skills-index-snippets — Claude Code skill: route tasks to dotnet
Builds a compact router of skills and agents for AGENTS.md or CLAUDE.md, so the assistant invokes the right skill by name instead of guessing.
npx skills add Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills --skill skills-index-snippets -a claude-codeWhat skills-index-snippets does
This skill maintains snippet indexes for the dotnet-skills repository. It explains how to turn .claude-plugin/plugin.json and the name: fields in each SKILL.md into a task-to-skill routing list, grouped into categories: C# and code quality, ASP.NET Core, data, DI and config, testing, quality gates, specialist agents.
Two templates ship with it. The readable one goes into downstream repos. The compressed Vercel-style one is for when context footprint matters. A generator, ./scripts/generate-skill-index-snippets.sh --update-readme, rewrites the README block between <!-- BEGIN DOTNET-SKILLS COMPRESSED INDEX --> and <!-- END DOTNET-SKILLS COMPRESSED INDEX -->. Run ./scripts/validate-marketplace.sh first.
Reference skills and agents by their frontmatter IDs, never by filesystem paths. Rename a folder and a path-based router points at nothing, so the assistant quietly stops finding the skill. The skill itself is not user-invocable (user-invocable: false) — it is an internal instruction for whoever maintains the repo.
What it helps with
- build a task-to-skill router for
AGENTS.md - refresh the index after adding or renaming a skill
- produce a compressed snippet that keeps context small
- auto-rewrite the index block in the README
- check that snippet names match frontmatter IDs
Example prompts for the agent
- add the new skill to the snippet index under the Testing category
- regenerate the compressed README index with
./scripts/generate-skill-index-snippets.sh --update-readme - write a downstream snippet that references skills by their frontmatter IDs
How to install skills-index-snippets
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills --skill skills-index-snippets -a claude-code2Manually: put the files in place
~/.claude/skills/skills-index-snippets/SKILL.mdCopy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/skills-index-snippets/
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills --skill skills-index-snippets -a codex2Manually: put the files in place
.agents/skills/skills-index-snippets/SKILL.mdFor all projects use ~/.agents/skills/
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills --skill skills-index-snippets -a cursor2Manually: put the files in place
.cursor/skills/skills-index-snippets/SKILL.mdCursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/
1GitHub CLI
gh skill install Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills skills-index-snippets2Manually: put the files in place
.github/skills/skills-index-snippets/SKILL.md1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills --skill skills-index-snippets -a gemini-cli2Platform CLI
gemini skills install https://github.com/Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills --path skills/skills-index-snippetsManually: put the files in place
.devin/skills/skills-index-snippets/SKILL.mdThe legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works
Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills --skill skills-index-snippets -a opencodeClaude.ai
Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills
Step by step, with commands for each platform: How to install skills in Claude Code: five ways
Questions about skills-index-snippets
How do I install skills-index-snippets in Claude?
Run npx skills add Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills --skill skills-index-snippets -a claude-code. The skill file lands at ~/.claude/skills/skills-index-snippets/SKILL.md.
What does skills-index-snippets do?
It creates and maintains snippet indexes for AGENTS.md and CLAUDE.md that route tasks to the right dotnet-skills skills and agents. Both a readable and a compressed template are provided.
Why reference skills by ID instead of file paths?
The ID comes from the name: field in frontmatter, so references survive folder renames. Disk paths break the moment the repo is reorganised.
Source text
SKILL.md · MIT
---
name: skills-index-snippets
description: Create and maintain AGENTS.md / CLAUDE.md snippet indexes that route tasks to the correct dotnet-skills skills and agents (including compressed Vercel-style indexes).
user-invocable: false
---
# Maintaining Skill Index Snippets (AGENTS.md / CLAUDE.md)
## When to Use This Skill
Use this skill when:
- Adding, removing, or renaming any skills or agents in this repository
- Updating `.claude-plugin/plugin.json`
- Creating copy/paste snippets for downstream repositories (OpenCode, Claude Code, etc.)
- You want a compact, always-on index that improves skill utilization
## Goal
Make skills and agents easy for coding assistants to use by removing the decision point.
