Documentation

Complete command reference for AI Skills Manager

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Built on Best Practices

AI Skills Manager implements and enforces the Agent Skills specification from Anthropic. Every command follows Anthropic's documented structure and best practices, providing a solid foundation for your Claude Code skills.

`asm scaffold`

Create a new Claude Code skill with the required directory structure and SKILL.md template.

Syntax

asm scaffold <name> [options]

Options

Option	Description
`-d, --description <text>`	Description for the skill (appears in frontmatter)
`-o, --output <dir>`	Custom output directory (default: .claude/skills/)
`-s, --scope <scope>`	Installation scope: "project" or "personal"
`-t, --allowed-tools <tools>`	Comma-separated list of allowed tools
`-f, --force`	Overwrite existing directory if it exists

Examples

Create a basic skill

asm scaffold code-reviewer

Create with description and custom tools

                        asm scaffold test-helper --description "Helps write unit tests" --allowed-tools "Read,Write,Bash"
                    

Create a personal skill

asm scaffold my-workflow --scope personal

Note: Skill names must be lowercase, use hyphens for separation, and be no longer than 64 characters. Reserved words like "claude" or "anthropic" are not allowed.

`asm validate`

Validate a skill against the official Claude Code specification, checking structure, frontmatter, and required fields.

Syntax

asm validate <path> [options]

Options

Option	Description
`-q, --quiet`	Only output pass/fail result
`-o, --output <format>`	Output format: "text" or "json"

Validation Checks

SKILL.md file exists
Valid YAML frontmatter structure
Required fields present (name, description)
Only allowed properties in frontmatter
Name format validation
Description format validation

Examples

Validate a project skill

asm validate .claude/skills/my-skill

JSON output for CI/CD

asm validate .claude/skills/my-skill --output json

Exit Codes

0Skill is valid 1Skill is invalid

`asm package`

Create a distributable .skill package file (ZIP archive) for sharing skills.

Syntax

asm package <path> [options]

Options

Option	Description
`-o, --output <dir>`	Output directory for the package file
`--skip-validation`	Skip pre-packaging validation
`-f, --force`	Overwrite existing package file

Examples

Package a skill

asm package .claude/skills/my-skill

Package to a specific directory

asm package .claude/skills/my-skill --output ./dist

Exit Codes

0Package created successfully 1Validation failed 2File system error 3Package error

Note: Development artifacts like .git, node_modules, and .DS_Store are automatically excluded from packages.

`asm install`

Install a skill from a .skill package file with automatic validation and rollback on failure.

Syntax

asm install <file> [options]

Options

Option	Description
`-s, --scope <scope>`	Installation scope: "project", "personal", or a custom path
`-f, --force`	Overwrite existing skill without prompting
`--dry-run`	Preview installation without making changes
`--content-hash`	Use content hashing for thorough file comparison

Examples

Install to project scope

asm install my-skill.skill --scope project

Install to personal skills

asm install my-skill.skill --scope personal

Preview installation

asm install my-skill.skill --dry-run

Exit Codes

0Installation successful 1Validation failed 2File system error 3Extraction error 4User cancelled

`asm update`

Update an existing skill to a newer version with automatic backups and atomic updates.

Syntax

asm update <name> <file> [options]

Options

Option	Description
`-s, --scope <scope>`	Scope of the installed skill: "project" or "personal"
`-f, --force`	Skip confirmation prompt
`--dry-run`	Preview update without making changes
`--keep-backup`	Preserve backup after successful update

Examples

Update a skill

asm update my-skill ./my-skill-v2.skill

Force update with backup preservation

asm update my-skill ./new-version.skill --force --keep-backup

Exit Codes

0Update successful 1Skill not found 2File system error 3User cancelled 4Invalid package 5Security error 6Rollback succeeded 7Rollback failed

Note: Backups are stored in ~/.asm/backups/ with timestamp naming. On update failure, automatic rollback restores the previous version.

`asm uninstall`

Remove installed skills with security checks and confirmation prompts.

Syntax

asm uninstall <name...> [options]

Options

Option	Description
`-s, --scope <scope>`	Scope to uninstall from: "project" or "personal"
`-f, --force`	Skip confirmation prompt
`--dry-run`	Preview uninstall without making changes

Examples

Uninstall a skill

asm uninstall my-skill --scope project

Bulk uninstall multiple skills

asm uninstall skill-one skill-two skill-three --scope personal

Preview uninstall

asm uninstall my-skill --dry-run

Exit Codes

0Uninstall successful 1Skill not found 2File system error 3User cancelled 4Partial failure (bulk) 5Security error

Security: Uninstall only works with official Claude Code locations (.claude/skills/ and ~/.claude/skills/). Path traversal and symlink attacks are blocked.

Debug Mode

Enable verbose logging for troubleshooting by setting the ASM_DEBUG environment variable.

Usage

ASM_DEBUG=1 asm <command>

Example

Debug an installation

ASM_DEBUG=1 asm install my-skill.skill --scope project