everything-claude-code/CONTRIBUTING.md

Contributing to Everything Claude Code

Thanks for wanting to contribute! This repo is a community resource for Claude Code users.

Table of Contents

• What We're Looking For
• Quick Start
• Contributing Skills
• Skill Adaptation Policy
• Contributing Agents
• Contributing Hooks
• Contributing Commands
• MCP and documentation (e.g. Context7)
• Cross-Harness and Translations
• Pull Request Process

---

What We're Looking For

Agents

New agents that handle specific tasks well:

• Language-specific reviewers (Python, Go, Rust)
• Framework experts (Django, Rails, Laravel, Spring)
• DevOps specialists (Kubernetes, Terraform, CI/CD)
• Domain experts (ML pipelines, data engineering, mobile)

Skills

Workflow definitions and domain knowledge:

• Language best practices
• Framework patterns
• Testing strategies
• Architecture guides

Hooks

Useful automations:

• Linting/formatting hooks
• Security checks
• Validation hooks
• Notification hooks

Commands

Slash commands that invoke useful workflows:

• Deployment commands
• Testing commands
• Code generation commands

---

Quick Start

# 1. Fork and clone
gh repo fork affaan-m/everything-claude-code --clone
cd everything-claude-code

# 2. Create a branch
git checkout -b feat/my-contribution

# 3. Add your contribution (see sections below)

# 4. Test locally
cp -r skills/my-skill ~/.claude/skills/  # for skills
# Then test with Claude Code

# 5. Submit PR
git add . && git commit -m "feat: add my-skill" && git push -u origin feat/my-contribution

---

Contributing Skills

Skills are knowledge modules that Claude Code loads based on context.

Comprehensive Guide: For detailed guidance on creating effective skills, see Skill Development Guide. It covers:

• Skill architecture and categories
• Writing effective content with examples
• Best practices and common patterns
• Testing and validation
• Complete examples gallery

Directory Structure

skills/
└── your-skill-name/
    └── SKILL.md

SKILL.md Template

---
name: your-skill-name
description: Brief description shown in skill list and used for auto-activation
origin: ECC
---

# Your Skill Title

Brief overview of what this skill covers.

## When to Activate

Describe scenarios where Claude should use this skill. This is critical for auto-activation.

## Core Concepts

Explain key patterns and guidelines.

## Code Examples

\`\`\`typescript
// Include practical, tested examples
function example() {
  // Well-commented code
}
\`\`\`

## Anti-Patterns

Show what NOT to do with examples.

## Best Practices

- Actionable guidelines
- Do's and don'ts
- Common pitfalls to avoid

## Related Skills

Link to complementary skills (e.g., `related-skill-1`, `related-skill-2`).

Skill Categories

Category	Purpose	Examples
Language Standards	Idioms, conventions, best practices	python-patterns, golang-patterns
Framework Patterns	Framework-specific guidance	django-patterns, nextjs-patterns
Workflow	Step-by-step processes	tdd-workflow, refactoring-workflow
Domain Knowledge	Specialized domains	security-review, api-design
Tool Integration	Tool/library usage	docker-patterns, supabase-patterns
Template	Project-specific skill templates	docs/examples/project-guidelines-template.md

Skill Adaptation Policy

If you are porting an idea from another repo, plugin, harness, or personal prompt pack, read Skill Adaptation Policy before opening the PR.

Short version:

• copy the underlying idea, not the external product identity
• rename the skill when ECC materially changes or expands the surface
• prefer ECC-native rules, skills, scripts, and MCPs over new default third-party dependencies
• do not ship a skill whose main value is telling users to install an unvetted package

Skill Checklist

• Focused on one domain/technology (not too broad)
• Includes "When to Activate" section for auto-activation
• Includes practical, copy-pasteable code examples
• Shows anti-patterns (what NOT to do)
• Under 500 lines (800 max)
• Uses clear section headers
• Tested with Claude Code
• Links to related skills
• No sensitive data (API keys, tokens, paths)
• Frontmatter declares name: matching the directory name
• Frontmatter description: is an inline string or folded (>) scalar — not a literal block (|, |-, or |+), which preserves internal newlines and breaks flat-table renderers

