user-docs-to-ai-skill

<docs_path>$1</docs_path> <output_plugin>$2</output_plugin> <output_skill>$3</output_skill>

User Docs to AI Skill

Converts human-readable documentation in any text or binary format into a Claude Code skill directory. Supports Markdown, PDF, DOCX, PPTX, XLSX, AsciiDoc, RST, HTML, Jupyter notebooks, man pages, config files, and plain text. Uses the MCP file-reader server for binary document formats. The output is consumed by Claude, not humans — every word must serve AI comprehension, not user readability.

Inputs

• <docs_path/> — GitHub URL (e.g. https://github.com/astral-sh/ty) or local directory path containing documentation
• <output_plugin/> — name for the output plugin (e.g., ty-skill)
• <output_skill/> — (optional) name for the skill within the plugin; derived from project name when not provided

Output Contract

Creates plugins/<output_plugin/>/skills/<output_skill/>/ containing:

• SKILL.md — valid frontmatter + AI-facing workflow instructions + links to all reference files
• references/ — thematically grouped knowledge files, each linked from SKILL.md

Workflow

flowchart TD
    Start([Skill receives source + output_plugin]) --> Phase0[Phase 0 — Input Resolution]
    Phase0 --> Q_src{source type?}
    Q_src -->|GitHub URL| Clone["git clone source .claude/worktrees/project-name/\nproject-name = last URL segment"]
    Q_src -->|Local path| UseLocal[Use path as-is]
    Clone --> SetRoot[Set docs_root = .claude/worktrees/project-name/]
    UseLocal --> SetRoot
    SetRoot --> Q_name{output_skill provided?}
    Q_name -->|No| DeriveName[Derive output_skill from project-name]
    Q_name -->|Yes| FindDocs
    DeriveName --> FindDocs[Locate documentation within docs_root]
    FindDocs --> Q_docs{docs/ directory exists?}
    Q_docs -->|Yes| UseDocs[Set docs_path = docs_root/docs/]
    Q_docs -->|No| ScanAll["Task: Explore agent\nGlob all .md files across docs_root\nReturn list of markdown and inline doc files"]
    UseDocs --> Inv
    ScanAll --> Inv[Glob all files in docs_path\nCount by format category — see input-resolution.md\nIdentify top-level sections and index files\nFlag MCP-dependent formats]
    Inv --> Phase1[Phase 1 — Extraction]
    Phase1 --> Extract[Apply extraction patterns per doc type\nSee extraction-patterns.md]
    Extract --> Phase15[Phase 1.5 — Workflow Identification]
    Phase15 --> WfDetect[Scan atoms for TYPE: pattern and TYPE: constraint atoms<br>that describe multi-step sequences or decision trees]
    WfDetect --> Q0{Any workflow-shaped atoms found?}
    Q0 -->|No| Classify
    Q0 -->|Yes — delegate each to process-siren| WfDelegate["Task: subagent_type='process-siren:process-siren'<br>Output: resources/workflows/{slug}.md"]
    WfDelegate --> Classify[Classify remaining atoms into themes\nEach theme becomes one reference file]
    Classify --> Phase2[Phase 2 — Structure]
    Phase2 --> Scaffold[Scaffold output directory\nplugins/<output_plugin/>/skills/<output_skill/>/]
    Scaffold --> Write[Phase 3 — Write]
    Write --> RefFiles[Write references/*.md files\nOne file per theme — see skill-structure-guide.md]
    RefFiles --> SkillMD[Write SKILL.md\nFrontmatter + workflow + links to all reference files]
    SkillMD --> Phase4[Phase 4 — Verify]
    Phase4 --> QC[Apply quality-criteria.md checklist\nFix any failing criteria]
    QC --> Q2{All criteria pass?}
    Q2 -->|No| Fix[Fix failing items — re-run checklist]
    Fix --> Q2
    Q2 -->|Yes| Done([Done — report output path and file inventory])

Phase 0 — Input Resolution and Inventory

Run before any extraction. Do not skip.

See input-resolution.md for complete branching logic. Summary:

Step 0a — Resolve source to a local directory

1. If source matches https://github.com/* — it is a GitHub URL:
   • Derive project-name from the last path segment (e.g. astral-sh/ty → ty)
   • Run git clone <source> .claude/worktrees/<project-name>/ (path relative to project root)
   • Set docs_root = .claude/worktrees/<project-name>/
2. Otherwise — treat source as a local directory path and set docs_root = source

Step 0b — Derive output_skill if not provided

If output_skill was not passed as input, derive it from project-name (the last URL segment or last path segment of the local path).

