AI Skill Generator

Create, validate, and package skills for AI coding assistants (Claude, Cursor, Copilot, Codex, and more). 7 configurable templates, custom templates, auto-detection, import from existing files, and skill update support.

Features

• 7 Built-in templates: REST API, Full-Stack, Frontend, Microservice, DevOps, Library, Basic
• Custom templates: Create your own YAML templates with questions and variables
• Interactive preview: Syntax-highlighted SKILL.md preview before writing to disk
• Auto-detect: Scan your project and auto-fill template options (skill-gen init --auto)
• Import: Convert existing AI instruction files into skills (skill-gen import)
• Skill updates: Modify existing skills without recreating from scratch (skill-gen update)
• Built-in presets: Ready-to-use technology stacks
• Dry run mode: Preview generated files without writing to disk
• Automated mode: Flags for CI/CD pipelines
• External context: Include .md, .txt files as references
• Validation: Automatically verify SKILL.md structure
• Packaging: Generate .skill files (zip) for distribution
• Multi-agent install: Install skills to 9 AI agents at once

Installation

Global

npm install -g ai-skill-generator

Local

git clone https://github.com/engineererick/ai-skill-generator.git
cd ai-skill-generator
npm install
npm run build

Quick Start

Interactive Mode (Recommended)

skill-gen init
# or
sg init

With Preset

# List available presets
skill-gen list-presets

# Use a preset
skill-gen init --preset modern-react --name my-skill --desc "My skill"

Auto-detect Project

# Detect stack from current directory (interactive)
cd my-nextjs-project
skill-gen init --auto

# Non-interactive: auto-detect + flags
skill-gen init --auto --name my-skill --desc "My project skill" --non-interactive

Detects 35+ npm packages, config files, and folder patterns. Supports Next.js, NestJS, Express, Prisma, Tailwind, and many more.

Import Existing AI Instructions

# Import a .cursorrules or CLAUDE.md file
skill-gen import .cursorrules --name my-rules

# Scan for all known AI instruction files in current directory
skill-gen import --scan

Supported formats: .cursorrules, CLAUDE.md, .github/copilot-instructions.md, .windsurfrules, .goose/instructions.md, .gemini/instructions.md, codex.md, .amp/instructions.md.

With Flags (Automation)

skill-gen init \
  --name my-api \
  --type api \
  --desc "Payments API" \
  --with-references \
  --non-interactive

Update an Existing Skill

# Interactive: choose what to update
skill-gen update ./skills/my-api

# Change description only
skill-gen update ./skills/my-api --desc "New description" --non-interactive

# Preview changes without writing
skill-gen update ./skills/my-api --dry-run

Preview Before Creating (Dry Run)

skill-gen init \
  --name my-api \
  --type api \
  --desc "Payments API" \
  --with-references \
  --non-interactive \
  --dry-run

With External Context

skill-gen init \
  --name my-docs \
  --type frontend \
  --desc "With external documentation" \
  --context ./docs/specs.md \
  --context ./docs/requirements/

Commands

| Command | Alias | Description | |---------|-------|-------------| | init | | Create a new skill | | import [file] | i | Import an AI instruction file as a skill | | update <path> | u | Update an existing skill | | validate <path> | | Validate SKILL.md structure | | package <path> | | Create a .skill file (zip) | | install <path> | | Install skill to AI agents | | list-templates | templates | Show available templates | | list-presets | presets | Show built-in presets | | list-agents | agents | Show detected AI agents | | template create | t create | Scaffold a custom template | | template list | t list | List all templates (built-in + custom) | | template validate | t validate | Validate a custom template YAML |

Templates

REST API

Available options:

• Framework: Express, Fastify, Hono, Koa
• Database: PostgreSQL, MongoDB, SQLite, None
• ORM: Prisma, Drizzle, Mongoose, None
• Auth: JWT, Session, OAuth, None
• Validation: Zod, Joi, Yup, None
• Documentation: Swagger, None
• Testing: Vitest, Jest, None

Full-Stack App

Available options:

• Framework: Next.js, Nuxt, Remix, SvelteKit
• Database: PostgreSQL, MongoDB, SQLite
• ORM: Prisma, Drizzle, Mongoose, TypeORM
• Auth: Auth.js, Clerk, Lucia, None
• Styling: Tailwind, CSS Modules, Styled Components
• State: Zustand, Pinia, Jotai, None
• Testing: Vitest+Playwright, Jest+Cypress, Vitest, None

Frontend (Next.js)

Available options:

• UI Library: shadcn/ui, MUI, Chakra UI, Headless UI
• State: Zustand, Redux Toolkit, Jotai, Context API
• Forms: React Hook Form + Zod, TanStack Form, Formik
• Data Fetching: TanStack Query, SWR, RTK Query
• Styling: Tailwind CSS, CSS Modules, Styled Components
• Extras: Storybook, Testing (Vitest/Jest)

