Generating Skills via CLI
The smdg generate command creates SKILL.md files from any source material — local files, YouTube videos, or web URLs. The same pipeline as the web app runs behind the scenes, including automatic catalogue detection for large sources.
Basic Usage
smdg generate --source <path-or-url>Options
| Flag | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
--source, -s | Source file path or URL. Repeat for multiple sources. | (required) |
--name, -n | Skill name (lowercase-hyphenated). Auto-generated from source if omitted. | auto |
--category, -c | Skill category (coding, writing, task, devops, etc.). | auto |
--install, -i | Auto-install after generation. Values: claude, codex. | none |
How It Works
Every smdg generate run follows a two-phase flow:
Phase 1 — Analysis
Smidge analyzes your source and checks whether it contains enough distinct knowledge domains to warrant a skill catalogue (15,000+ words, or 3+ sources). This step is free — no credits are deducted.
Phase 2a — Single Skill
For focused sources, a single SKILL.md is generated directly. Costs 1 credit.
▲ Smidge
⠋ Analyzing source...
✓ my-guide.md generated (1,243 words)
skills/my-guide/SKILL.md 187 lines
Credits remaining: 11Phase 2b — Catalogue
For large or multi-topic sources, Smidge detects distinct knowledge domains and presents them as a selectable list. Choose which topics to generate — each costs 1 credit. A master index skill is generated automatically for free.
▲ Smidge
✓ Analyzed (22,760 words — catalogue opportunity detected)
❯ Select topics to generate (↑↓ navigate, space select, enter confirm):
◉ Locked Box and Completion Accounts Pricing mechanisms used in M&A transactions
◉ Executive Compensation in M&A Golden parachutes, sign-on and retention bonuses
◉ Leverage Buyouts Using borrowed capital to acquire companies
Selected:
✓ Locked Box and Completion Accounts 1 credit
✓ Executive Compensation in M&A 1 credit
✓ Leverage Buyouts 1 credit
? Use 3 credits? Continue? › Yes
✓ locked-box-completion-accounts.md
✓ executive-compensation-mna.md
✓ leverage-buyouts.md
✓ index.md (master index — free)
skills/ma-playbook/locked-box-completion-accounts/... 203 lines
skills/ma-playbook/executive-compensation-mna/... 196 lines
skills/ma-playbook/leverage-buyouts/... 274 lines
skills/ma-playbook/index.md 49 lines
Credits remaining: 9Output Structure
Single Skill
./skills/
└── my-skill/
├── SKILL.md
└── references/ # only if content exceeds word limit
└── part-2.mdCatalogue
./skills/
└── my-catalogue/
├── index.md # master index — routes to sub-skills
├── topic-one/
│ └── topic-one.md
├── topic-two/
│ └── topic-two.md
└── topic-three/
└── topic-three.mdExamples
YouTube Video
smdg generate --source "https://youtube.com/watch?v=abc123"Local PDF
smdg generate --source ./my-guide.pdf --name brand-voiceMultiple Sources
smdg generate \
--source ./reference.pdf \
--source "https://youtube.com/watch?v=..." \
--source ./examples.md \
--name sales-playbookGenerate and Install
smdg generate --source ./style-guide.pdf --install claude--install claude to skip the manual copy step — the skill is generated and installed to ~/.claude/skills/ in one command.