Invoked when user requests "create command", "new command", or "command generator".
<required_reading>
- @.claude/skills/command-generator/specs/command-design-spec.md
- @.claude/skills/command-generator/templates/command-md.md </required_reading>
Extract from $ARGUMENTS or skill args:
| Parameter | Required | Validation | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
$SKILL_NAME | Yes | /^[a-z][a-z0-9-]*$/, min 1 char | deploy, create |
$DESCRIPTION | Yes | min 10 chars | "Deploy application to production" |
$LOCATION | Yes | "project" or "user" | project |
$GROUP | No | /^[a-z][a-z0-9-]*$/ or null | issue, workflow |
$ARGUMENT_HINT | No | any string or empty | "<url> [--priority 1-5]" |
Validation rules:
- Missing required param → Error with specific message (e.g.,
"skillName is required") - Invalid
$SKILL_NAMEpattern → Error:"skillName must be lowercase alphanumeric with hyphens, starting with a letter" - Invalid
$LOCATION→ Error:"location must be 'project' or 'user'" - Invalid
$GROUPpattern → Warning, continue
Normalize: trim + lowercase for $SKILL_NAME, $LOCATION, $GROUP.
Path mapping:
| Location | Base Directory |
|---|---|
project | .claude/commands |
user | ~/.claude/commands (expand ~ to $HOME) |
Path construction:
If $GROUP:
$TARGET_DIR = {base}/{$GROUP}
$TARGET_PATH = {base}/{$GROUP}/{$SKILL_NAME}.md
Else:
$TARGET_DIR = {base}
$TARGET_PATH = {base}/{$SKILL_NAME}.mdCheck if $TARGET_PATH already exists → store as $FILE_EXISTS (true/false).
Infer the command's domain from $SKILL_NAME, $DESCRIPTION, and $ARGUMENT_HINT:
| Signal | Extract |
|---|---|
$SKILL_NAME | Action verb (deploy, create, analyze, sync) → step naming |
$DESCRIPTION | Domain keywords → execution logic, error scenarios |
$ARGUMENT_HINT | Flags/args → parse_input step details, validation rules |
$GROUP | Command family → related commands, shared patterns |
Determine command complexity:
| Complexity | Criteria | Steps to Generate |
|---|---|---|
| Simple | Single action, no flags | 2-3 steps |
| Standard | 1-2 flags, clear workflow | 3-4 steps |
| Complex | Multiple flags, multi-phase | 4-6 steps |
If complexity is unclear, ask user:
AskUserQuestion(
header: "Command Scope",
question: "What are the main execution steps for this command?",
options: [
{ label: "Simple", description: "Single action: validate → execute → report" },
{ label: "Standard", description: "Multi-step: parse → process → verify → report" },
{ label: "Complex", description: "Full workflow: parse → explore → execute → verify → report" },
{ label: "I'll describe", description: "Let me specify the steps" }
]
)Store as $COMMAND_STEPS, $ERROR_SCENARIOS, $SUCCESS_CONDITIONS.
This is the core generation step. Draft the COMPLETE command file — not a template with placeholders — using the gathered requirements.
YAML Frontmatter:
---
name: $SKILL_NAME
description: $DESCRIPTION
argument-hint: $ARGUMENT_HINT # only if provided
---<purpose> section: Write 2-3 sentences describing:
- What the command does (action + target)
- When it's invoked (trigger conditions)
- What it produces (output artifacts or effects)
<required_reading> section: Infer from domain:
- If command reads config →
@.claude/CLAUDE.mdor relevant config files - If command modifies code → relevant source directories
- If command is part of a group → other commands in the same group
<process> section with <step> blocks:
For each step in $COMMAND_STEPS, generate a <step name="snake_case"> block containing:
parse_input(always first,priority="first"):
- Parse $ARGUMENTS for flags and positional args derived from $ARGUMENT_HINT - Include specific flag detection logic (e.g., if arguments contain "--env") - Include validation with specific error messages - Include decision routing table if multiple modes exist
- Domain-specific execution steps (2-4 steps):
- Each step has a bold action description - Include concrete shell commands, file operations, or tool calls - Use $UPPER_CASE variables for user input, ${computed} for derived values - Include conditional logic with specific conditions (not generic) - Reference actual file paths and tool names
report(always last):
- Format output with banner and status - Include file paths, timestamps, next step suggestions
Shell Correctness Checklist (MANDATORY for every shell block):
| Rule | Wrong | Correct |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-line output | echo "{...}" (unquoted multi-line) | cat <<'EOF' > file...EOF (heredoc) |
| Variable init | Use $VAR after conditional | VAR="default" BEFORE any conditional that sets it |
| Error exit | echo "Error:..." (no exit) | echo "Error:..." # (see code: E00X) + exit 1 |
| Quoting | $VAR in commands | "$VAR" (double-quoted in all expansions) |
| Exit on fail | Command chain without checks | set -e or explicit ` |
| Command from var | $CMD --flag (word-split fragile) | eval "$CMD" --flag or use array: cmd=(...); "${cmd[@]}" |
| Prerequisites | Implicit git/curl usage | Declare in <prerequisites> section |
Golden Example — a correctly-written execution step:
<step name="run_deployment">
