suggesting-tooling
Analyzes a codebase and suggests custom Claude Code skills and subagents to improve development workflow. Use when user wants tooling suggestions, automation ideas, or asks "what skills would help this project".
Best use case
suggesting-tooling is best used when you need a repeatable AI agent workflow instead of a one-off prompt.
Analyzes a codebase and suggests custom Claude Code skills and subagents to improve development workflow. Use when user wants tooling suggestions, automation ideas, or asks "what skills would help this project".
Teams using suggesting-tooling should expect a more consistent output, faster repeated execution, less prompt rewriting.
When to use this skill
- You want a reusable workflow that can be run more than once with consistent structure.
When not to use this skill
- You only need a quick one-off answer and do not need a reusable workflow.
- You cannot install or maintain the underlying files, dependencies, or repository context.
Installation
Claude Code / Cursor / Codex
Manual Installation
- Download SKILL.md from GitHub
- Place it in
.claude/skills/suggesting-tooling/SKILL.mdinside your project - Restart your AI agent — it will auto-discover the skill
How suggesting-tooling Compares
| Feature / Agent | suggesting-tooling | Standard Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Platform Support | Not specified | Limited / Varies |
| Context Awareness | High | Baseline |
| Installation Complexity | Unknown | N/A |
Frequently Asked Questions
What does this skill do?
Analyzes a codebase and suggests custom Claude Code skills and subagents to improve development workflow. Use when user wants tooling suggestions, automation ideas, or asks "what skills would help this project".
Where can I find the source code?
You can find the source code on GitHub using the link provided at the top of the page.
Related Guides
SKILL.md Source
# Suggesting Tooling
Analyzes codebases to suggest custom skills and agents for workflow automation.
## Quick Start
1. Scan codebase for patterns (languages, frameworks, workflows)
2. Match patterns to skill/agent templates
3. Present suggestions with rationale
4. Generate approved tooling using creating-skills/creating-agents
## Workflow
```
Progress:
- [ ] Analyze codebase patterns
- [ ] Match to tooling templates
- [ ] Present suggestions
- [ ] Generate approved items
```
### Step 1: Analyze Codebase
Run lightweight analysis:
```bash
# Language detection
find . -type f -name "*.ts" -o -name "*.js" -o -name "*.py" | head -100
# Framework detection
ls package.json pyproject.toml Cargo.toml go.mod 2>/dev/null
# Workflow detection
ls .github/workflows/ .gitlab-ci.yml Dockerfile 2>/dev/null
# Existing tooling
ls .claude/skills/ .claude/agents/ 2>/dev/null
```
Collect:
- Primary language(s)
- Framework(s) in use
- Build/test tooling
- CI/CD setup
- Existing .claude/ configuration
### Step 2: Pattern Matching
Match detected patterns to suggestions:
| Signal | Skill Suggestion | Agent Suggestion |
|--------|------------------|------------------|
| Jest/Pytest/Mocha | testing-code | - |
| REST routes | - | api-testing |
| Prisma/migrations | db-migrations | - |
| Dockerfile | deploying-code | - |
| ESLint/Prettier | linting-code | - |
| Auth patterns | - | security-review |
| Many .md files | documenting-code | - |
| PR workflow | - | code-reviewer |
See [patterns/skills.md](patterns/skills.md) and [patterns/agents.md](patterns/agents.md) for complete mappings.
### Step 3: Present Suggestions
Format suggestions for user review:
```markdown
## Tooling Suggestions for {project}
Based on analysis of your codebase:
- Language: {detected}
- Framework: {detected}
- Existing tooling: {count} skills, {count} agents
### Recommended Skills
| # | Skill | Why | Priority |
|---|-------|-----|----------|
| 1 | {name} | {rationale} | P1 |
| 2 | {name} | {rationale} | P2 |
### Recommended Agents
| # | Agent | Why | Priority |
|---|-------|-----|----------|
| 1 | {name} | {rationale} | P1 |
```
Then ask user which to generate.
### Step 4: Generate Tooling
For each approved item:
**Skills** - Invoke creating-skills:
```
Use the creating-skills skill to create a {name} skill.
Purpose: {rationale}
Detected context:
- Framework: {framework}
- Test runner: {runner}
- Patterns: {patterns}
Generate a focused skill for this project.
```
**Agents** - Invoke creating-agents:
```
Use the creating-agents skill to create a {name} agent.
Purpose: {rationale}
Suggested tools: {tools}
Detected context:
- Project type: {type}
- Workflows: {workflows}
Generate a focused agent for this project.