Microservice (NestJS)

Available options:

• Database: SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, MySQL
• Architecture: Clean Architecture, Hexagonal, Modular
• Communication: REST, gRPC, RabbitMQ, Redis
• Auth: JWT, API Keys, OAuth2, None
• Docs: Swagger, Compodoc
• Extras: Docker, Testing (Jest/Vitest)

DevOps / Infrastructure

Available options:

• Containerization: Docker, Podman, None
• Orchestration: Kubernetes, Docker Compose, None
• CI/CD: GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Jenkins, None
• Cloud: AWS, GCP, Azure, None
• IaC: Terraform, Pulumi, CloudFormation, None
• Monitoring: Prometheus+Grafana, Datadog, Cloud Native, None

Library

Template for shared utility libraries without framework dependencies.

Basic

Minimal template for simple use cases.

Custom Templates

Create your own reusable templates with YAML:

# Scaffold a new custom template
skill-gen template create

# List all templates (built-in + custom)
skill-gen template list

# Validate a custom template
skill-gen template validate ./my-template.yaml

Templates can be saved globally (~/.skill-generator/templates/) or per-project (.skill-generator/templates/).

Update Command

Update an existing skill's configuration without recreating from scratch:

skill-gen update <path> [options]

| Option | Description | |--------|-------------| | -n, --name <name> | Change skill name | | -d, --desc <desc> | Change description | | -t, --type <type> | Change template type (full regeneration) | | -c, --context <paths...> | Replace context files | | --with-references / --without-references | Toggle references/ | | --with-scripts / --without-scripts | Toggle scripts/ | | --with-assets / --without-assets | Toggle assets/ | | --reinstall | Re-install to agents after update | | --non-interactive | Only apply changes from flags | | --dry-run | Preview without writing | | --no-backup | Skip backup creation |

The update command reads .skillgen.json metadata saved during init to know the original template and options. For skills created before metadata tracking, an adoption flow guides you through establishing a baseline.

Presets

| Preset | Description | Stack | |--------|-------------|-------| | modern-react | Modern 2025 stack | Next.js + shadcn + Zustand + RHF | | enterprise-api | Enterprise API | NestJS + Clean Arch + TypeORM + Swagger | | minimal-api | Lightweight API | NestJS + Modular + Postgres | | fullstack-next | Full stack | Next.js + tRPC + Prisma |

Init Options

Options:
  -n, --name <name>           Skill name (kebab-case)
  -t, --type <type>           Type: api, fullstack, frontend, microservice, devops, library, basic
  -a, --auto                  Auto-detect project type and technologies
  -o, --output <path>         Output directory (default: ./skills)
  -d, --desc <description>    Short description
  -p, --preset <preset>       Use a built-in preset
  -c, --context <paths...>    Context files/directories
  --with-references           Include references/ directory
  --with-scripts              Include scripts/ directory
  --with-assets               Include assets/ directory
  --install                   Install to AI agents after creation
  --install-agent <agents>    Install to specific agents only
  --non-interactive           Automated mode (requires flags)
  --dry-run                   Preview files without writing to disk

Import Options

Options:
  --scan                      Scan current directory for known AI instruction files
  -n, --name <name>           Override skill name
  -d, --desc <desc>           Override description
  -o, --output <path>         Output directory (default: ./skills)
  --install                   Install to AI agents after import
  --non-interactive           Automated mode
  --dry-run                   Preview without writing

External Context

You can include external files that will be merged into references/CONTEXT.md:

# Single file
skill-gen init --context ./docs/specifications.md

# Entire directory
skill-gen init --context ./docs/requirements/

# Multiple sources
skill-gen init --context ./docs/api.md --context ./docs/architecture/

Supported formats: .md, .txt, .mdx, .yml, .yaml, .json

Generated Skill Structure

my-skill/
├── SKILL.md              # Main file with YAML frontmatter
├── .skillgen.json        # Generation metadata (for updates)
├── references/           # Extended documentation (optional)
│   ├── ENDPOINTS.md
│   ├── MIDDLEWARE.md
│   └── CONTEXT.md        # Included if external context was provided
├── scripts/              # Utilities (optional)
│   ├── seed.ts
│   └── deploy.sh
└── assets/               # Resources (optional)

Supported AI Agents

Skills can be installed to these AI coding assistants:

• Claude Code
• Cursor
• VS Code / Copilot
• Codex
• Goose
• OpenCode
• Gemini CLI
• Letta
• Amp

Development

npm run watch    # Recompile on changes
npm run clean    # Clean build
npm run build    # Rebuild
npm test         # Run all tests (14 functional + 12 renderer)

License

MIT