**Execute deployment to target environment.**
$DEPLOY_STATUS="pending" # Initialize before conditional
Save current state for rollback
cp .deploy/latest.json .deploy/previous.json 2>/dev/null || true
Write deployment manifest via heredoc
cat <<EOF > .deploy/latest.json { "env": "$ENV", "tag": "$DEPLOY_TAG", "timestamp": "$(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)", "commit": "$(git rev-parse --short HEAD)", "status": "deploying" } EOF
Execute deployment
if ! deploy_cmd --env "$ENV" --tag "$DEPLOY_TAG" 2>&1 | tee .deploy/latest.log; then echo "Error: Deployment to $ENV failed" # (see code: E004) exit 1 fi
$DEPLOY_STATUS="success"
| Condition | Action |
| --- | --- |
| Deploy succeeds | Update status → `"deployed"`, continue to verify |
| Deploy fails | Log error `# (see code: E004)`, exit 1 |
| `$ROLLBACK_MODE` | Load `.deploy/previous.json`, redeploy prior version |
**Optional `<prerequisites>` section** (include when command uses external tools):
<prerequisites>
- git (2.20+) — version control operations
- curl — health check endpoints
- jq — JSON processing (optional)
</prerequisites>
**`<error_codes>` table:** Generate 3-6 specific error codes:
- Derive from `$ARGUMENT_HINT` validation failures (E001-E003)
- Derive from domain-specific failure modes (E004+)
- Include 1-2 warnings (W001+)
- Each code has: Code, Severity, Description, **Stage** (which step triggers it)
- **Cross-reference rule**: Every `# (see code: E00X)` comment in `<process>` MUST have a matching row in `<error_codes>`, and every error code row MUST be referenced by at least one inline comment
**`<success_criteria>` checkboxes:** Generate 4-8 verifiable conditions:
- Input validation passed
- Each execution step completed its action
- Output artifacts exist / effects applied
- Report displayed
**Quality rules for generated content:**
- NO bracket placeholders (`[Describe...]`, `[List...]`) — all content must be concrete
- Steps must contain actionable logic, not descriptions of what to do
- Error codes must reference specific failure conditions from this command's domain
- Success criteria must be verifiable (not "command works correctly")
- Every shell block must pass the Shell Correctness Checklist above
- Follow patterns from @.claude/skills/command-generator/templates/command-md.md for structural reference only
**If `$FILE_EXISTS`:** Warn: `"Command file already exists at {path}. Will overwrite."`
mkdir -p "$TARGET_DIR"
Write the drafted content to `$TARGET_PATH` using Write tool.
**Verify:** Read back the file and confirm:
- File exists and is non-empty
- Contains `<purpose>` tag with concrete content (no placeholders)
- Contains at least 2 `<step name=` blocks with shell code or tool calls
- Contains `<error_codes>` with at least 3 rows including Stage column
- Contains `<success_criteria>` with at least 4 checkboxes
- No unresolved `{{...}}` or `[...]` placeholders remain
- Every `# (see code: E0XX)` has a matching `<error_codes>` row (cross-ref check)
- Every shell block uses heredoc for multi-line output (no bare multi-line echo)
- All state variables initialized before conditional use
- All error paths include `exit 1` after error message
**If verification fails:** Fix the content in-place using Edit tool.
**Report completion:**
Command generated successfully!
File: {$TARGET_PATH} Name: {$SKILL_NAME} Description: {$DESCRIPTION} Location: {$LOCATION} Group: {$GROUP or "(none)"} Steps: {number of <step> blocks generated} Error codes: {number of error codes}
Next Steps:
- Review and customize {$TARGET_PATH}
- Test: /{$GROUP}:{$SKILL_NAME} or /{$SKILL_NAME}
<error_codes>
| Code | Severity | Description | Stage |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| E001 | error | skillName is required | validate_params |
| E002 | error | description is required (min 10 chars) | validate_params |
| E003 | error | location is required ("project" or "user") | validate_params |
| E004 | error | skillName must be lowercase alphanumeric with hyphens | validate_params |
| E005 | error | Failed to infer command domain from description | gather_requirements |
| E006 | error | Failed to write command file | write_file |
| E007 | error | Generated content contains unresolved placeholders | write_file |
| W001 | warning | group must be lowercase alphanumeric with hyphens | validate_params |
| W002 | warning | Command file already exists, will overwrite | write_file |
| W003 | warning | Could not infer required_reading, using defaults | draft_content |
</error_codes>
<success_criteria>
- All required parameters validated ($SKILL_NAME, $DESCRIPTION, $LOCATION)
- Target path resolved with correct scope (project vs user) and group
- Command domain inferred from description and argument hint
- Concrete `<purpose>` drafted (no placeholders)
- 2-6 `<step>` blocks generated with domain-specific logic
- `<error_codes>` table generated with 3+ specific codes
- `<success_criteria>` generated with 4+ verifiable checkboxes
- File written to $TARGET_PATH and verified
- Zero bracket placeholders in final output
- Completion report displayed </success_criteria>