Scaffold Development Rules

VerifiedCaution

Automatically set up development rules and coding conventions for AI coding agents. Manages rule files, updates AGENTS.md and CLAUDE.md with guided workflow.

Sby Skills Guide Bot
ProductivityBeginner
3/10/2026
Claude CodeCursorWindsurfCopilotCodex
#agent-config#coding-conventions#rules-scaffolding#agents-md#claude-code

Recommended for

Automated summary

This skill scaffolds development rule files for AI coding agent environments using templates served by a bunx CLI.

Strengths

  • Automates creation of rule files under .plaited/rules/ from predefined templates
  • Updates AGENTS.md incrementally via markers without clobbering the rest of the file
  • Adds only an @AGENTS.md reference to CLAUDE.md instead of duplicating content
  • Warns the user before overwriting existing rules

Limitations

  • Requires bun and network access to run bunx @plaited/development-skills
  • Assumes the CLI returns the templates, agentsMdSection and claudeMdReference keys it describes
  • Does not author custom rules; it only deploys the available templates
When to use it

Use when a user wants to initialize or refresh coding conventions and agent rule files for a project.

When not to use it

Avoid when bun is unavailable or the user needs fully bespoke rules rather than the provided templates.

Security analysis

Caution
Quality score82/100

The skill is legitimate scaffolding functionality, but it executes a remotely fetched package with Bash and writes project configuration files. It includes an overwrite warning/confirmation step, and there is no evidence of destructive or exfiltrating behavior, so this is a caution rather than risky.

Findings
  • •Runs an unpinned third-party CLI via `bunx @plaited/development-skills`, which fetches and executes remote package code.
  • •Writes and modifies project files such as `.plaited/rules/`, `AGENTS.md`, and `CLAUDE.md`, including a possible overwrite path.
  • •Content written into project rule files comes from the external CLI output, so its safety depends on the fetched package version.
How this analysis is made

Examples

Initial setup
Set up development rules and coding conventions for this project so my AI agent follows them.
Pick specific rules
Scaffold only the rules for testing and commit conventions into .plaited/rules/.
Custom rules directory
Scaffold the default rules but put them in a custom/rules directory instead.

name: scaffold-rules description: Scaffold development rules for AI coding agents. Auto-invoked when user asks about setting up rules, coding conventions, or configuring their AI agent environment. license: ISC compatibility: Requires bun allowed-tools: Bash, Glob, Read, Write, Edit, AskUserQuestion

Scaffold Rules

Scaffold development rules for AI coding agent environments.

Purpose

Use this skill when the user wants to:

  • Set up development rules or coding conventions
  • Configure their AI coding agent environment
  • Add or update project guidelines

Workflow

Step 1: Get Processed Templates from CLI

bunx @plaited/development-skills scaffold-rules

Parse the JSON output. The templates object contains all available rules - use these when presenting options to the user.

Step 2: Check for Existing Rules

If .plaited/rules/ already exists with files:

  • Warn the user that existing rules will be overwritten
  • Ask for confirmation before proceeding
  • If declined, abort

Step 3: Ask User Preferences

Present available templates from the CLI output and ask which to scaffold. Build options dynamically from templates keys and descriptions.

Step 4: Write Files

Rule Files

Write selected rules to .plaited/rules/ using content from templates[ruleId].content.

AGENTS.md (Marker-Based Update)

AGENTS.md is the single source of truth for rules content:

  1. Read existing file (or empty if missing)
  2. Find markers: <!-- PLAITED-RULES-START --> and <!-- PLAITED-RULES-END -->
  3. Update:
    • Markers exist: Replace content between markers (inclusive)
    • No markers: Append section to end of file
    • No file: Create with section content

Write agentsMdSection → AGENTS.md

CLAUDE.md (Reference Only)

CLAUDE.md only needs a reference to AGENTS.md:

  1. Check if CLAUDE.md exists
  2. If exists, scan file content for @AGENTS.md text
    • Found: Skip CLAUDE.md (already references AGENTS.md)
    • Not found: Append claudeMdReference to end of file
  3. If no file exists: Done (AGENTS.md only is sufficient)

Step 5: Output Summary

Report what was created/updated.

CLI Options

# All rules to .plaited/rules/
bunx @plaited/development-skills scaffold-rules

# List available rules (useful for discovery)
bunx @plaited/development-skills scaffold-rules --list

# Filter specific rules
bunx @plaited/development-skills scaffold-rules --rules <id> --rules <id>

# Custom directory
bunx @plaited/development-skills scaffold-rules --rules-dir=custom/rules

Note: Invalid rule names in --rules will produce a warning with available rule IDs.

