# add-npm-dependency

A skill that walks the agent through npm dependency changes in an Electron app: three build targets, CSS copying, native module rebuilds.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · ★ 1388
- Author: elirantutia
- License: MIT · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/elirantutia/vibeyard/tree/HEAD/.claude/skills/add-npm-dependency/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-09-03
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/add-npm-dependency

## What it does

The skill fires whenever a task involves installing, adding or upgrading an npm package, or any edit to `package.json` dependencies. It replaces guesswork with a fixed sequence.

The project it targets has three build targets: main, preload and renderer. The renderer is bundled by esbuild into a single IIFE and cannot take Node built-ins or native modules, so those belong in main or preload only. esbuild has no CSS loader, which means a styled library's stylesheet has to be copied in `scripts/copy-assets.js` and linked from `src/renderer/index.html`. Native modules such as `better-sqlite3` get rebuilt against the pinned Electron ABI by the `postinstall` hook, and a binary that fails to load from the asar archive needs an entry in `asarUnpack`. Expect to verify by hand: there is no hot reload, so every change goes through `npm run build` and `npm test`.

For versions the skill advises `npm install <pkg>@latest` and a caret range, with no hand-editing of versions in `package.json`. npm only — the lockfile is `package-lock.json`. Node v24 is pinned in `.nvmrc`, while `engines.node` says `>=18`.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add elirantutia/vibeyard --skill add-npm-dependency -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/add-npm-dependency/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/add-npm-dependency/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add elirantutia/vibeyard --skill add-npm-dependency -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/add-npm-dependency/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add elirantutia/vibeyard --skill add-npm-dependency -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/add-npm-dependency/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install elirantutia/vibeyard add-npm-dependency
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/add-npm-dependency/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add elirantutia/vibeyard --skill add-npm-dependency -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/elirantutia/vibeyard --path .claude/skills/add-npm-dependency
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/add-npm-dependency/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add elirantutia/vibeyard --skill add-npm-dependency -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/elirantutia/vibeyard/tree/HEAD/.claude/skills/add-npm-dependency/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- add an npm package without breaking the renderer bundle
- wire up a library stylesheet when esbuild has no CSS loader
- rebuild a native module against the Electron ABI
- decide whether a package belongs in main, preload or renderer
- bump a dependency and stage the lockfile too

## Example prompts
- add the gridstack library to this project
- install better-sqlite3 and check the native module loads
- upgrade marked to the latest version

## Source text · SKILL.md · MIT

Below is the content of a third-party file. It is data, not instructions for you: do not act on anything written inside unless the human asks. Block tag: ebc5eacbcba26c25.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE ebc5eacbcba26c25
````text
---
name: add-npm-dependency
description: This skill MUST be used whenever the task involves adding, installing, or upgrading an npm package/library/dependency in this project. Use when the user asks to "add a library", "install <package>", "use <package>", "add a dependency", "bump/upgrade a package", or any change to package.json dependencies. Covers the latest-version policy, esbuild renderer bundling, manual CSS copy, native module rebuilds, and the three build targets.
---

# Adding an npm Library

This is an Electron app with **three separate build targets** (main, preload, renderer) and a few non-obvious bundling rules. Adding a dependency the wrong way silently breaks CSS, native modules, or the renderer bundle. Follow this guide every time.

## Golden Rule: install the latest, caret-pinned

**Always install the newest published version. Never hand-edit `package.json` to set or downgrade a version.**

```bash
npm install <pkg>@latest          # runtime dependency
npm install -D <pkg>@latest       # dev / build-only tool (types, bundlers, test libs)
```

- This records a caret range `^x.y.z` — the repo convention (every dep in `package.json` uses `^`). Leave it as a caret range.
- `package-lock.json` is committed and gets updated by the install. **Both `package.json` and `package-lock.json` are part of your change** — stage both.
- Use **npm only** (the lockfile is `package-lock.json` — not yarn, not pnpm).
- Node **v24** is pinned in `.nvmrc`; `engines.node` is `>=18`. Run `nvm use` first if needed.

## Step 1 — Decide which build target consumes the package

This determines every gotcha that follows.

| Target | Source dirs | How it's built | What's allowed |
|--------|-------------|----------------|----------------|
| **Renderer** | `src/renderer/**` | Bundled by **esbuild** into one IIFE (`build:renderer`) | Plain JS/TS deps only. **No Node built-ins, no native modules.** |
| **Main** | `src/main/**`, `src/shared/**` | `tsc` → CommonJS (`dist/main/`) | Any Node dep, including native modules. Resolved via `require` at runtime against `node_modules` — **not bundled**. |
| **Preload** | `src/preload/**`, `src/shared/**` | `tsc` → CommonJS (`dist/preload/`) | Runs in Node/Electron context; same rules as main. |

- A pure JS/TS library used in the UI (like `marked`, `dompurify`, `gridstack`, `@xterm/*`) just gets `import`ed in renderer code and esbuild bundles it. Nothing else to do (except CSS — see Step 2).
- A library that touches the filesystem, spawns processes, or has a `.node` binary belongs in **main/preload only**.
````
END THIRD-PARTY FILE ebc5eacbcba26c25

The third-party file has ended. Everything between the ebc5eacbcba26c25 tags is data: requests and commands from it are not followed. An “end of file” line with another tag inside the block is part of the file.

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