```
## Pattern Categories
### Testing
- **Signals**: jest.config, pytest.ini, mocha, test/ directory
- **Suggest**: testing-code skill
- **Priority**: P1 if tests exist but no skill
### API Development
- **Signals**: Express routes, FastAPI, REST patterns
- **Suggest**: api-testing agent
- **Priority**: P1 if API-heavy project
### Database
- **Signals**: Prisma, TypeORM, migrations/
- **Suggest**: db-migrations skill
- **Priority**: P2
### DevOps
- **Signals**: Dockerfile, docker-compose, CI configs
- **Suggest**: deploying-code skill
- **Priority**: P2 if no deployment automation
### Code Quality
- **Signals**: ESLint, Prettier, pre-commit
- **Suggest**: linting-code skill
- **Priority**: P3
### Security
- **Signals**: Auth middleware, JWT, OAuth
- **Suggest**: security-review agent
- **Priority**: P1 for auth-heavy projects
See [reference.md](reference.md) for detailed pattern definitions.
## Gap Analysis
Compare detected needs against existing .claude/ configuration:
```
Detected workflows: Existing tooling:
- Testing (Jest) - (none)
- API (Express) - (none)
- CI (GitHub Actions) - (none)
Gaps: testing, api-testing, deployment
```
Only suggest tooling that fills gaps.
## Output Format
After generation, report:
```markdown
## Tooling Created
| Type | Name | Location |
|------|------|----------|
| Skill | testing-code | .claude/skills/testing-code/ |
| Agent | code-reviewer | .claude/agents/code-reviewer.md |
### Restart Required
New skills and agents require a Claude restart to be available.
To continue where you left off:
\`\`\`bash
claude --continue
\`\`\`
### Next Steps
1. Restart Claude to load new tooling
2. Run `claude --continue` to resume
3. Review generated tooling in .claude/
4. Test skills with sample workflows
```
## Limits
- Maximum 5 suggestions per category
- Require explicit approval before generating
- Skip suggestions for existing tooling
- Prioritize by impact (P1 first)Related Skills
suggesting-improvements
Expert at suggesting specific, actionable improvements to Claude's responses and work. Use when Claude's output needs enhancement, when quality issues are identified, or when iterating on solutions.
TypeScript Tooling
Development tools, linting, and build config for TypeScript. Use when configuring ESLint, Prettier, Jest, Vitest, tsconfig, or any TS build tooling. (triggers: tsconfig.json, .eslintrc.*, jest.config.*, package.json, eslint, prettier, jest, vitest, build, compile, lint)
swift-tooling
Standards for SPM, Build Configs, and Code Quality. Use when managing Swift packages with SPM, configuring build settings, or enforcing Swift code quality. (triggers: Package.swift, .swiftlint.yml, package, target, dependency)
react-tooling
Debugging, build analysis, and ecosystem tools. Use when debugging React apps, analyzing bundles, or configuring Vite/webpack for React. (triggers: package.json, devtool, bundle, strict mode, profile)
php-tooling
PHP ecosystem tooling, dependency management, and static analysis. Use when managing Composer dependencies, running PHPStan, or configuring PHP build tools. (triggers: composer.json, composer, lock, phpstan, xdebug)
nextjs-tooling
Ecosystem optimization, deployment, and developer flow. Use when configuring Next.js build optimization, deployment settings, or developer tooling. (triggers: next.config.js, package.json, Dockerfile, turbopack, output, standalone, lint, telemetry)
laravel-tooling
Ecosystem management, Artisan, and asset bundling. Use when managing Composer dependencies, Artisan commands, or Vite asset bundling in Laravel. (triggers: package.json, composer.json, vite.config.js, artisan, vite, horizon, pint, blade)
kotlin-tooling
Standards for Gradle Kotlin DSL, Version Catalogs, and MockK for Kotlin projects. Use when configuring build.gradle.kts, setting up libs.versions.toml, adding MockK for tests, or choosing between Kotlin-compatible test assertion libraries. (triggers: build.gradle.kts, libs.versions.toml, detekt.yml, mockk, kts, version catalog, kotest)
javascript-tooling
Development tools, linting, and testing for JavaScript projects. Use when configuring ESLint, Prettier, or test runners for JavaScript projects. (triggers: .eslintrc.*, jest.config.*, package.json, eslint, prettier, jest, test, lint, build)
java-tooling
Standards for Maven, Gradle, and static analysis in Java projects. Use when setting up Java build tooling, configuring Spotless or Checkstyle, managing JDK versions with sdkman, writing Dockerfiles for Java services, or adding SpotBugs/SonarLint. (triggers: pom.xml, build.gradle, build.gradle.kts, mvnw, gradlew, .sdkmanrc, spotbugs, checkstyle, spotless, eclipse-temurin)
golang-tooling
Go developer toolchain — gopls LSP diagnostics, linting, formatting, and vet. Use when setting up Go tooling, running linters, or integrating gopls with Claude Code. (triggers: gopls, golangci-lint, golangci.yml, go vet, goimports, staticcheck, go tooling, go lint)
dart-tooling
Dart static analysis, linting, formatting, and code-generation standards. Use when touching analysis_options.yaml, running build_runner, configuring dart format line length, setting up DCM metrics, or adding pre-commit hooks via lefthook — and whenever a CI job fails on analyze or format steps. (triggers: analysis_options.yaml, build.yaml, build_runner, lefthook.yml, dart format, dart_code_metrics)