Example Skills

Skill	Category	Purpose
coding-standards/	Language Standards	TypeScript/JavaScript patterns
frontend-patterns/	Framework Patterns	React and Next.js best practices
backend-patterns/	Framework Patterns	API and database patterns
security-review/	Domain Knowledge	Security checklist
tdd-workflow/	Workflow	Test-driven development process
docs/examples/project-guidelines-template.md	Template	Project-specific skill template

---

Contributing Agents

Agents are specialized assistants invoked via the Task tool.

File Location

agents/your-agent-name.md

Agent Template

---
name: your-agent-name
description: What this agent does and when Claude should invoke it. Be specific!
tools: ["Read", "Write", "Edit", "Bash", "Grep", "Glob"]
model: sonnet
---

You are a [role] specialist.

## Your Role

- Primary responsibility
- Secondary responsibility
- What you DO NOT do (boundaries)

## Workflow

### Step 1: Understand
How you approach the task.

### Step 2: Execute
How you perform the work.

### Step 3: Verify
How you validate results.

## Output Format

What you return to the user.

## Examples

### Example: [Scenario]
Input: [what user provides]
Action: [what you do]
Output: [what you return]

Agent Fields

Field	Description	Options
name	Lowercase, hyphenated	code-reviewer
description	Used to decide when to invoke	Be specific!
tools	Only what's needed	Read, Write, Edit, Bash, Grep, Glob, WebFetch, Task, or MCP tool names (e.g. mcp__context7__resolve-library-id, mcp__context7__query-docs) when the agent uses MCP
model	Complexity level	haiku (simple), sonnet (coding), opus (complex)

Example Agents

Agent	Purpose
tdd-guide.md	Test-driven development
code-reviewer.md	Code review
security-reviewer.md	Security scanning
build-error-resolver.md	Fix build errors

---

Contributing Hooks

Hooks are automatic behaviors triggered by Claude Code events.

File Location

hooks/hooks.json

Hook Types

Type	Trigger	Use Case
PreToolUse	Before tool runs	Validate, warn, block
PostToolUse	After tool runs	Format, check, notify
SessionStart	Session begins	Load context
Stop	Session ends	Cleanup, audit

Hook Format

{
  "hooks": {
    "PreToolUse": [
      {
        "matcher": "tool == \"Bash\" && tool_input.command matches \"rm -rf /\"",
        "hooks": [
          {
            "type": "command",
            "command": "echo '[Hook] BLOCKED: Dangerous command' && exit 1"
          }
        ],
        "description": "Block dangerous rm commands"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Matcher Syntax

// Match specific tools
tool == "Bash"
tool == "Edit"
tool == "Write"

// Match input patterns
tool_input.command matches "npm install"
tool_input.file_path matches "\\.tsx?$"

// Combine conditions
tool == "Bash" && tool_input.command matches "git push"

Hook Examples

// Block dev servers outside tmux
{
  "matcher": "tool == \"Bash\" && tool_input.command matches \"npm run dev\"",
  "hooks": [{"type": "command", "command": "echo 'Use tmux for dev servers' && exit 1"}],
  "description": "Ensure dev servers run in tmux"
}

// Auto-format after editing TypeScript
{
  "matcher": "tool == \"Edit\" && tool_input.file_path matches \"\\.tsx?$\"",
  "hooks": [{"type": "command", "command": "npx prettier --write \"$file_path\""}],
  "description": "Format TypeScript files after edit"
}

// Warn before git push
{
  "matcher": "tool == \"Bash\" && tool_input.command matches \"git push\"",
  "hooks": [{"type": "command", "command": "echo '[Hook] Review changes before pushing'"}],
  "description": "Reminder to review before push"
}

Hook Checklist

• Matcher is specific (not overly broad)
• Includes clear error/info messages
• Uses correct exit codes (exit 1 blocks, exit 0 allows)
• Tested thoroughly
• Has description

---

Contributing Commands

Commands are user-invoked actions with /command-name.

