home / skills / jmagly / aiwg / skill-packager
This skill packages completed skill directories into uploadable ZIP files for Claude, validating structure and ensuring safe, ready-to-upload artifacts.
npx playbooks add skill jmagly/aiwg --skill skill-packagerReview the files below or copy the command above to add this skill to your agents.
---
name: skill-packager
description: Package skills into uploadable ZIP files for Claude. Use after skill-builder/skill-enhancer to create final upload package.
tools: Read, Write, Bash
---
# Skill Packager Skill
## Purpose
Single responsibility: Package completed skill directories into ZIP files ready for upload to Claude AI. (BP-4)
## Grounding Checkpoint (Archetype 1 Mitigation)
Before executing, VERIFY:
- [ ] Skill directory exists with required structure
- [ ] SKILL.md is present and non-empty
- [ ] At least one reference file exists
- [ ] No sensitive data in skill directory
- [ ] Output path for ZIP is writable
**DO NOT package without validating skill structure.**
## Uncertainty Escalation (Archetype 2 Mitigation)
ASK USER instead of guessing when:
- Skill structure incomplete - proceed anyway?
- Large files detected - include or exclude?
- Sensitive patterns found (API keys, passwords)
- Multiple skill directories - which to package?
**NEVER package potentially sensitive content without review.**
## Context Scope (Archetype 3 Mitigation)
| Context Type | Included | Excluded |
|--------------|----------|----------|
| RELEVANT | Skill directory contents, package config | Other skills |
| PERIPHERAL | Package size estimates | Source data |
| DISTRACTOR | Build process details | Scraping history |
## Workflow Steps
### Step 1: Validate Skill Structure (Grounding)
```bash
# Required structure check
test -f output/<skill-name>/SKILL.md || echo "ERROR: Missing SKILL.md"
test -d output/<skill-name>/references || echo "ERROR: Missing references/"
# Check SKILL.md is not empty
test -s output/<skill-name>/SKILL.md || echo "ERROR: SKILL.md is empty"
# Check for at least one reference
ls output/<skill-name>/references/*.md >/dev/null 2>&1 || echo "ERROR: No reference files"
```
### Step 2: Security Check
```bash
# Scan for potential sensitive data
grep -rE "(api[_-]?key|password|secret|token|credential)" output/<skill-name>/ && \
echo "WARNING: Potential sensitive data found - review before packaging"
# Check for large files
find output/<skill-name>/ -size +10M -exec echo "WARNING: Large file: {}" \;
# Check for binary files
find output/<skill-name>/ -type f ! -name "*.md" ! -name "*.json" ! -name "*.txt" \
-exec file {} \; | grep -v "text" && echo "WARNING: Non-text files found"
```
### Step 3: Calculate Package Size
```bash
# Estimate final size
du -sh output/<skill-name>/
# Count files
find output/<skill-name>/ -type f | wc -l
# List file types
find output/<skill-name>/ -type f -name "*.*" | sed 's/.*\.//' | sort | uniq -c
```
### Step 4: Create Package
**Option A: With skill-seekers**
```bash
# Standard packaging
skill-seekers package output/<skill-name>/
# With upload (if API key set)
skill-seekers package output/<skill-name>/ --upload
```
**Option B: Manual packaging**
```bash
# Navigate to output directory
cd output/
# Create ZIP (exclude backups and temp files)
zip -r <skill-name>.zip <skill-name>/ \
-x "*.backup" \
-x "*.tmp" \
-x ".DS_Store" \
-x "__MACOSX/*"
# Verify ZIP contents
unzip -l <skill-name>.zip
```
### Step 5: Validate Package
```bash
# Check ZIP integrity
unzip -t output/<skill-name>.zip
# Verify required files are included
unzip -l output/<skill-name>.zip | grep "SKILL.md"
unzip -l output/<skill-name>.zip | grep "references/"
# Check size is reasonable
ls -lh output/<skill-name>.zip
```
## Recovery Protocol (Archetype 4 Mitigation)
On error:
1. **PAUSE** - Don't overwrite existing ZIP
2. **DIAGNOSE** - Check error type:
- `Missing files` → Run skill-builder first