Instead of hoping an assistant will "remember" to invoke a skill, provide a small router snippet inside `AGENTS.md` / `CLAUDE.md` that:
1) Tells the assistant to prefer retrieval-led reasoning
2) Provides a task->skill/agent routing index
3) Defines lightweight quality gates (optional)
## Source of Truth
- Registry: `.claude-plugin/plugin.json`
- Skills are listed as directories (each contains `SKILL.md`)
- Agents are listed as markdown files in `agents/`
- Skill IDs: the `name:` field in each `SKILL.md` frontmatter
- Agent IDs: the `name:` field in each agent frontmatter
When writing snippets for downstream repos, always reference skills/agents by their IDs (frontmatter `name`), not by local filesystem paths.
## Minimal Snippet Template (Readable)
Use this in target repos to route common tasks:
```markdown
# Agent Guidance: dotnet-skills
IMPORTANT: Prefer retrieval-led reasoning over pretraining for any .NET work.
Workflow: skim repo patterns -> consult dotnet-skills by name -> implement smallest-change -> note conflicts.
Routing (invoke by name)
- C# / code quality: modern-csharp-coding-standards, csharp-concurrency-patterns, api-design, type-design-performance
- ASP.NET Core / Web (incl. Aspire): aspire-service-defaults, aspire-integration-testing
- Data: efcore-patterns, database-performance
- DI / config: dependency-injection-patterns, microsoft-extensions-configuration
- Testing: testcontainers-integration-tests, playwright-blazor-testing, snapshot-testing
Quality gates (use when applicable)
- dotnet-slopwatch: after substantial new/refactor/LLM-authored code
- crap-analysis: after tests added/changed in complex code
Specialist agents
- dotnet-concurrency-specialist, dotnet-performance-analyst, dotnet-benchmark-designer, akka-net-specialist, docfx-specialist
```
## Compressed Snippet Template (Vercel-style)
Use this when you want maximum density (small context footprint):
```markdown
[dotnet-skills]|IMPORTANT: Prefer retrieval-led reasoning over pretraining for any .NET work.
|flow:{skim repo patterns -> consult dotnet-skills by name -> implement smallest-change -> note conflicts}
|route:
|csharp:{modern-csharp-coding-standards,csharp-concurrency-patterns,api-design,type-design-performance}
|aspnetcore-web:{aspire-service-defaults,aspire-integration-testing}
|data:{efcore-patterns,database-performance}
|di-config:{dependency-injection-patterns,microsoft-extensions-configuration}
|testing:{testcontainers-integration-tests,playwright-blazor-testing,snapshot-testing}
|quality-gates:{dotnet-slopwatch(after:substantial new/refactor/LLM code),crap-analysis(after:tests added/changed in complex code)}
|agents:{dotnet-concurrency-specialist,dotnet-performance-analyst,dotnet-benchmark-designer,akka-net-specialist,docfx-specialist}
```
### Regenerating the README block
If the README contains the markers below, the generator can update it automatically:
```
<!-- BEGIN DOTNET-SKILLS COMPRESSED INDEX -->
...compressed snippet...
<!-- END DOTNET-SKILLS COMPRESSED INDEX -->
```
Run:
```bash
./scripts/generate-skill-index-snippets.sh --update-readme
```
## How to Update Snippets After Skill Changes
1. Update `.claude-plugin/plugin.json` to include/remove skills and agents.
2. Ensure each skill has correct frontmatter `name:` (used by OpenCode and others).
3. Run `./scripts/validate-marketplace.sh`.
4. Update your snippet routing lists:
- Add new skills to the right category
- Remove deleted skills
- Keep names exactly matching frontmatter IDs
5. If you maintain a downstream `AGENTS.md`/`CLAUDE.md` snippet, regenerate it and re-copy into dependent repos.
## Recommended Categories
These are snippet categories (not necessarily repository folder structure):
- C# / code quality
- ASP.NET Core / Web (incl. Aspire)
- Data
- DI / config
- Testing
- Quality gates
- Specialist agents
Keep the snippet small; it should be a router, not documentation.
© Aaronontheweb · MIT · Aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills