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Workflow Guide: Generate a Skill from One Repo, Use It in Another

This guide walks you through generating a development skill from a repository you have cloned, then using that skill in a different folder where you do your actual development work.

The Scenario

You have:

  1. A cloned repository (e.g., ~/repos/my-project/) - where you pulled the code
  2. A development folder (e.g., ~/dev/my-project-work/) - where you actually write code
  3. A public GitHub repository - the source of truth for issues and commits

You want the skill to be generated once, then available everywhere.

How It Works

Skills are stored globally at ~/.claude/skills/<repo-name>/

This means:

  • Generate the skill from any folder
  • Use it from any other folder
  • The skill auto-triggers when you mention the repo name

Step-by-Step Workflow

Step 1: Navigate to Your Cloned Repository

cd ~/repos/my-project

Step 2: Start Claude Code

claude

Step 3: Run the GitHub Cloner Skill

/github-cloner owner/my-project

Or with the full URL:

/github-cloner https://github.com/owner/my-project

Step 4: Answer the Prompts

  1. Analysis mode: Choose "Full clone" or "API only"

    • If you're already in the repo folder, "API only" is often enough
    • "Full clone" reads README, CLAUDE.md, .github/ for more context

  2. Commit history: Choose 3/6/12 months based on repo activity

Step 5: Wait for Generation

Claude will:

  • Fetch issues from GitHub
  • Fetch PRs from GitHub
  • Fetch recent commits
  • Analyze patterns
  • Generate the skill

Step 6: Skill is Ready

Files created at:

~/.claude/skills/my-project/
├── SKILL.md       # Human-readable skill
└── analysis.json  # Machine-readable data

Using the Skill in Your Development Folder

Step 1: Navigate to Your Dev Folder

cd ~/dev/my-project-work

Step 2: Start Claude Code

claude

Step 3: The Skill is Automatically Available

The skill triggers when you:

  • Mention the project name
  • Work on files related to the project
  • Ask about development conventions

You can also explicitly reference it:

Using the my-project skill, what are the commit conventions?

Example: Real Workflow

Let's say you have:

  • Repo: https://github.com/acme/widget-app
  • Clone location: /Users/you/repos/widget-app
  • Dev location: /Users/you/work/widget-features

Generate the skill:

cd /Users/you/repos/widget-app
claude
# In Claude:
/github-cloner acme/widget-app
# Answer prompts, wait for generation
# Exit Claude

Use the skill:

cd /Users/you/work/widget-features
claude
# The widget-app skill is now available!
# Ask: "What's the commit format for this project?"
# Ask: "Who are the main contributors?"
# Work on code with full context

Updating the Skill

When the repo has new commits, PRs, or issues:

# From any folder:
claude
/github-cloner acme/widget-app

The skill will be regenerated with fresh data.

Verifying the Skill Exists

ls ~/.claude/skills/

You should see your project folder:

widget-app/
├── SKILL.md
└── analysis.json

Sharing the Skill with Another LLM

If you want another LLM (Gemini, GPT, etc.) to use this data:

  1. Copy the files:

    cp ~/.claude/skills/widget-app/analysis.json /path/to/other/location/

  2. Give the other LLM these instructions:

    Read the file analysis.json which contains repository analysis:
- contributors: Who works on what
- conventions: Commit and PR patterns
- recent_prs: Current development context
- feature_areas: What areas of the codebase exist

Use this to understand the project's development patterns.

Tips

  1. Generate once, use everywhere - The skill is global, not tied to a folder

  2. API-only is often enough - If you just need issues/PRs/commits, skip the clone

  3. Re-generate periodically - Keep the skill fresh with new commits/PRs

  4. Check the analysis.json - It has structured data you can parse or share

  5. Works with private repos - Just make sure gh auth login has access

Troubleshooting

"gh: command not found"

brew install gh
gh auth login

"Could not fetch repo metadata"

  • Check you have access to the repo
  • Run gh auth status to verify authentication

Skill not showing up

  • Check ls ~/.claude/skills/ for the folder
  • Restart Claude Code to reload skills

Want to delete a skill

rm -rf ~/.claude/skills/my-project/