File Location

commands/your-command.md

Command Template

---
description: Brief description shown in /help
---

# Command Name

## Purpose

What this command does.

## Usage

\`\`\`
/your-command [args]
\`\`\`

## Workflow

1. First step
2. Second step
3. Final step

## Output

What the user receives.

Example Commands

Command	Purpose
commit.md	Create git commits
code-review.md	Review code changes
tdd.md	TDD workflow
e2e.md	E2E testing

---

MCP and documentation (e.g. Context7)

Skills and agents can use MCP (Model Context Protocol) tools to pull in up-to-date data instead of relying only on training data. This is especially useful for documentation.

• Context7 is an MCP server that exposes resolve-library-id and query-docs. Use it when the user asks about libraries, frameworks, or APIs so answers reflect current docs and code examples.
• When contributing skills that depend on live docs (e.g. setup, API usage), describe how to use the relevant MCP tools (e.g. resolve the library ID, then query docs) and point to the documentation-lookup skill or Context7 as the pattern.
• When contributing agents that answer docs/API questions, include the Context7 MCP tool names (e.g. mcp__context7__resolve-library-id, mcp__context7__query-docs) in the agent's tools and document the resolve → query workflow.
• mcp-configs/mcp-servers.json includes a Context7 entry; users enable it in their harness (e.g. Claude Code, Cursor) to use the documentation-lookup skill (in skills/documentation-lookup/) and the /docs command.

---

Cross-Harness and Translations

Skill subsets (Codex and Cursor)

ECC ships skill subsets for other harnesses:

• Codex: .agents/skills/ — skills listed in agents/openai.yaml are loaded by Codex.
• Cursor: .cursor/skills/ — a subset of skills is bundled for Cursor.

When you add a new skill that should be available on Codex or Cursor:

1. Add the skill under skills/your-skill-name/ as usual.
2. If it should be available on Codex, add it to .agents/skills/ (copy the skill directory or add a reference) and ensure it is referenced in agents/openai.yaml if required.
3. If it should be available on Cursor, add it under .cursor/skills/ per Cursor's layout.

Check existing skills in those directories for the expected structure. Keeping these subsets in sync is manual; mention in your PR if you updated them.

Translations

Translations live under docs/ (e.g. docs/zh-CN, docs/zh-TW, docs/ja-JP). If you change agents, commands, or skills that are translated, consider updating the corresponding translation files or opening an issue so maintainers or translators can update them.

---

Pull Request Process

1. PR Title Format

feat(skills): add rust-patterns skill
feat(agents): add api-designer agent
feat(hooks): add auto-format hook
fix(skills): update React patterns
docs: improve contributing guide

2. PR Description

## Summary
What you're adding and why.

## Type
- [ ] Skill
- [ ] Agent
- [ ] Hook
- [ ] Command

## Testing
How you tested this.

## Checklist
- [ ] Follows format guidelines
- [ ] Tested with Claude Code
- [ ] No sensitive info (API keys, paths)
- [ ] Clear descriptions

3. Review Process

1. Maintainers review within 48 hours
2. Address feedback if requested
3. Once approved, merged to main

---

Guidelines

Do

• Keep contributions focused and modular
• Include clear descriptions
• Test before submitting
• Follow existing patterns
• Document dependencies

Don't

• Include sensitive data (API keys, tokens, paths)
• Add overly complex or niche configs
• Submit untested contributions
• Create duplicates of existing functionality

---

File Naming

• Use lowercase with hyphens: python-reviewer.md
• Be descriptive: tdd-workflow.md not workflow.md
• Match name to filename

---

Questions?

• Issues: github.com/affaan-m/everything-claude-code/issues
• X/Twitter: @affaanmustafa

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Thanks for contributing! Let's build a great resource together.