> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.modusbrain.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Skillpacks as Scaffolding > Use skillpacks to scaffold new agent capabilities fast. # Skillpacks as scaffolding, not amber ModusBrain v0.33 reshapes `modusbrain skillpack` from a package manager into a scaffold + reference library. This guide explains the model and the workflow. ## Why we changed it Pre-v0.33 (the "amber" model): * `modusbrain skillpack install <name>` copied bundled skills into your workspace AND wrote a managed-block fence into your `RESOLVER.md` / `AGENTS.md` with a `cumulative-slugs="..."` receipt. * Subsequent installs hash-checked every file and refused to overwrite local edits unless you passed `--overwrite-local`. * `modusbrain skillpack uninstall` had its own data-loss safeguards (D8 receipt gate + D11 content-hash pre-scan) and rebuilt the fence. It worked, but it treated personal-AI skills like vendor packages. Users couldn't cleanly fork a skill without the next install fighting them. Every release re-litigated the same managed block. The test surface alone for the managed block was \~1000 lines. Skills aren't vendor packages. They're first-class code in your agent repo. You scaffold once, you own them, you fork and edit freely. When modusbrain ships a new version, you ask "what changed?" — the agent reads the diff and decides what (if anything) to integrate. ## The five commands ### `modusbrain skillpack scaffold <name> [--workspace PATH]` One-time, additive copy of a bundled skill into your repo. Refuses to overwrite any file that exists. Routing comes from each skill's frontmatter `triggers:` array — modusbrain does NOT touch your `RESOLVER.md` or `AGENTS.md` (see "How agents discover scaffolded skills" below). ```bash theme={null} cd ~/git/your-agent-repo modusbrain skillpack scaffold book-mirror # files in skills/book-mirror/ + (if the skill declares paired source) # src/commands/book-mirror.ts land in your workspace ``` `scaffold --all` copies every bundled skill that's missing. Never prunes. If a skill's frontmatter declares paired source files (`sources: [...]` in the SKILL.md YAML head), scaffold copies them too. The partial-state policy handles "skill shipped earlier, gained a paired source later" — scaffold copies the new paired file even when the skill dir already exists. ### `modusbrain skillpack reference <name> [--workspace PATH] [--apply-clean-hunks] [--json]` Read-only update lens. Diffs modusbrain's bundle against your local copy and emits per-file status (`identical` / `differs` / `missing`) plus unified diffs for any `differs` entries. ```bash theme={null} modusbrain skillpack reference book-mirror # These files live at as reference. Read them and # decide what (if anything) to integrate into your local skills/. # Your local edits are intentional — do not blindly overwrite. # # reference: identical:14 differs:1 missing:0 # # differs /your/workspace/skills/book-mirror/SKILL.md # --- a/skills/book-mirror/SKILL.md # +++ b/skills/book-mirror/SKILL.md # @@ -10,3 +10,5 @@ # ... unified diff ... ``` `reference --all` sweeps the whole bundle (one-line-per-skill summary). `reference <name> --apply-clean-hunks` is the auto-apply path. It parses the diff between modusbrain's bundle and your local copy, applies every hunk whose pre-change context matches uniquely. **Two-way merge limitation**: without scaffold-time base tracking (intentionally out-of-scope for v0.33), this cannot distinguish "modusbrain changed X" from "you changed X." Applied hunks align everything to modusbrain. Use `--dry-run` first to preview, or run plain `reference` to inspect the diff before letting auto-apply touch anything. ### `modusbrain skillpack migrate-fence [--workspace PATH] [--dry-run]` One-shot conversion for workspaces on the pre-v0.33 managed-block model. Strips the `<!-- modusbrain:skillpack:begin -->` / `end -->` markers and the manifest receipt comment from your resolver file. **Preserves every row inside the fence verbatim.