-nameuv add package-name, development installationQuick Start (Highly Recommended)
Features (Recommended)
Usage Examples (Recommended)
Documentation Link (Required if comprehensive docs exist)
Contributing (Recommended for open source)
License (Required)
Changelog/Release Notes (Optional)
Follow these principles from documentation-expert and gitlab-docs-expert:
Clarity and Simplicity
Focus on the User
Accuracy and Synchronization
Promote Consistency
Leverage Visuals and Examples
Syntax Highlighting
```python
import package_name
result = package_name.process("example")
print(result)
# Output: Processed: example
```
Badges
Tables
| Feature | Support |
|---------|---------|
| Python 3.11+ | ✓ |
| Type hints | ✓ |
| Async support | ✓ |
Alerts (GitHub/GitLab)
> [!NOTE]
> This feature requires Python 3.11 or higher.
> [!WARNING]
> Breaking changes in version 2.0. See migration guide.
Links
[Documentation](https://package-name.readthedocs.io)
[PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/package-name/)
[Issues](https://github.com/user/package-name/issues)
Syntax Highlighting
.. code-block:: python
import package_name
result = package_name.process("example")
print(result)
# Output: Processed: example
Badges
.. image:: https://img.shields.io/pypi/v/package-name.svg
:target: https://pypi.org/project/package-name/
:alt: PyPI version
.. image:: https://img.shields.io/pypi/pyversions/package-name.svg
:alt: Python versions
Tables
+------------------+----------+
| Feature | Support |
+==================+==========+
| Python 3.11+ | ✓ |
+------------------+----------+
| Type hints | ✓ |
+------------------+----------+
Or using simple table syntax:
======== =========
Feature Support
======== =========
Python 3.11+ ✓
Type hints ✓
======== =========
Admonitions
.. note::
This feature requires Python 3.11 or higher.
.. warning::
Breaking changes in version 2.0. See migration guide.
.. tip::
Use the async API for better performance.
Links
`Documentation <https://package-name.readthedocs.io>`_
`PyPI <https://pypi.org/project/package-name/>`_
`Issues <https://github.com/user/package-name/issues>`_
Section Headers
================
Main Title
================
Section
=========
Subsection
-----------
Subsubsection
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
For projects using Sphinx, leverage sphinx-readme to generate PyPI-compatible README.rst files.
Installation
uv add --group docs sphinx-readme
Configuration in conf.py
extensions = [
'sphinx_readme',
]
# Optional configuration
readme_config = {
'src_file': 'index.rst', # Source file in docs/
'out_file': '../README.rst', # Output to project root
}
Key Benefits
Limitations
:py:func:, :ref:) converted to plain text or removedWorkflow
# Build Sphinx docs (generates README.rst automatically)
uv run sphinx-build -b html docs/ docs/_build/html
# Verify README rendering
uv run --with twine twine check dist/*
For Markdown README
[project]
name = "package-name"
version = "1.0.0"
description = "Short one-line description"
readme = "README.md" # Automatically sets content-type to text/markdown
requires-python = ">=3.11"
license = {text = "MIT"}
authors = [
{name = "Your Name", email = "you@example.com"}
]
keywords = ["keyword1", "keyword2"]
classifiers = [
"Development Status :: 4 - Beta",
"Intended Audience :: Developers",
"License :: OSI Approved :: MIT License",
"Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11",
"Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12",
]
[project.urls]
Homepage = "https://github.com/user/package-name"
Documentation = "https://package-name.readthedocs.io"
Repository = "https://github.com/user/package-name"
Issues = "https://github.com/user/package-name/issues"
Changelog = "https://github.com/user/package-name/blob/main/CHANGELOG.md"
For reStructuredText README
[project]
readme = "README.rst" # Automatically sets content-type to text/x-rst
# ... rest of configuration
For custom content type
[project]
readme = {file = "README.md", content-type = "text/markdown"}
# or
readme = {file = "README.rst", content-type = "text/x-rst"}
For GitHub Flavored Markdown (explicit)
[project]
readme = {file = "README.md", content-type = "text/markdown; variant=GFM"}
For CommonMark
[project]
readme = {file = "README.md", content-type = "text/markdown; variant=CommonMark"}
Build distribution packages
# Using uv (modern approach)
uv build
# Outputs to dist/:
# - package_name-1.0.0-py3-none-any.whl
# - package_name-1.0.0.tar.gz
Validate README rendering
# Check that README will render on PyPI
uv run --with twine twine check dist/*