Step 0c — Locate documentation within docs_root

1. Check whether docs_root/docs/ exists
2. If yes — set docs_path = docs_root/docs/ and proceed
3. If no — delegate to an Explore subagent: Glob("**/*.md", docs_root) plus check for inline docstrings; collect all markdown file paths; set docs_path to the list of discovered files

Step 0d — Inventory

1. Glob("**/*", docs_path) — list all files
2. Group by format category (see input-resolution.md File Format Categories table)
3. Flag files requiring the MCP file-reader server (PDF, DOCX, PPTX, XLSX) — these need the file-reader MCP tool during extraction
4. Read the index file (index.md, README.md, index.html, or equivalent) to understand top-level structure
5. List all section headings from the index — these hint at reference file themes
6. Note total file count and estimated reading volume

Report the inventory before proceeding to Phase 1.

Phase 1 — Extraction

Apply extraction patterns from extraction-patterns.md.

For non-markdown formats (PDF, DOCX, PPTX, XLSX, AsciiDoc, RST, HTML, Jupyter, man pages, config files), apply the format-specific extraction patterns from the Format-Specific Extraction section of extraction-patterns.md. Use the MCP file-reader server tools for binary formats that the Read tool cannot parse.

Extraction produces a structured list of knowledge atoms:

ATOM: <one-sentence fact, constraint, parameter, or pattern>
TYPE: <command | parameter | constraint | pattern | error | example>
SOURCE: <filename:section>

Collect atoms into a flat list first. Do not group yet — grouping happens in Phase 2.

Phase 1.5 — Workflow Identification

Runs after Phase 1 extraction, before Phase 2 grouping. Identifies workflow-shaped atoms and converts them to validated Mermaid diagrams via process-siren.

See workflow-identification.md for detection criteria, delegation prompt construction, and blocking-condition responses.

Identify Workflow-Shaped Atoms

Scan the flat atom list produced in Phase 1. An atom is workflow-shaped when it meets any of:

• Describes a multi-step sequence with order-dependent steps
• Contains decision conditions with observable branch outcomes
• Involves multiple actors or system states with explicit transitions
• Has a defined terminal outcome (success, failure, or completion state)

Simple sequential prose ("first do X, then do Y") without branching is NOT workflow-shaped — leave it as atoms for thematic grouping.

Delegate Each Workflow to process-siren

For each identified workflow-shaped atom cluster, delegate via Agent tool:

Task: subagent_type="process-siren:process-siren"
Context to include in the prompt:
  - The raw prose or atom text verbatim
  - What the workflow represents (1 sentence of context)
  - Output file path: plugins/<output_plugin/>/skills/<output_skill/>/resources/workflows/{slug}.md
Output: resources/workflows/{slug}.md — validated Mermaid flowchart file

Derive {slug} from the workflow topic (e.g., installation-flow, error-recovery, auth-decision).

When process-siren Blocks

process-siren blocks when it detects undefined actors, vague conditions, or missing terminal states. Respond by:

1. Returning to the source docs for the specific missing element
2. Extracting the clarifying detail and re-delegating with updated prose
3. If the source docs do not resolve the gap — write a stub file at the output path containing <!-- TODO: manual-workflow-needed — [describe the gap] --> and continue

Reference Workflow Files from SKILL.md

After all workflow files are written, add a ## Workflows section to the output SKILL.md listing each file:

## Workflows

- [Workflow Name](./resources/workflows/slug.md)

Phase 2 — Thematic Grouping

Group atoms into themes. Each theme becomes one reference file.

Rules:

• A theme is a coherent knowledge domain (e.g., "configuration options", "error messages", "CLI commands")
• Maximum 6 themes. If more exist, merge related ones.
• Minimum 3 atoms per theme. If fewer, merge into an adjacent theme.
• Theme names map directly to reference filenames — see skill-structure-guide.md

Phase 3 — Write Reference Files

For each theme, write references/{theme-slug}.md.

Follow the format rules in skill-structure-guide.md.

Write all reference files before writing SKILL.md.

Phase 4 — Write SKILL.md

After all reference files exist:

1. Write frontmatter — see frontmatter rules in skill-structure-guide.md
2. Write workflow section as a Mermaid flowchart covering the primary task types the skill handles
3. Write one section per reference file linking to it with [text](./references/filename.md)
4. Confirm every reference file is linked from SKILL.md

Phase 5 — Quality Verification

Apply the checklist in quality-criteria.md before declaring done.

If any item fails, fix it and re-run the checklist. Do not declare done with failing criteria.

Reference Files

• input-resolution.md — resolving GitHub URLs and local paths to a local directory, deriving output_skill, and locating docs within the resolved root
• extraction-patterns.md — how to extract AI-usable knowledge from each doc type
• workflow-identification.md — detecting workflow-shaped content, constructing process-siren delegation prompts, and responding to blocking conditions
• skill-structure-guide.md — output skill directory structure, frontmatter rules, reference file format
• quality-criteria.md — measurable criteria and common failure modes