plugins/repo-polish/skills/repo-polish/SKILL.md
Use when setting up new repositories, auditing existing ones, or preparing repos for public visibility. Generates .gitignore, .env.example, README, and LICENSE files. Detects committed secrets and flags security issues.
npx skillsauth add sagargupta16/claude-skills repo-polishInstall this skill globally with one command. Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and Windsurf.
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| Item | Required | Check |
|------|----------|-------|
| .gitignore | Yes | Covers OS files, editor files, language artifacts, .env, secrets |
| .env.example | If .env used | Documents all env vars with placeholder values |
| README.md | Yes | Project name, description, setup, usage, tech stack |
| LICENSE | Yes | MIT for personal, match upstream for forks |
| No committed secrets | Critical | No .env, credentials, API keys in git history |
git pull before making changes (skip for forks)chore: add missing repo hygiene filesnode_modules/
dist/
build/
.next/
.env
.env.local
.env.*.local
*.log
npm-debug.log*
.DS_Store
Thumbs.db
.vscode/
.idea/
coverage/
__pycache__/
*.py[cod]
*$py.class
*.so
venv/
.venv/
.env
*.egg-info/
dist/
build/
.pytest_cache/
.coverage
htmlcov/
*.h5
*.pkl
*.model
*.weights
.ipynb_checkpoints/
.DS_Store
Thumbs.db
.vscode/
.idea/
bin/
vendor/
*.exe
*.test
*.out
.env
.DS_Store
Thumbs.db
.vscode/
.idea/
target/
Cargo.lock
*.pdb
.env
.DS_Store
Thumbs.db
.vscode/
.idea/
[Ll]ibrary/
[Tt]emp/
[Oo]bj/
[Bb]uild/
[Bb]uilds/
[Ll]ogs/
[Uu]ser[Ss]ettings/
*.csproj
*.sln
*.suo
*.user
*.pdb
.DS_Store
Thumbs.db
Search for env var usage in the codebase:
process.env.VAR_NAMEos.environ["VAR"], os.getenv("VAR"), dotenvos.Getenv("VAR")Write placeholders - never real values:
# Database
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://localhost:5432/dbname
# Authentication
JWT_SECRET=your-secret-key-here
# External APIs
API_KEY=your-api-key-here
Group by category with comments.
Adapt based on the actual project - never write generic filler.
# Project Name
Brief description of what this project does and why.
## Features
- Feature 1
- Feature 2
## Tech Stack
- Technology 1
- Technology 2
## Getting Started
### Prerequisites
- Runtime version (e.g., Node.js 22+, Python 3.13+)
### Installation
1. Clone the repo
2. Install dependencies
3. Set up environment: `cp .env.example .env`
4. Run the project
## License
MIT
Use MIT for personal projects (replace placeholders with actual values):
MIT License
Copyright (c) <YEAR> <YOUR NAME>
Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
copies or substantial portions of the Software.
THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
SOFTWARE.
For forks: always match the upstream project's license.
Before pushing, verify:
.env files with real values are stagedsecrets.yml) are git-ignored.env.example contains only placeholdersIf real credentials are found in git history, they must be rotated immediately - removing from future commits does not invalidate exposed secrets.
When auditing repos, also check CLAUDE.md quality:
| Check | Standard | How to Fix |
|-------|----------|-----------|
| Exists | Every repo should have one | Generate with /scaffold-claude-md |
| Length | Under 200 lines | Split into .claude/rules/ files |
| Structure | Overview > Commands > Conventions > Architecture | Reorganize to match standard |
| Commands | Lists actual project commands | Scan package.json/Makefile for real commands |
| Conventions | Specific to tech stack in use | Check linter/formatter config for details |
| Important tags | Critical rules wrapped in <important> | Wrap git safety and security rules |
| No secrets | No API keys, tokens, credentials | Remove and rotate if found |
| Up to date | Matches current project structure | Compare against actual repo state |
| Actionable | Rules specific enough to follow | Remove vague platitudes |
# Check length
wc -l CLAUDE.md
# Check for important tags
grep -c "<important" CLAUDE.md
# Check for common sections
grep -c "^## " CLAUDE.md
Detect the project type by checking for these files:
| File | Project Type |
|------|-------------|
| package.json | Node.js / React / Next.js |
| requirements.txt / pyproject.toml | Python |
| Cargo.toml | Rust |
| go.mod | Go |
| *.csproj / *.sln | C# / Unity |
| Makefile only | C / C++ |
| *.tf / main.tf | Terraform |
| cdk.json | AWS CDK |
| Dockerfile | Containerized app |
Use the appropriate .gitignore template based on detected type. For multi-language projects, combine relevant templates.
testing
Use when the user asks to audit a session for uncaptured learnings. Activates on "audit this session", "session audit", "what did we miss", "end of session check", or "/starter-session-audit". Scans the conversation for corrections, preferences, decisions, and new context, then proposes where to save each.
tools
Use when triaging open Renovate PRs across your own repos into merge / close / defer. Activates on "renovate triage", "review dep PRs", "monthly deps", or on the 1st of a month if deps are grouped monthly.
development
Use when restructuring code without changing behavior -- extracting functions, renaming, moving files, reducing duplication, migrating between patterns (JS to TS, CJS to ESM), or addressing code smells. Covers safe refactoring workflows for any language.
development
Use when contributing to open source projects from forked repositories. Handles upstream sync, CONTRIBUTING.md compliance, code style matching, PR preparation, and project-specific patterns. Activates for fork management, PR template filling, and upstream workflow compliance.