Skillpack Forge

Skillpack Forge turns one repo manifest into portable agent instructions, skills, rules, MCP resources, MCPB-ready manifests, and local MCPB bundles for AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, Claude, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, and MCP clients.

AI coding tools now ask for the same project knowledge in different formats: AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, Claude Skills, Codex Skills, Cursor rules, GitHub Copilot instructions, MCP resources, local MCP bundle manifests, and .mcpb bundles. Skillpack Forge gives maintainers one source of truth.

Try It In 30 Seconds

npx skillpack-forge@latest init .
npx skillpack-forge@latest compile . --dry-run
npx skillpack-forge@latest compile .
npx skillpack-forge@latest doctor .
npx skillpack-forge@latest diff .
npx skillpack-forge@latest check . --strict
npx skillpack-forge@latest mcpb .

It scans the repo, writes skillpack.yaml, then compiles it into:

• AGENTS.md
• CLAUDE.md
• .claude/skills/<skill>/SKILL.md
• .codex/skills/<skill>/SKILL.md
• .cursor/rules/<project>.mdc
• .github/copilot-instructions.md
• .mcp/manifest.json
• .mcp/skillpack-server.mjs
• .mcp/README.md

Target Matrix

Start from an automation template instead:

npx skillpack-forge@latest new browser-automation .
npx skillpack-forge@latest new playwright-browser .
npx skillpack-forge@latest new data-pipeline .
npx skillpack-forge@latest compile . --dry-run

Browse the automation skillpack gallery for all templates and generated examples.

Import existing agent files into one manifest:

npx skillpack-forge@latest import . --force

Skillpack Forge is a compiler for repo-specific agent instructions, not a skill registry, skill installer, readiness-score linter, or agent runtime. See how it differs and the competitive analysis.

Why This Can Win Stars

The high-star signal is clear: developers are collecting agent instructions and skills, but the ecosystem is fragmented.

• agentsmd/agents.md: simple repo-level agent guidance format.
• github/awesome-copilot: community instructions, agents, skills, and configurations for GitHub Copilot.
• anthropics/skills: public repository for Agent Skills.
• addyosmani/agent-skills: production-grade engineering skills for coding agents.
• microsoft/playwright-mcp and github/github-mcp-server: MCP is becoming a default automation surface.
• vercel-labs/agent-browser: browser automation for AI agents is already a high-interest category.

Skillpack Forge sits between those trends: it is not another list of prompts, and it is not a full workflow platform. It is the missing compiler that lets any repo ship consistent agent context everywhere.

Quick Start

Use the npm CLI:

npx skillpack-forge@latest --help

Create a skillpack for any project:

npx skillpack-forge@latest init /path/to/project
npx skillpack-forge@latest compile /path/to/project --dry-run
npx skillpack-forge@latest compile /path/to/project
npx skillpack-forge@latest doctor /path/to/project
npx skillpack-forge@latest diff /path/to/project
npx skillpack-forge@latest check /path/to/project --strict
npx skillpack-forge@latest mcpb /path/to/project

Inspect a repo without writing files:

npx skillpack-forge@latest scan /path/to/project --json

Generate a template skillpack:

npx skillpack-forge@latest new --list
npx skillpack-forge@latest new release-automation /path/to/project

Import existing agent files:

npx skillpack-forge@latest import /path/to/project

Compile an Agentic Workflow Guard safety skillpack:

node ../agentic-workflow-guard/bin/agentic-workflow-guard.js skillpack > skillpack.yaml
npx skillpack-forge@latest compile . --dry-run
npx skillpack-forge@latest compile .
npx skillpack-forge@latest doctor .
npx skillpack-forge@latest diff .
npx skillpack-forge@latest check . --strict

This gives automation security projects a portable context bundle for AGENTS.md, Claude Skills, Codex Skills, Cursor rules, and Copilot instructions. See Agentic Workflow Guard for the scanner side of the workflow.

Example Manifest

See examples/skillpack.yaml and the generated files in examples/AGENTS.md, examples/.claude/skills, examples/.codex/skills, examples/.cursor/rules, and examples/.github/copilot-instructions.md.

