/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

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

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

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)

• 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?