Init Skills - Setup & Verification

Automatically initializes Claude Code skills in any project and verifies they're working correctly.

When I Activate

I activate when you:

• Type /init-skills or /setup-skills
• Say "setup Claude skills"
• Say "install skills in this project"
• Ask "are skills installed?"
• Want to verify skills are working

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What I Do

1. Check Current Status

First, I check if skills are already installed:

# Check for .claude/skills directory
# List what skills exist
# Verify each SKILL.md file

Report:

## Skills Status

✅ Skills installed: 6/6
- prompt-helper
- debug-buddy
- test-and-verify
- code-explainer
- research-and-implement
- quick-review

OR

❌ Skills not found
Need to initialize skills in this project.

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2. Initialize Skills (If Needed)

If skills aren't installed, I'll run the initialization:

/Users/josh/Cursor/APPS/claudecodeskills/init-claude-skills.sh

Steps:

1. Create .claude/skills/ directory
2. Copy all 6 skills from template
3. Verify each skill file
4. Confirm installation

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3. Verify Installation

After initialization (or if skills already exist), I verify:

Verification Checklist:

• .claude/skills/ directory exists
• All 6 skill folders present
• Each skill has SKILL.md file
• YAML frontmatter is valid
• Description field exists (for auto-activation)
• Skills are ready to use

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4. Provide Usage Guide

After successful setup, I explain:

## ✅ Skills Installed Successfully!

Your 6 Claude Code skills are now active:

1. **prompt-helper** - Guides effective prompting
   Activates: "How do I ask Claude to..."

2. **debug-buddy** - Systematic debugging with /chrome
   Activates: When errors occur or code breaks

3. **test-and-verify** - Comprehensive testing
   Activates: "Test this feature"

4. **code-explainer** - Beginner-friendly explanations
   Activates: "What does this code do?"

5. **research-and-implement** - Research then build
   Activates: "Research how to add..."

6. **quick-review** - Fast code review
   Activates: "Review this code"

## Next Steps:
- Skills auto-activate when relevant
- Just talk to Claude normally
- Skills work automatically!

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Usage Examples

Example 1: First Time Setup

You type: /init-skills

I do:

1. Check if skills exist → Not found
2. Run initialization script
3. Copy all 6 skills
4. Verify installation
5. Show success message with guide

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Example 2: Verify Existing Skills

You type: /init-skills

I do:

1. Check if skills exist → Found!
2. Verify all 6 skills present
3. Check each SKILL.md file
4. Report status:

   ✅ All skills installed and verified
   - prompt-helper ✓
   - debug-buddy ✓
   - test-and-verify ✓
   - code-explainer ✓
   - research-and-implement ✓
   - quick-review ✓
   

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Example 3: Partial Installation

You type: /init-skills

I do:

1. Check skills → Found 3/6
2. Report missing skills
3. Ask if you want to:
   • Re-initialize all (recommended)
   • Add missing only
4. Complete the installation
5. Verify all working

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Automatic Actions

When you invoke this skill, I will:

1. Check Status (always first)

   ls .claude/skills/
   

2. Initialize if Needed

   /Users/josh/Cursor/APPS/claudecodeskills/init-claude-skills.sh
   

3. Verify Installation

   find .claude/skills -name "SKILL.md"
   # Should return 6 files
   

4. Read and Validate

   • Check each SKILL.md has proper YAML
   • Verify description fields exist
   • Confirm all required skills present

5. Report Success

   • Show installed skills
   • Explain how they work
   • Provide next steps

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Skills Inventory

I verify these 6 skills are installed:

1. prompt-helper

Purpose: Guides you to structure effective prompts File: .claude/skills/prompt-helper/SKILL.md Activates: User needs help asking Claude for something

2. debug-buddy

Purpose: Systematic debugging with browser automation File: .claude/skills/debug-buddy/SKILL.md Activates: Errors, bugs, code doesn't work Features: /chrome integration for testing

