claude-automation-recommender

# Claude Automation Recommender

Analyze codebase patterns to recommend tailored Claude Code automations across all extensibility options.

**This skill is read-only.** It analyzes the codebase and outputs recommendations. It does NOT create or modify any files. Users implement the recommendations themselves or ask Claude separately to help build them.

## Output Guidelines

- **Recommend 1-2 of each type**: Don't overwhelm - surface the top 1-2 most valuable automations per category
- **If user asks for a specific type**: Focus only on that type and provide more options (3-5 recommendations)
- **Tell users they can ask for more**: End by noting they can request more recommendations for any specific category

## Automation Types Overview

| Type | Best For |
|------|----------|
| **Hooks** | Automatic actions on tool events (format on save, lint, block edits) |
| **Subagents** | Specialized reviewers/analyzers that run in parallel |
| **Skills** | Packaged expertise with workflows and reference material |
| **Slash Commands** | Quick, repeatable prompts with arguments |
| **Plugins** | Collections of skills that can be installed |
| **MCP Servers** | External tool integrations (databases, APIs, browsers, docs) |

## Workflow

### Phase 1: Codebase Analysis

Gather project context:

```bash
# Detect project type and tools
ls -la package.json pyproject.toml Cargo.toml go.mod pom.xml 2>/dev/null
cat package.json 2>/dev/null | head -50

# Check dependencies for MCP server recommendations
cat package.json 2>/dev/null | grep -E '"(react|vue|angular|next|express|fastapi|django|prisma|supabase|stripe)"'

# Check for existing Claude Code config
ls -la .claude/ CLAUDE.md 2>/dev/null

# Analyze project structure
ls -la src/ app/ lib/ tests/ components/ pages/ api/ 2>/dev/null
```

**Key Indicators to Capture:**

| Category | What to Look For | Informs Recommendations For |
|----------|------------------|----------------------------|
| Language/Framework | package.json, pyproject.toml, import patterns | Hooks, MCP servers |
| Frontend stack | React, Vue, Angular, Next.js | Playwright MCP, frontend skills |
| Backend stack | Express, FastAPI, Django | API documentation tools |
| Database | Prisma, Supabase, raw SQL | Database MCP servers |
| External APIs | Stripe, OpenAI, AWS SDKs | context7 MCP for docs |
| Testing | Jest, pytest, Playwright configs | Testing hooks, subagents |
| CI/CD | GitHub Actions, CircleCI | GitHub MCP server |
| Issue tracking | Linear, Jira references | Issue tracker MCP |
| Docs patterns | OpenAPI, JSDoc, docstrings | Documentation skills |

### Phase 2: Generate Recommendations

Based on analysis, generate recommendations across all categories:

#### A. MCP Server Recommendations

See [references/mcp-servers.md](references/mcp-servers.md) for detailed patterns.

| Codebase Signal | Recommended MCP Server |
|-----------------|------------------------|
| Uses popular libraries (React, Express, etc.) | **context7** - Live documentation lookup |
| Frontend with UI testing needs | **Playwright** - Browser automation/testing |
| Uses Supabase | **Supabase MCP** - Direct database operations |
| PostgreSQL/MySQL database | **Database MCP** - Query and schema tools |
| GitHub repository | **GitHub MCP** - Issues, PRs, actions |
| Uses Linear for issues | **Linear MCP** - Issue management |
| AWS infrastructure | **AWS MCP** - Cloud resource management |
| Slack workspace | **Slack MCP** - Team notifications |
| Memory/context persistence | **Memory MCP** - Cross-session memory |
| Sentry error tracking | **Sentry MCP** - Error investigation |
| Docker containers | **Docker MCP** - Container management |

#### B. Skills Recommendations

See [references/skills-reference.md](references/skills-reference.md) for patterns.

| Codebase Signal | Recommended Skill |
|-----------------|-------------------|
| Complex implementation tasks | **Plan agent** - Architecture planning |
| Large codebase | **Explore agent** - Codebase navigation |
| Creates documents | **docx skill** - Word document generation |
| Creates spreadsheets | **xlsx skill** - Excel creation |
| Creates presentations | **pptx skill** - PowerPoint generation |
| PDF workflows | **pdf skill** - PDF manipulation |
| Frontend UI work | **frontend-design** - UI component design |
| Needs custom Claude tools | **mcp-builder** - Build MCP servers |
| Wants branded output | **brand-guidelines** - Apply brand styling |
| Testing web apps | **webapp-testing** - Playwright testing |

#### C. Hooks Recommendations

See [references/hooks-patterns.md](references/hooks-patterns.md) for configurations.

| Codebase Signal | Recommended Hook |
|-----------------|------------------|
| Prettier configured | PostToolUse: auto-format on edit |
| ESLint/Ruff configured | PostToolUse: auto-lint on edit |
| TypeScript project | PostToolUse: type-check on edit |
| Tests directory exists | PostToolUse: run related tests |
| `.env` files present | PreToolUse: block `.env` edits |
| Lock files present | PreToolUse: block lock file edits |
| Security-sensitive code | PreToolUse: require confirmation |

