Converts user-facing documentation (how-to guides, tutorials, API references, examples) into Claude Code skill directories — SKILL.md with valid frontmatter plus thematically grouped references/*.md files. Use when given a docs directory to transform into an AI skill, when building expert-level Claude knowledge from library or tool documentation, or when the user asks to create a skill from existing docs. Produces output equivalent in quality to fastmcp-creator.
Installs into .claude/skills of the current project.
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---
name: user-docs-to-ai-skill
description: Converts user-facing documentation (how-to guides, tutorials, API references, examples) into Claude Code skill directories — SKILL.md with valid frontmatter plus thematically grouped references/*.md files. Use when given a docs directory to transform into an AI skill, when building expert-level Claude knowledge from library or tool documentation, or when the user asks to create a skill from existing docs. Produces output equivalent in quality to fastmcp-creator.
allowed-tools: Read, Grep, Glob, Bash, Write, Edit, Task
argument-hint: "<docs_path> <output_plugin> <output_skill>"
---
# User Docs to AI Skill
Converts human-readable documentation into a Claude Code skill directory. The output is consumed by Claude, not humans — every word must serve AI comprehension, not user readability.
## Inputs
- `$1` (`docs_path`) — GitHub URL (e.g. `https://github.com/astral-sh/ty`) or local directory path containing documentation
- `$2` (`output_plugin`) — name for the output plugin (e.g., `ty-skill`)
- `$3` (`output_skill`) — (optional) name for the skill within the plugin; derived from project name when not provided
## Output Contract
Creates `plugins/$2/skills/$3/` 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
```mermaid
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 type .md .html .rst .txt\nIdentify top-level sections and index files]
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 --> Q1{net_new?}
Q1 -->|true| Scaffold[Scaffold output directory\nplugins/output-plugin/skills/output-skill/\nplugins/output-plugin/.claude-plugin/plugin.json]
Q1 -->|false| Merge[Read existing skill\nIdentify gaps vs extracted knowledge\nPlan surgical additions only]
Scaffold --> Write[Phase 3 — Write]
Merge --> 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](./references/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 extension: `.md`, `.html`, `.rst`, `.txt`, other
3. Read the index file (`index.md`, `README.md`, `index.html`, or equivalent) to understand top-level structure
4. List all section headings from the index — these hint at reference file themes
5. 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](./references/extraction-patterns.md).
Extraction produces a structured list of knowledge atoms:
```text
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](./references/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 Task tool:
```text
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/$2/skills/$3/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:
```text
## 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](./references/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](./references/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](./references/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](./references/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](./references/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](./references/extraction-patterns.md) — how to extract AI-usable knowledge from each doc type
- [workflow-identification.md](./references/workflow-identification.md) — detecting workflow-shaped content, constructing process-siren delegation prompts, and responding to blocking conditions
- [skill-structure-guide.md](./references/skill-structure-guide.md) — output skill directory structure, frontmatter rules, reference file format
- [quality-criteria.md](./references/quality-criteria.md) — measurable criteria and common failure modes