Scaffold Skill

Quick Ref: Project scaffolding, component generation, CI/CD setup.

$scaffold <language> <name>

for new projects,

$scaffold component <type> <name>

for components,

$scaffold ci <platform>

for CI pipelines.

YOU MUST EXECUTE THIS WORKFLOW. Do not just describe it.

Generate real files, run real commands, verify real output. Every invocation produces a working, tested, committed scaffold.

Modes

$scaffold <language> <name>

$scaffold component <type> <name>

$scaffold ci <platform>

Step 0: Determine Mode

Parse the invocation to identify which mode to run:

• If args contain

  component

  as first positional: Component mode
• If args contain

  ci

  as first positional: CI mode
• Otherwise: Project mode

If ambiguous, ask ONE clarifying question, then proceed.

Step 1: Gather Requirements

Collect these inputs (use defaults when not specified):

Validate the project name is kebab-case. Reject names with spaces, uppercase, or special characters.

Step 2: Generate Project Structure

Create the directory tree and all files. Every generated file must have real, functional content -- not placeholder comments.

Go CLI

<name>/
  cmd/<name>/main.go        # cobra or bare main with version flag
  internal/config/config.go  # configuration loading
  internal/config/config_test.go
  go.mod
  go.sum
  Makefile                   # build, test, lint, clean targets
  .goreleaser.yml            # cross-compile config
  .gitignore
  .editorconfig
  CLAUDE.md

Go Library

<name>/
  pkg/<name>.go              # primary exported API
  pkg/<name>_test.go
  examples/basic/main.go     # runnable example
  go.mod
  go.sum
  Makefile
  .gitignore
  .editorconfig
  CLAUDE.md

Python Package

<name>/
  src/<name>/__init__.py     # version and public API
  src/<name>/core.py         # primary module
  tests/__init__.py
  tests/test_core.py         # real behavioral test
  pyproject.toml             # black, ruff, mypy config included
  .github/workflows/ci.yml
  .gitignore
  .editorconfig
  CLAUDE.md

Node/TypeScript

<name>/
  src/index.ts               # entry point with exports
  src/core.ts                # primary module
  test/core.test.ts          # vitest test
  package.json               # scripts: build, test, lint, format
  tsconfig.json
  .gitignore
  .editorconfig
  CLAUDE.md

Rust

<name>/
  src/lib.rs                 # library root (or main.rs for CLI)
  src/core.rs                # primary module
  benches/benchmark.rs       # criterion bench stub
  Cargo.toml                 # with clippy, rustfmt config
  .gitignore
  .editorconfig
  CLAUDE.md

Step 3: Apply Best Practices

After generating the structure, layer on cross-cutting concerns:

.gitignore

Use the language-appropriate template. Include IDE files (

.vscode/

.idea/

.DS_Store

Thumbs.db

.editorconfig

root = true

[*]
end_of_line = lf
insert_final_newline = true
trim_trailing_whitespace = true
charset = utf-8

[*.{go,rs}]
indent_style = tab
indent_size = 4

[*.{py,ts,js,json,yml,yaml,toml}]
indent_style = space
indent_size = 4

[Makefile]
indent_style = tab

Pre-commit Hooks

Generate a

.pre-commit-config.yaml

• Go: gofmt, go vet, golangci-lint
• Python: black, ruff, mypy
• Node/TS: eslint, prettier
• Rust: rustfmt, clippy

Testing Setup

Every scaffold includes at least one real test that:

• Tests actual behavior (not just

  != nil

  )
• Uses the language's idiomatic test patterns
• Passes on first run

CI Pipeline

Generate CI config unless the user explicitly opts out. Default: GitHub Actions.

CLAUDE.md

Generate a project-specific

CLAUDE.md

• Build commands
• Test commands
• Lint commands
• Project structure overview
• Key conventions for the language (loaded from

  $standards

  )

Step 4: Verify Scaffold Works

Run these checks in order. Stop and fix if any fail.

1. Build passes        →  language-specific build command
2. Tests pass          →  language-specific test command
3. Lint passes         →  language-specific lint command (warn-only if tools not installed)

Verification Commands by Language

go build ./...

go test ./...

go vet ./...

python -m py_compile src/**/*.py

python -m pytest

ruff check .

npx tsc --noEmit

npx vitest run

npx eslint .

cargo build

cargo test

cargo clippy

If a tool is not installed (e.g.,

ruff

golangci-lint

Step 5: Initial Commit

After verification passes, create the initial commit:

bootstrap(<name>): scaffold <language> <type> project

Example:

bootstrap(my-cli): scaffold go cli project

Do NOT push. The user decides when to push.

Component Mode

When invoked as

$scaffold component <type> <name>

Go Component

internal/<name>/<name>.go       # package with exported API
internal/<name>/<name>_test.go  # behavioral tests

Register the new package in relevant imports. Run

go build ./...

go test ./...

Python Component

src/<project>/modules/<name>/__init__.py
src/<project>/modules/<name>/core.py
tests/test_<name>.py

Node/TS Component

src/<name>/index.ts
src/<name>/types.ts
test/<name>.test.ts

React Component

src/components/<Name>/<Name>.tsx
src/components/<Name>/<Name>.test.tsx
src/components/<Name>/<Name>.stories.tsx  # Storybook story
src/components/<Name>/index.ts            # barrel export

After generating, run the project's test suite to verify the new component integrates cleanly.

CI Mode

When invoked as

$scaffold ci <platform>

GitHub Actions

Generate

.github/workflows/ci.yml

This is a skeleton — expand steps using the detected language's actual commands.

name: CI
on:
  push:
    branches: [main]
  pull_request:
    branches: [main]

jobs:
  lint:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - name: Setup # use actions/setup-go, setup-node, setup-python as detected
        uses: actions/setup-go@v5  # example for Go
        with:
          go-version-file: go.mod
      - name: Lint
        run: golangci-lint run  # replace with detected linter

  test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    strategy:
      matrix:
        os: [ubuntu-latest, macos-latest]
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - name: Setup
        uses: actions/setup-go@v5
        with:
          go-version-file: go.mod
      - name: Test
        run: go test ./...  # replace with detected test command

  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    needs: [lint, test]
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - name: Setup
        uses: actions/setup-go@v5
        with:
          go-version-file: go.mod
      - name: Build
        run: go build ./...  # replace with detected build command

Include language-appropriate caching (

actions/cache

GitLab CI

Generate

.gitlab-ci.yml

stages:
  - lint
  - test
  - build

variables:
  # language-specific cache paths

lint:
  stage: lint
  script: [lint command]

test:
  stage: test
  script: [test command]
  parallel:
    matrix:
      - IMAGE: [language versions]

build:
  stage: build
  script: [build command]
  needs: [lint, test]

Include caching directives and artifact definitions.

Error Recovery

Output Summary

After completion, print a summary:

Scaffold complete: <name> (<language> <type>)
  Files created: <count>
  Build: PASS
  Tests: PASS (<count> tests)
  Lint:  PASS | WARN (tool not installed)
  Commit: bootstrap(<name>): scaffold <language> <type> project

Next steps:
  cd <name>
  <language-specific "run" command>