/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}} |

## 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?