- `ZIP error` → Check disk space, permissions
- `Large size` → Exclude unnecessary files
- `Sensitive data` → Clean files, re-package
3. **ADAPT** - Adjust package configuration
4. **RETRY** - With corrected settings (max 3 attempts)
5. **ESCALATE** - Report packaging issues to user
## Checkpoint Support
State saved to: `.aiwg/working/checkpoints/skill-packager/`
```
checkpoints/skill-packager/
├── validation_results.json # Pre-package validation
├── security_scan.json # Security check results
├── package_manifest.json # Files included
└── package_log.txt # Packaging process log
```
## Package Manifest
Generate manifest for verification:
```json
{
"skill_name": "myskill",
"packaged_at": "2025-01-15T10:30:00Z",
"files": [
{"path": "SKILL.md", "size": 15234, "hash": "abc123..."},
{"path": "references/index.md", "size": 2045, "hash": "def456..."},
{"path": "references/api.md", "size": 45678, "hash": "ghi789..."}
],
"total_files": 5,
"total_size": 62957,
"package_size": 18234
}
```
## Upload Options
### Option 1: Automatic Upload (API)
```bash
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...
skill-seekers package output/<skill-name>/ --upload
```
### Option 2: Manual Upload
1. Package creates `output/<skill-name>.zip`
2. Open output folder automatically
3. Go to https://claude.ai/skills
4. Click "Upload Skill"
5. Select ZIP file
6. Done!
### Option 3: Via Claude Code (MCP)
```
"Package and upload the myskill skill"
```
## Exclusion Patterns
Default exclusions:
```
*.backup
*.tmp
*.log
.DS_Store
__MACOSX/
.git/
node_modules/
__pycache__/
*.pyc
.env
*.key
*.pem
```
## Size Limits
| Platform | Max Size | Recommendation |
|----------|----------|----------------|
| Claude.ai | 50MB | Keep under 10MB |
| API | Variable | Keep under 20MB |
If over limit:
1. Remove large images
2. Compress reference files
3. Split into sub-skills
## Configuration Options
```json
{
"skill_dir": "output/myskill/",
"output_zip": "output/myskill.zip",
"options": {
"include_manifest": true,
"compress_level": 9,
"exclude_patterns": ["*.backup", "*.tmp"],
"security_check": true,
"auto_upload": false
}
}
```
## Troubleshooting
| Issue | Diagnosis | Solution |
|-------|-----------|----------|
| ZIP too large | Large assets | Exclude or compress images |
| Missing files | Validation failed | Run skill-builder first |
| Upload failed | API error | Check API key, retry |
| Corrupt ZIP | Disk issue | Check disk space, re-create |
## References
- Claude Skills Upload: https://claude.ai/skills
- Skill Seekers Packaging: https://github.com/jmagly/Skill_Seekers
- REF-001: Production-Grade Agentic Workflows (BP-2 direct functions)
- REF-002: LLM Failure Modes (Archetype 1 grounding before action)
This skill packages completed skill directories into uploadable ZIP files tailored for Claude. It validates structure and content, performs security and size checks, and produces a ready-to-upload archive plus a manifest. Use it after skill construction and enhancement to produce final delivery artifacts.
The packager inspects the skill directory for required files, reference documents, and general structure before packaging. It runs automated security scans for common sensitive patterns, reports large or binary files, calculates package size and file counts, and then creates a ZIP archive with configurable exclusions and compression. A manifest and checkpoint logs are generated to support verification and recovery if packaging fails.
What if the packager finds potential secrets?
It will stop and ask for your review; you must confirm or remove sensitive items before packaging.
Can I include large binary assets?
Yes, but they are flagged and you should compress, exclude, or split the skill to meet recommended size limits.
Is automatic upload supported?
Yes—there is an optional API upload mode, but only enable it with a valid key and after security validation.