** Those rows become user-owned routing the agent can still see during the transition to frontmatter-based discovery. ```bash theme={null} cd ~/git/your-agent-repo modusbrain skillpack migrate-fence # migrate-fence: fence_stripped # resolver: /your/workspace/skills/RESOLVER.md # fenced slugs: alpha, beta, gamma # already present: alpha, beta # skills copied: gamma (additive — beta and alpha kept their local edits) ``` Idempotent. Re-running after migration finds no fence and exits 0. ### `modusbrain skillpack scrub-legacy-fence-rows [--workspace PATH] [--dry-run]` Opt-in cleanup. Once you've confirmed your agent walks frontmatter `triggers:` for routing, this command removes the legacy rows that `migrate-fence` left behind. **Two-condition gate** (both must hold for a row to be removed): 1. `skills/<slug>/` exists on host (it was a real scaffold). 2. That skill's frontmatter declares non-empty `triggers:` (proof that frontmatter discovery covers this skill). Rows whose slug fails either gate are preserved — user-owned routing the migration shouldn't touch. ### `modusbrain skillpack harvest <slug> --from <host-repo-root> [--no-lint] [--dry-run]` Inverse of scaffold: lifts a proven skill from your host repo back into modusbrain so other clients can scaffold it. Default behavior: * Symlinks in the host skill dir are rejected (canonical-path confinement). * Privacy linter scans the harvested files against `~/.modusbrain/harvest-private-patterns.txt` plus built-in defaults (canonical private fork name, common email regex, Slack channel pattern). Any match → rollback (delete the harvested files) and exit non-zero. * `openclaw.plugin.json` updated with the new slug, sorted. * `--no-lint` bypasses the linter (after a manual editorial scrub). Use the `skillpack-harvest` skill (its companion editorial workflow) to walk the genericization checklist before running the CLI. ## How agents discover scaffolded skills Routing under the new model lives entirely in each skill's frontmatter: ```yaml theme={null} --- name: book-mirror triggers: - "personalized version of this book" - "mirror this book" - "two-column book analysis" --- ``` Your agent's job at runtime is to walk `skills/*/SKILL.md`, parse the frontmatter, and match the user's intent against every skill's `triggers:` array. When a match scores high enough, invoke that skill. This replaces the v0.32 model where `modusbrain skillpack install` wrote table rows into your `RESOLVER.md`. Rows are gone (or, for users migrating from the old model, preserved transitionally by `migrate-fence` until they run `scrub-legacy-fence-rows`). If you're a downstream agent author updating to this model: 1. On startup, scan `skills/*/SKILL.md` for frontmatter. 2. Build an in-memory routing table from each skill's `triggers:` array. 3. On every user message, match against this table — either by substring containment, semantic similarity, or whatever your downstream agent already does for intent classification. ## Removing a scaffolded skill There's no `modusbrain skillpack uninstall` command in v0.33. The files in your `skills/<slug>/` are first-class members of your repo — delete them like any other code: ```bash theme={null} rm -rf skills/book-mirror # if the skill declared paired source files: rm src/commands/book-mirror.ts # (consult the skill's frontmatter `sources:` array for the full list) # if no other scaffolded skill needs them, you can also remove the # shared deps that scaffold drops in: rm skills/_brain-filing-rules.md rm -rf skills/conventions/ rm skills/_output-rules.md ``` You own the files. There's no manifest to update, no fence to rebuild. ## When to use which command (quick decision tree) * **New host repo, want a modusbrain skill** → `scaffold` * **modusbrain shipped a new version, want to see what's changed** → `reference` (read-only) or `reference --apply-clean-hunks` (auto) * **Upgrading from v0.32 or earlier** → `migrate-fence` (one-shot) * **Cleanup after `migrate-fence`** → `scrub-legacy-fence-rows` * **Lift your fork's skill back into modusbrain** → `harvest` + the `skillpack-harvest` editorial skill ## What about `install` and `uninstall`? Both are removed in v0.33. Running either prints an error pointing at the replacement command. No deprecated alias — this is a clean break. If you have existing scripts referencing the old names, update them once and move on.