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-packager

Review the files below or copy the command above to add this skill to your agents.

Files (1)
SKILL.md
6.3 KB
---
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)

Overview

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.

How this skill works

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.

When to use it

  • After completing skill development and content finalization
  • Before uploading a skill to Claude or a related API
  • When you need a reproducible, validated ZIP artifact and manifest
  • When you must verify there is no sensitive data before distribution

Best practices

  • Run the validation step and address all warnings before packaging
  • Review any flagged sensitive patterns manually—never package without confirmation
  • Exclude large assets or compress them to meet platform limits
  • Include a generated manifest to make integrity checks and audits easy
  • Limit package size (recommend under 10–20 MB) and split into sub-skills if needed

Example use cases

  • Create a verified ZIP of a finished skill directory for upload to Claude
  • Batch-package multiple skills with consistent exclusion rules and manifests
  • Pre-flight check for sensitive keys or tokens before sharing artifacts
  • Generate a reproducible package with checkpoints for CI/CD and audits

FAQ

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.