Expected output for success:
Checking dist/package_name-1.0.0-py3-none-any.whl: Passed
Checking dist/package_name-1.0.0.tar.gz: Passed
Common validation errors
| Error | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
Unknown interpreted text role "py:func" | Sphinx role in RST | Remove Sphinx-specific roles, use plain text |
Unexpected indentation | RST indentation error | Fix indentation, ensure blank lines before/after directives |
Unknown directive type "automodule" | Sphinx directive in RST | Remove Sphinx directives, use standard docutils only |
Invalid markup | Malformed RST | Run rst2html.py README.rst /dev/null to test |
| Content not showing | Wrong content-type | Verify readme setting in pyproject.toml matches file format |
Publish to PyPI
# Upload to PyPI (requires API token)
uv run --with twine twine upload dist/*
# Test on TestPyPI first (recommended)
uv run --with twine twine upload --repository testpypi dist/*
Setting up PyPI credentials
# Create ~/.pypirc
cat > ~/.pypirc << 'EOF'
[pypi]
username = __token__
password = pypi-your-api-token-here
[testpypi]
username = __token__
password = pypi-your-testpypi-token-here
EOF
chmod 600 ~/.pypirc
Run this workflow before publishing to PyPI:
# 1. Build the package
uv build
# 2. Validate README rendering
uv run --with twine twine check dist/*
# 3. Test installation locally
uv pip install dist/*.whl
# 4. Upload to TestPyPI
uv run --with twine twine upload --repository testpypi dist/*
# 5. Visit TestPyPI page and verify README renders correctly
# https://test.pypi.org/project/package-name/
# 6. Test installation from TestPyPI
uv pip install --index-url https://test.pypi.org/simple/ package-name
# 7. If all looks good, upload to production PyPI
uv run --with twine twine upload dist/*
Test Markdown rendering locally
# Install grip (GitHub README previewer)
uv tool install grip
# Preview README.md
uvx grip README.md
# Opens browser at http://localhost:6419
Test reStructuredText rendering locally
# Convert RST to HTML for preview
uv run --with docutils rst2html.py README.rst README.html
# Open in browser
xdg-open README.html # Linux
open README.html # macOS
Validate RST syntax
# Check for RST errors
uv run --with docutils rst2html.py README.rst /dev/null
# Only shows errors/warnings, no output file
Issue: Sphinx roles not rendering
❌ WRONG (will fail on PyPI):
See :py:func:`package.function` for details.
Use :ref:`my-label` for more information.
✓ CORRECT (PyPI-compatible):
See ``package.function()`` for details.
Use `my-label`_ for more information.
.. _my-label: https://docs.example.com/section
Issue: Code block indentation
❌ WRONG:
.. code-block:: python
import package # No blank line, incorrect indent
✓ CORRECT:
.. code-block:: python
import package # Blank line after directive, proper indent
package.run()
Issue: Link definition spacing
❌ WRONG:
`Documentation`_
.. _Documentation: https://example.com # Too close
✓ CORRECT:
`Documentation`_
.. _Documentation: https://example.com # Blank line before
Issue: Code fence language specification
❌ WRONG:
```
import package # No language specified
```
✓ CORRECT:
```python
import package
```
Issue: Heading hierarchy
❌ WRONG:
# Title
### Subsection # Skipped ##
✓ CORRECT:
# Title
## Section
### Subsection
Issue: Platform-specific line endings
# Convert to Unix line endings (LF)
dos2unix README.md # or README.rst
# Or using Python
uv run python -c "
import sys
with open('README.md', 'r') as f:
content = f.read()
with open('README.md', 'w', newline='\n') as f:
f.write(content)
"
Issue: Rendering differences GitHub vs PyPI
See reference files for complete examples:
references/markdown-template.md - Modern Markdown README templatereferences/rst-template.rst - reStructuredText README templatereferences/sphinx-readme-example.md - Using sphinx-readme extensionSkills to activate:
uv - For Python project and package managementhatchling - For build backend configurationgitlab-skill - For GitLab Flavored Markdown featuresExternal tools:
twine - README validation and PyPI publishingsphinx-readme - Generate PyPI-compatible RST from Sphinxgrip - Preview Markdown as GitHub renders itdocutils - Validate and convert reStructuredTextpandoc - Convert between Markdown and RSTConsult ../python3-core/references/python3-standards.md when applying shared architecture, typing, testing, or CLI rules; full standards, graphs, and amendment process are documented there.
Before finalizing a README:
twine checktwine check before uploadingsphinx-readme for Sphinx-based projects