Rules Directory Convention

| Directory | Purpose | Scope | |-----------|---------|-------| | .plaited/rules/ | Shared rules from scaffold-rules | Cross-agent (Claude, Cursor, Copilot, etc.) | | .claude/rules/ | Claude Code-specific overrides | Claude Code only | | .cursor/rules/ | Cursor-specific overrides | Cursor only |

How it works:

  • .plaited/rules/ contains shared rules - referenced by both CLAUDE.md and AGENTS.md
  • Agent-specific directories can override or extend shared rules for that agent only
  • When scaffolding, always write to .plaited/rules/ unless user specifies --rules-dir

Related Skills

  • validate-skill - Validate skill directories against AgentSkills spec

From the file to a first result

The download contains exactly the content displayed on this page. This copy may differ from the latest version in the source repository.

View the source and supporting files

This download contains SKILL.md only. Any scripts, references, templates and dependencies are not included. Get the required files from the source, preserving their directory structure, before continuing.

1. Download the file

Download SKILL.md

From the root of a test project, save the file as .skill-downloads/scaffold-development-rules-mmk3nhwu/SKILL.md, or use the command below. This folder is for inspecting the skill before installation.

Command for macOS/Linux or WSL: requires a POSIX shell and curl. On Windows without WSL, use the download button and create the folder manually.

mkdir -p '.skill-downloads/scaffold-development-rules-mmk3nhwu' && curl --fail --show-error --location 'https://skills-guides.com/api/skills/scaffold-development-rules-mmk3nhwu/download' --output '.skill-downloads/scaffold-development-rules-mmk3nhwu/SKILL.md.part' && mv '.skill-downloads/scaffold-development-rules-mmk3nhwu/SKILL.md.part' '.skill-downloads/scaffold-development-rules-mmk3nhwu/SKILL.md'

2. Check prerequisites

Read SKILL.md before using it. If it references scripts or external services, inspect them and prepare the required access in your test environment.

Environment declared by the author: Requires bun

Tools declared by the author (check availability in your agent): Bash, Glob, Read, Write, Edit, AskUserQuestion

No recognized prerequisites section in this file. This does not mean it is self-contained: libraries, tools and access requirements may be mentioned elsewhere in the content or source repository.

The platforms on this page are catalog indications. The paths below follow tool documentation; they do not prove this skill has been run in those tools. No minimum tool version is confirmed for this listing.

3. Load the skill

After inspection, copy the complete folder into your project using one of the commands below, then open a new tool session. The command stops if a folder with the same name already exists: compare the files before replacing it.

Claude Code
test -f '.skill-downloads/scaffold-development-rules-mmk3nhwu/SKILL.md' && test -s '.skill-downloads/scaffold-development-rules-mmk3nhwu/SKILL.md' && mkdir -p '.claude/skills' && test ! -e '.claude/skills/scaffold-rules' && cp -R '.skill-downloads/scaffold-development-rules-mmk3nhwu' '.claude/skills/scaffold-rules'

Cursor
test -f '.skill-downloads/scaffold-development-rules-mmk3nhwu/SKILL.md' && test -s '.skill-downloads/scaffold-development-rules-mmk3nhwu/SKILL.md' && mkdir -p '.cursor/skills' && test ! -e '.cursor/skills/scaffold-rules' && cp -R '.skill-downloads/scaffold-development-rules-mmk3nhwu' '.cursor/skills/scaffold-rules'

Codex
test -f '.skill-downloads/scaffold-development-rules-mmk3nhwu/SKILL.md' && test -s '.skill-downloads/scaffold-development-rules-mmk3nhwu/SKILL.md' && mkdir -p '.agents/skills' && test ! -e '.agents/skills/scaffold-rules' && cp -R '.skill-downloads/scaffold-development-rules-mmk3nhwu' '.agents/skills/scaffold-rules'

OpenSkills

OpenSkills must already be installed. The local install/read procedure is checked with OpenSkills 1.5.0, which requires Node.js ≥ 20.6.0. Catalog slugs are not resolved automatically.

Official OpenSkills installation
openskills install './.skill-downloads/scaffold-development-rules-mmk3nhwu'

openskills read 'scaffold-development-rules-mmk3nhwu'

Reading should display the installed file content and its base directory. It does not run the skill or install its dependencies.

For an agent that reads AGENTS.md, then sync the index. This command changes AGENTS.md: review the diff before using it.

openskills sync

Manual method or another tool: attach SKILL.md to a conversation, or open it in an agent that can read files. Include any required supporting resources. No universal folder is recognized by every tool.

4. Try a first task

Use a short, synthetic input: an API endpoint, a small document or an interface brief. In a new conversation, attach the file or give the agent its path, then adapt this request:

Read .skill-downloads/scaffold-development-rules-mmk3nhwu/SKILL.md and apply its instructions to this example: [describe a test input]. Identify any missing files, dependencies or access. Produce the result requested by the skill without inventing data or running unreviewed scripts.

Expected result: output matching the skill instructions, or a precise list of missing prerequisites. A read confirmation alone does not validate a first use. If an external resource is unavailable, that path remains untested.

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