#### D. Subagent Recommendations

See [references/subagent-templates.md](references/subagent-templates.md) for templates.

| Codebase Signal | Recommended Subagent |
|-----------------|---------------------|
| Large codebase (>500 files) | **code-reviewer** - Parallel code review |
| Auth/payments code | **security-reviewer** - Security audits |
| API project | **api-documenter** - OpenAPI generation |
| Performance critical | **performance-analyzer** - Bottleneck detection |
| Frontend heavy | **ui-reviewer** - Accessibility review |
| Needs more tests | **test-writer** - Test generation |

#### E. Slash Command Recommendations

See [references/slash-command-examples.md](references/slash-command-examples.md) for templates.

| Codebase Signal | Recommended Command |
|-----------------|---------------------|
| Git-based workflow | `/pr-review` - Review PR changes |
| Test suite exists | `/test [file]` - Run specific tests |
| CI/CD configured | `/ci-fix` - Debug CI failures |
| Changelog file | `/changelog` - Update changelog |
| API routes | `/api-doc [route]` - Document endpoint |
| Complex codebase | `/explain [file]` - Explain code |

#### F. Plugin Recommendations

See [references/plugins-reference.md](references/plugins-reference.md) for available plugins.

| Codebase Signal | Recommended Plugin |
|-----------------|-------------------|
| General productivity | **anthropic-agent-skills** - Core skills bundle |
| Document workflows | Install docx, xlsx, pdf skills |
| Frontend development | **frontend-design** plugin |
| Building AI tools | **mcp-builder** for MCP development |

### Phase 3: Output Recommendations Report

Format recommendations clearly. **Only include 1-2 recommendations per category** - the most valuable ones for this specific codebase. Skip categories that aren't relevant.

```markdown
## Claude Code Automation Recommendations

I've analyzed your codebase and identified the top automations for each category. Here are my top 1-2 recommendations per type:

### Codebase Profile
- **Type**: [detected language/runtime]
- **Framework**: [detected framework]
- **Key Libraries**: [relevant libraries detected]

---

### 🔌 MCP Servers

#### context7
**Why**: [specific reason based on detected libraries]
**Install**: `claude mcp add context7`

---

### 🎯 Skills

#### [skill name]
**Why**: [specific reason]
**How**: [invocation method]

---

### ⚡ Hooks

#### [hook name]
**Why**: [specific reason based on detected config]
**Where**: `.claude/settings.json`

---

### 🤖 Subagents

#### [agent name]
**Why**: [specific reason based on codebase patterns]
**Where**: `.claude/agents/[name].md`

---

### 📝 Slash Commands

#### /[command]
**Why**: [specific reason]
**Where**: `.claude/commands/[name].md`

---

**Want more?** Ask for additional recommendations for any specific category (e.g., "show me more MCP server options" or "what other hooks would help?").

**Want help implementing any of these?** Just ask and I can help you set up any of the recommendations above.
```

## Decision Framework

### When to Recommend MCP Servers
- External service integration needed (databases, APIs)
- Documentation lookup for libraries/SDKs
- Browser automation or testing
- Team tool integration (GitHub, Linear, Slack)
- Cloud infrastructure management

### When to Recommend Skills
- Complex multi-step workflows
- Document generation needs
- Specialized domain knowledge needed
- Repeatable processes with templates

### When to Recommend Hooks
- Repetitive post-edit actions (formatting, linting)
- Protection rules (block sensitive file edits)
- Validation checks (tests, type checks)

### When to Recommend Subagents
- Specialized expertise needed (security, performance)
- Parallel review workflows
- Background quality checks

### When to Recommend Slash Commands
- Frequently repeated prompts
- Commands with arguments
- Quick project-specific workflows

### When to Recommend Plugins
- Need multiple related skills
- Want pre-packaged automation bundles
- Team-wide standardization

---

## Configuration Tips

### MCP Server Setup

**Team sharing**: Check `.mcp.json` into repo so entire team gets same MCP servers

**Debugging**: Use `--mcp-debug` flag to identify configuration issues

**Prerequisites to recommend:**
- GitHub CLI (`gh`) - enables native GitHub operations
- Puppeteer/Playwright CLI - for browser MCP servers

### Headless Mode (for CI/Automation)

Recommend headless Claude for automated pipelines:

```bash
# Pre-commit hook example
claude -p "fix lint errors in src/" --allowedTools Edit,Write

# CI pipeline with structured output
claude -p "<prompt>" --output-format stream-json | your_command
```

### Permissions for Hooks

Configure allowed tools in `.claude/settings.json`:

```json
{
  "permissions": {
    "allow": ["Edit", "Write", "Bash(npm test:*)", "Bash(git commit:*)"]
  }
}
```