Skip to content

extract

Turn a proven pattern or debugging solution into a standalone reusable skill with SKILL.md, reference docs, and examples. Use when the user runs /si:extract or asks to package a recurring solution from memory into a skill.

1,613
installs
0 up / 0 down, score 0.00
votes
28,535
repo stars
Updated
less than a month ago
In the catalog since
1 Oct 2026
From
alirezarezvani/claude-skills
AI & Agents
Get it through your agent npx skills add alirezarezvani/claude-skills@extract

Skill instructions

Rendered from the published SKILL.md, 189 lines.

/si:extract — Create Skills from Patterns

Transforms a recurring pattern or debugging solution into a standalone, portable skill that can be installed in any project.

Usage

/si:extract <pattern description>                  # Interactive extraction
/si:extract <pattern> --name docker-m1-fixes       # Specify skill name
/si:extract <pattern> --output ./skills/            # Custom output directory
/si:extract <pattern> --dry-run                     # Preview without creating files

When to Extract

A learning qualifies for skill extraction when ANY of these are true:

Criterion Signal
Recurring Same issue across 2+ projects
Non-obvious Required real debugging to discover
Broadly applicable Not tied to one specific codebase
Complex solution Multi-step fix that's easy to forget
User-flagged "Save this as a skill", "I want to reuse this"

Workflow

Step 1: Identify the pattern

Read the user's description. Search auto-memory for related entries:

MEMORY_DIR="$HOME/.claude/projects/$(pwd | sed 's|/|%2F|g; s|%2F|/|; s|^/||')/memory"
grep -rni "<keywords>" "$MEMORY_DIR/"

If found in auto-memory, use those entries as source material. If not, use the user's description directly.

Step 2: Determine skill scope

Ask (max 2 questions):

  • "What problem does this solve?" (if not clear)
  • "Should this include code examples?" (if applicable)

Step 3: Generate skill name

Rules for naming:

  • Lowercase, hyphens between words
  • Descriptive but concise (2-4 words)
  • Examples: docker-m1-fixes, api-timeout-patterns, pnpm-workspace-setup

Reserved fragments — must NOT appear in the skill name:

  • claude
  • anthropic

For skills about Claude Code itself, use the cc- prefix instead:

  • ❌ claude-code-settings → ✅ cc-settings
  • ❌ claude-code-maintenance → ✅ cc-maintenance
  • ❌ claude-mcp-tools → ✅ cc-mcp-tools
  • ❌ claude-plugin-development → ✅ cc-plugin-development

Before writing the skill directory, check the proposed name against this list. If a reserved fragment is present, transform it (drop the fragment or replace the claude*/anthropic* prefix with cc-) and confirm with the user.

Step 4: Create the skill files

Spawn the skill-extractor agent for the actual file generation.

The agent creates:

<skill-name>/
├── SKILL.md            # Main skill file with frontmatter
├── README.md           # Human-readable overview
└── reference/          # (optional) Supporting documentation
    └── examples.md     # Concrete examples and edge cases

Step 5: SKILL.md structure

The generated SKILL.md must follow this format:

---
name: "skill-name"
description: "<one-line description>. Use when: <trigger conditions>."
---

# <Skill Title>

> One-line summary of what this skill solves.

## Quick Reference

| Problem | Solution |
|---------|----------|
| {{problem 1}} | {{solution 1}} |
| {{problem 2}} | {{solution 2}} |

## The Problem

{{2-3 sentences explaining what goes wrong and why it's non-obvious.}}

## Solutions

### Option 1: {{Name}} (Recommended)

{{Step-by-step with code examples.}}

### Option 2: {{Alternative}}

{{For when Option 1 doesn't apply.}}

## Trade-offs

| Approach | Pros | Cons |
|----------|------|------|
| Option 1 | {{pros}} | {{cons}} |
| Option 2 | {{pros}} | {{cons}} |
Show the whole skill (69 more lines)

Edge Cases

  • {{edge case 1 and how to handle it}}
  • {{edge case 2 and how to handle it}}

### Step 6: Quality gates

Before finalizing, verify:

- [ ] SKILL.md has valid YAML frontmatter with `name` and `description`
- [ ] `name` matches the folder name (lowercase, hyphens)
- [ ] `name` does NOT contain reserved fragments `claude` or `anthropic` (use `cc-` prefix for Claude Code skills)
- [ ] Description includes "Use when:" trigger conditions
- [ ] Solutions are self-contained (no external context needed)
- [ ] Code examples are complete and copy-pasteable
- [ ] No project-specific hardcoded values (paths, URLs, credentials)
- [ ] No unnecessary dependencies

### Step 7: Report

✅ Skill extracted: {{skill-name}}

Files created: {{path}}/SKILL.md ({{lines}} lines) {{path}}/README.md ({{lines}} lines) {{path}}/reference/examples.md ({{lines}} lines)

Install: /plugin install (copy to your skills directory) Publish: clawhub publish {{path}}

Source: MEMORY.md entries at lines {{n, m, ...}} (retained — the skill is portable, the memory is project-specific)


## Examples

### Extracting a debugging pattern

/si:extract "Fix for Docker builds failing on Apple Silicon with platform mismatch"


Creates `docker-m1-fixes/SKILL.md` with:
- The platform mismatch error message
- Three solutions (build flag, Dockerfile, docker-compose)
- Trade-offs table
- Performance note about Rosetta 2 emulation

### Extracting a workflow pattern

/si:extract "Always regenerate TypeScript API client after modifying OpenAPI spec"


Creates `api-client-regen/SKILL.md` with:
- Why manual regen is needed
- The exact command sequence
- CI integration snippet
- Common failure modes

## Tips

- Extract patterns that would save time in a *different* project
- Keep skills focused — one problem per skill
- Include the error messages people would search for
- Test the skill by reading it without the original context — does it make sense?