3. test-and-verify

Purpose: Comprehensive testing before moving forward File: .claude/skills/test-and-verify/SKILL.md Activates: After building features or fixing bugs Features: /chrome integration, GIF recording

4. code-explainer

Purpose: Explains code in beginner-friendly terms File: .claude/skills/code-explainer/SKILL.md Activates: User wants to understand code

5. research-and-implement

Purpose: Researches best practices then implements File: .claude/skills/research-and-implement/SKILL.md Activates: Building unfamiliar features Features: /chrome integration for research

6. quick-review

Purpose: Fast code review for quality and security File: .claude/skills/quick-review/SKILL.md Activates: Before commits or when requesting review

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Troubleshooting

Issue: Script Path Not Found

Error:

init-claude-skills.sh: No such file or directory

Fix: Verify the script exists:

ls /Users/josh/Cursor/APPS/claudecodeskills/init-claude-skills.sh

If missing, I'll help you locate it or re-create it.

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Issue: Permissions Error

Error:

Permission denied

Fix:

chmod +x /Users/josh/Cursor/APPS/claudecodeskills/init-claude-skills.sh

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Issue: Partial Installation

Symptom: Only some skills installed

Fix:

1. Remove partial installation:

   rm -rf .claude/skills
   

2. Re-run initialization
3. Verify all 6 skills present

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Output Format

Success Report

╔════════════════════════════════════════╗
║     Claude Skills Status Report        ║
╔════════════════════════════════════════╗

✅ Skills Installation: COMPLETE

Installed Skills (6/6):
  ✓ prompt-helper
  ✓ debug-buddy
  ✓ test-and-verify
  ✓ code-explainer
  ✓ research-and-implement
  ✓ quick-review

📍 Location: .claude/skills/

🎯 Status: All skills active and ready

💡 Usage:
   Skills auto-activate based on context.
   Just ask Claude naturally - skills will help automatically!

🚀 You're ready to code with skill support!

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Installation Report

╔════════════════════════════════════════╗
║   Initializing Claude Skills...        ║
╔════════════════════════════════════════╗

→ Creating .claude/skills directory...
→ Copying skills from template...
→ Installing prompt-helper... ✓
→ Installing debug-buddy... ✓
→ Installing test-and-verify... ✓
→ Installing code-explainer... ✓
→ Installing research-and-implement... ✓
→ Installing quick-review... ✓

✅ Installation Complete!

All 6 skills successfully installed and verified.

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Quick Actions

When invoked, I can also:

List All Skills

Shows what skills are available and what they do

Verify Setup

Checks that all skills are properly formatted and working

Reinstall Skills

If something's broken, I can clean and reinstall

Show Skill Details

Explain what each skill does and when it activates

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Integration with Other Skills

After initialization:

• prompt-helper will guide your questions
• debug-buddy will help fix errors
• test-and-verify will test your code
• code-explainer will explain what you built
• research-and-implement will help with new features
• quick-review will check quality before commits

All work together automatically!

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Slash Command Usage

Invoke this skill with:

• /init-skills
• /setup-skills
• /verify-skills
• "Setup Claude skills"
• "Install skills"
• "Are skills installed?"

I'll handle the rest automatically!

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Cost-Conscious Operation

This skill:

• ✅ Runs initialization script (fast, minimal tokens)
• ✅ Verifies files exist (simple file checks)
• ✅ One-time setup per project
• ✅ No ongoing cost after installation
• ✅ Skills themselves are cost-optimized

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Success Criteria

Setup is successful when:

• ✅ .claude/skills/ directory exists
• ✅ All 6 SKILL.md files present
• ✅ Each skill has valid YAML frontmatter
• ✅ All skills ready to auto-activate
• ✅ User understands how to use them

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Follow-Up Actions

After successful setup, I can:

1. Test a skill activation (try prompt-helper)
2. Explain any specific skill in detail
3. Show examples of how skills work
4. Help customize skills for your project
5. Verify skills work with a real task

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Just type /init-skills whenever you need to set up or verify Claude skills in a project!