skillfactory

SkillFactory

Build real programs as Claude Code Skills - not just templates.

SkillFactory is a Go binary generator with a Skill wrapper TUI. It lets you create compiled CLI tools that Claude Code can use as Skills, replacing complex MCP servers with lean, fast binaries.

Features

• Go Binary Generator - Compile full Go programs into Skills
• MCP Alternative - Replace heavy MCP servers with lightweight binaries
• ~95% Token Reduction - Lean JSON output vs. verbose MCP responses
• TUI for Configuration - Interactive setup of API keys, URLs, secrets
• Auto-Generated SKILL.md - Documentation Claude can discover
• Community Skills Library - Extensible skills/ folder with ready-to-use integrations
• Zero Runtime Dependencies - Single binary, no servers to run

Why SkillFactory?

The Problem with MCP

MCP servers are powerful but come with overhead:

• Verbose JSON-RPC responses consume tokens
• Require running server processes
• Complex setup and configuration
• Limited to what the protocol supports

The Problem with Template Skills

Traditional Skills are often just prompt templates:

• No real program logic
• Can only guide, not execute
• Still rely on Claude for everything

The SkillFactory Solution

Your Skill IS a program. A compiled Go binary that:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    Go Program (Your Skill)                  │
│                                                             │
│   • HTTP clients for any API                                │
│   • Complex business logic                                  │
│   • Data transformation & filtering                         │
│   • Any Go package from the ecosystem                       │
│   • Native speed execution                                  │
│                                                             │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                            │
                    SkillFactory TUI
              (Configure → Build → Deploy)
                            │
                            ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│              Claude Code Skill Output                       │
│                                                             │
│   ~/.claude/skills/vikunja/                                 │
│   ├── bin/vikunja      ← Compiled binary                   │
│   ├── .env             ← Your configuration                │
│   └── SKILL.md         ← Auto-generated docs               │
│                                                             │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

MCP vs. SkillFactory Comparison

Quick Start

# Clone
git clone git@github.com:Civer/skillfactory.git
cd skillfactory

# Build
go build -ldflags "-X main.version=$(git describe --tags --always)" -o skillfactory ./cmd/skillfactory

# Run TUI
./skillfactory

The TUI guides you through:

1. Select a skill from the library
2. Configure environment variables (API keys, URLs)
3. Deploy to your Claude Code skills folder

Skills Library

The skills/ folder is a community-extensible library. Each skill is a complete Go CLI application.

Example Skill: Vikunja

The repository includes Vikunja as the reference implementation - a full-featured task management skill:

skills/vikunja/
├── skill.yaml           # Manifest with variables
├── main.go              # Cobra CLI entry point
├── client/              # HTTP client with auth
├── tasks/               # Task CRUD + labels
├── labels/              # Label management
└── projects/            # Project management

This skill demonstrates all key concepts:

• Lean JSON output - Returns only essential fields (~95% token reduction)
• Cobra CLI - Professional command structure with subcommands
• Environment config - API URL and token via .env
• Multiple entities - Tasks, projects, labels with full CRUD

Use it as a template when building your own skills!

Available Skills

Contributions welcome! See SKILL_DEVELOPMENT.md

How It Works

1. Write a Go CLI

Use Cobra or any CLI framework. Implement commands that output lean JSON:

// Instead of returning 50 fields from the API
type TaskLean struct {
    ID    int64  `json:"id"`
    Title string `json:"title"`
    Done  bool   `json:"done"`
}

2. Create skill.yaml

name: my-skill
description: What this skill does
version: 1.0.0

variables:
  - name: API_URL
    type: string
    required: true
  - name: API_TOKEN
    type: secret
    required: true

build:
  entry: "."
  binary: my-skill

3. Deploy with TUI

./skillfactory
# Select skill → Configure → Deploy

4. Claude Uses It

Claude discovers the skill via SKILL.md and calls the binary directly:

vikunja tasks list --project 2
# {"tasks":[{"id":1,"title":"Review PR","done":false}]}

Build Commands

# Build TUI (with version)
go build -ldflags "-X main.version=$(git describe --tags --always)" -o skillfactory ./cmd/skillfactory

# Build skill directly (development)
cd skills/vikunja && go build -o vikunja .

# Check version
./skillfactory --version

Documentation

• SKILL_DEVELOPMENT.md - Guide for creating your own Skills

Contributing

The skills/ library thrives on community contributions. Whether it's a Notion integration, a GitHub client, or something entirely new - if it's a Go CLI that outputs lean JSON, it can be a SkillFactory skill.

License

GPL-3.0