For template-driven examples, see the automation skillpack gallery and the generated examples index.

name: "my-agent-tool"
summary: "Browser automation CLI for recurring operator workflows"
targets:
  - "agents"
  - "claude-md"
  - "claude"
  - "codex"
  - "cursor"
  - "copilot"
  - "mcp"
principles:
  - "Preserve user changes and keep edits scoped"
  - "Inspect the current repo state before changing files"
  - "Run verification before claiming success"
commands:
  install: "npm install"
  test: "npm test"
  lint: "npm run lint"
skills:
  - name: "my-agent-tool-developer"
    description: "Use when changing, testing, or automating my-agent-tool."
    workflow:
      - "Inspect the current project context and nearby files"
      - "Run npm test before completion"
      - "Document any command that cannot be run"

CLI

scan

Detects project metadata, package managers, useful commands, docs, and automation capabilities.

skillpack-forge scan .
skillpack-forge scan . --json

init

Creates skillpack.yaml from the scan.

skillpack-forge init .
skillpack-forge init . --force

import

Creates skillpack.yaml from existing agent files such as AGENTS.md, .github/copilot-instructions.md, .cursor/rules/*.mdc, .claude/skills/*/SKILL.md, and .codex/skills/*/SKILL.md.

skillpack-forge import .
skillpack-forge import . --force
skillpack-forge import . --json

new

Creates a template manifest for common automation skillpacks.

skillpack-forge new --list
skillpack-forge new browser-automation .
skillpack-forge new playwright-browser .
skillpack-forge new docs-automation .
skillpack-forge new release-automation .
skillpack-forge new ops-automation .
skillpack-forge new data-automation .
skillpack-forge new data-pipeline .

compile

Compiles skillpack.yaml into the selected targets. Use --dry-run first to list files that would be created or overwritten without changing the repo.

skillpack-forge compile .
skillpack-forge compile . --dry-run

mcpb

Packs the generated .mcp directory into a local .mcpb bundle without adding runtime dependencies. Run compile first so .mcp/manifest.json and .mcp/skillpack-server.mjs exist.

skillpack-forge mcpb .
skillpack-forge mcpb . dist/my-project-skillpack.mcpb

doctor

Checks that generated files exist and do not contain placeholder text.

skillpack-forge doctor .

diff

Checks whether generated files match the current skillpack.yaml. This exits non-zero when generated agent instructions are missing or stale, which makes it useful in CI.

skillpack-forge diff .

check

Runs doctor and diff as one CI-friendly command. Use --strict to also fail on unexpected old Skillpack Forge generated files.

skillpack-forge check .
skillpack-forge check . --strict

JSON Schema

Use skillpack.schema.json to validate manifest shape in editors or CI. The schema covers the current portable targets: AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, Claude Skills, Codex Skills, Cursor rules, Copilot instructions, MCP resources, and MCPB-ready manifests.

MCP Server

Add mcp to targets to generate a zero-dependency local MCP stdio server and MCPB manifest:

skillpack-forge compile .
node .mcp/skillpack-server.mjs

The generated server exposes read-only resources and tools for the manifest, summary, commands, and workflows. Pack the generated .mcp directory into a local .mcpb bundle:

skillpack-forge mcpb . my-project-skillpack.mcpb

Run an additional official MCPB schema check when needed:

npx -y @anthropic-ai/mcpb validate .mcp

See .mcp/README.md after compilation and the MCP packaging design note.

GitHub Action

Use the bundled action to keep generated files fresh in pull requests:

- uses: guorunjie/skillpack-forge@v1
  with:
    path: .

See the GitHub Action guide.

Positioning

Skillpack Forge is for:

• open-source maintainers who want every coding agent to understand their repo quickly;
• teams that already maintain separate Copilot, Cursor, Claude, and Codex instructions;
• automation tool builders who want reusable skill packs around browser, ops, data, or workflow tasks;
• agent framework authors who need a clean bridge from repo context to tool-specific instructions.

It is intentionally small: no hosted service, no database, no LLM dependency, no lock-in.

Roadmap

Recently delivered:

• Animated terminal demo for the README first screen.
• Target compatibility matrix across AGENTS.md, Claude, Codex, Cursor, Copilot, and MCP.
• Data pipeline automation template and generated example.
• MCPB-ready manifest generation for local MCP servers.
• Public automation skillpack gallery with generated examples for every template.
• Zero-dependency MCPB bundle packing via skillpack-forge mcpb.

Next:

• Optional MCPB signing and install-flow documentation after user feedback.
• Public gallery of reusable automation skillpacks.

Development

npm test
node ./bin/skillpack-forge.js scan . --json
node ./bin/skillpack-forge.js doctor .
node ./bin/skillpack-forge.js diff .

The implementation is dependency-free Node.js so the CLI stays easy to audit and install.

Contributions are welcome. Start with CONTRIBUTING.md or open a template request for a workflow you want Skillpack Forge to generate.