plugin-packaging Skill
Purpose: Create professional PKG installers for sharing plugins with others.
Overview
Generates macOS PKG installers with branded UI, automated plugin installation, and Gatekeeper bypass instructions.
Workflow
<critical_sequence enforcement="strict" blocking="true">
Track your progress:
Plugin Packaging Progress:
- [ ] 1. Prerequisites verified (plugin installed, binaries exist)
- [ ] 2. Metadata extracted (contracts read, version/description/parameters)
- [ ] 3. Branding files created (Welcome, ReadMe, Conclusion)
- [ ] 4. Base package built (pkgbuild complete)
- [ ] 5. Branded installer created (productbuild complete)
- [ ] 6. Distribution package output (dist/ created, committed, PLUGINS.md updated)1. Verify Prerequisites
Check plugin is ready for packaging:
- Read PLUGINS.md, verify status is 📦 Installed
- Verify VST3 exists:
~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/[ProductName].vst3 - Verify AU exists:
~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/[ProductName].component
Blocking: If not installed, guide user to run /install-plugin [PluginName] first.
Preconditions verified in this step:
- Plugin status is 📦 Installed
- VST3 and AU binaries exist in system folders
2. Extract Plugin Metadata
Read multiple files in parallel using multiple Read tool calls:
- PLUGINS.md entry for plugin (version, description, parameter list, use cases)
plugins/[PluginName]/CMakeLists.txt(for PRODUCT_NAME extraction)plugins/[PluginName]/.ideas/parameter-spec.md(detailed parameter descriptions)plugins/[PluginName]/.ideas/creative-brief.md(features, use cases, design rationale)
Extract PRODUCT_NAME using grep + sed (see Section 1.2 in references/pkg-creation.md).
Template variables to extract:
- {{PLUGIN_NAME}}, {{VERSION}}, {{DESCRIPTION}}
- {{PRODUCT_NAME}}, {{PARAM_COUNT}}, {{PARAMETERS}}
- {{FEATURES}}, {{QUICK_START_PRESETS}}
3. Create Branding Files
Generate Welcome.txt, ReadMe.txt, and Conclusion.txt by reading templates from assets/ and replacing {{VARIABLE}} placeholders with metadata from contracts (.ideas/parameter-spec.md and creative-brief.md provide richer content than PLUGINS.md).
See Section 3 in references/pkg-creation.md for complete bash implementation.
4. Build Base Package
Create foundational PKG with installation logic:
4a. Create temp directory structure (see Section 4a in references/pkg-creation.md)
4b. Copy binaries to payload (see Section 4a in references/pkg-creation.md)
Validation: Verify binaries copied successfully. ONLY proceed to 4c when both files are present.
4c. Create postinstall script (see Section 4b in references/pkg-creation.md for complete script)
4d. Run pkgbuild (see Section 4c in references/pkg-creation.md for complete command)
Validation: Verify base PKG created. ONLY proceed to step 5 when PKG file exists.
5. Build Branded Installer
Wrap base package with branding:
5a. Create Distribution.xml (see Section 5a in references/pkg-creation.md for complete XML structure)
5b. Run productbuild (see Section 5b in references/pkg-creation.md for complete command)
Validation: Verify branded PKG created. ONLY proceed to step 6 when branded PKG exists.
6. Output Distribution Package
Finalize and present to user:
6a. Create dist directory (see Section 6a in references/pkg-creation.md)
6b. Copy installer (see Section 6b in references/pkg-creation.md)
6c. Generate install-readme.txt (see Section 6c in references/pkg-creation.md for complete template)
6d. Commit distribution package:
git add plugins/[PluginName]/dist/
git commit -m "feat([PluginName]): create v[X.Y.Z] distribution package"6e. Update PLUGINS.md with packaging metadata:
**Last Packaged:** YYYY-MM-DD
**Distribution:** plugins/[PluginName]/dist/[PluginName]-by-TACHES.pkg (X.X MB)6f. Display summary:
✓ [PluginName] packaged successfully
Created: plugins/[PluginName]/dist/[PluginName]-by-TACHES.pkg (X.X MB)
Distribution package includes:
- [PluginName]-by-TACHES.pkg (branded installer)
- install-readme.txt (installation guide)
Send both files to your friend.</critical_sequence>
Integration Points
Invoked by:
/package [PluginName]command- Natural language: "Create installer for TapeAge", "Package GainKnob"
Invokes:
- None (terminal skill - does not invoke other skills)
Reads:
PLUGINS.md→ Plugin metadataplugins/[PluginName]/CMakeLists.txt→ PRODUCT_NAME extraction~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/[Product].vst3→ Source binary~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/[Product].component→ Source binary
Creates:
plugins/[PluginName]/dist/[PluginName]-by-TACHES.pkg→ Branded installerplugins/[PluginName]/dist/install-readme.txt→ Installation guide
Updates:
PLUGINS.md→ Add Last Packaged: timestamp and Distribution: package path/size- Git repository → Commit dist/ folder with distribution package
Decision Menu
<decision_gate type="checkpoint" enforcement="strict">
After successful packaging, present this menu and WAIT for user response:
✓ [PluginName] packaged successfully
Created: plugins/[PluginName]/dist/[PluginName]-by-TACHES.pkg (X.X MB)
What's next?
1. Test installer (recommended) → Verify PKG works correctly
2. Package another plugin → /package [OtherPlugin]
3. View installation guide → Show install-readme.txt contents
4. Share distribution files → Instructions for sending to friend
5. Other
Choose (1-5): _Option handlers:
- Test installer → Provide testing checklist (see Testing Checklist in references/pkg-creation.md Section 6)
- Package another → Prompt for plugin name, re-invoke skill
- View guide → Display install-readme.txt with
catcommand - Share instructions → Explain what files to send, how to compress if needed
- Other → Open-ended response
</decision_gate>
Error Handling
For error scenarios and troubleshooting, see references/pkg-creation.md Section 6 (Error Scenarios).
Success Criteria
Packaging succeeds when:
- ✅ Base PKG created with postinstall script
- ✅ Branded PKG created with Welcome/ReadMe/Conclusion screens
- ✅ Installer file copied to
plugins/[PluginName]/dist/ - ✅ Installation guide generated
- ✅ File sizes reported (PKG should be 3-5 MB typically)
- ✅ User knows what files to share
NOT required for success:
- Actually testing installer (recommended but not blocking)
- Signing/notarization (future enhancement)
- Multi-format packages (DMG, ZIP - future modes)
Notes for Claude
When executing this skill:
- Extract PRODUCT_NAME carefully (may contain spaces, use quotes)
- Populate branding templates with actual plugin metadata (not placeholders)
- Postinstall script must handle user detection (can't assume /Users/[name])
- Clean up temp files after success (
rm -rf /tmp/[PluginName]-installer) - Report file size to user (helpful for sharing over email/Dropbox)
Branding consistency:
- Always use "TÂCHES" in title, welcome, conclusion
- Format: "[PluginName] by TÂCHES"
- Include Gatekeeper steps in ReadMe (critical for unsigned plugins)