Guidance

Organization

testdouble

guidance

Authoritative guidance for building Claude Code skills, agents, and plugins, plus init and update steps that install and refresh the plugin-building skills in the current repository. Use when you need the rules or best practices for a skill, agent, hook, or plugin — designing, reviewing, hardening, or checking one against the guidance. Run with `init` to vendor the guidance, skill-builder, and agent-builder skills into the current repository (so they run with no dependency on this plugin) plus a path-scoped rule index, or `update` to refresh an already-vendored copy. Does not run an interview to build a new skill or agent from scratch — use skill-builder or agent-builder. Does not write feature code, review application code, or build non-plugin features.

Overview

Publisher	testdouble
Repository	`han`
Skill name	`guidance`
Stars	320
Forks	26
Bundled files	49
License	MIT
Links	Skill source Repository

Markdown instructions
A SKILL.md file the model loads on demand, so it only costs tokens when a request actually matches.
Works with any LLM
AI skills are plain Markdown, not provider-specific code, so this works with GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, or a local model.
49 bundled files
Scripts, templates, and references the model can read while it works. Files are read-only and never executed.
Open source
Published by testdouble on GitHub. Read the source before you install it.

Installation

Install the Guidance AI skill in TypingMind to use it with any LLM, or drop it into another agent that reads SKILL.md.

Install in TypingMind

TypingMind installs a skill straight from its GitHub folder — it reads SKILL.md, bundles the resource files, and stores the result locally.

Open the app and go to Plugins → Skills.
Choose "Install from GitHub".
Paste the skill folder URL below and confirm.
https://github.com/testdouble/han/tree/main/han-plugin-builder/skills/guidance
Enable the skill in any chat where you want it available.

Plugins → Skills → Add skill → From GitHub URL, then paste the folder URL and press Continue.

Install in another agent

Any agent that reads the Agent Skills format can use this skill — copy the folder into that agent's skills directory.

Claude Code — .claude/skills

git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/testdouble/han.git /tmp/han
mkdir -p .claude/skills
cp -r /tmp/han/han-plugin-builder/skills/guidance .claude/skills/guidance

Restart Claude Code after copying so it picks up the new skill.

Use it in TypingMind

Enable Guidance in any TypingMind chat and the model takes it from there. Its name and description sit in the system prompt, and the moment a request matches, the model loads the full instructions itself — you never invoke it by hand, and it costs no tokens until it is actually used.

The model loads Guidance on its own as soon as a request matches it.

Works with any AI model

AI skills are plain Markdown instructions rather than provider-specific code, so Guidance is not tied to the model it was written for. Install it once in TypingMind and use it with GPT-5, Claude, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek, Mistral, Llama, or a local model you run yourself — all on your own API keys.

Loaded only when it is needed
The system prompt carries just the name and description. The instructions are fetched on the first matching request, so an idle skill costs nothing.
Switch models mid-chat
Because the skill is instructions rather than code, changing model does not break it — the next model reads the same SKILL.md.

Skill instructions

This is the SKILL.md content the model loads. Read it before installing — a skill is instructions your model will follow.

Project Context

personal config directory: !bash "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/han-config-dir.sh" 2>/dev/null || echo "$HOME/.claude"
project .han/config.md: !cat .han/config.md 2>/dev/null || echo ""

As your first action, use the Read tool on .han/config.md inside the personal config directory path above. A read that returns no file is no personal configuration: continue silently. When that file or the project .han/config.md probe supplies content, apply it per config-rule.md, which governs precedence between the two files, relative-path resolution, and what to do with a file that reads but cannot be used.

This skill has three modes. Pick the mode from how it was invoked, then follow only that mode's steps.

If the invocation argument is init or initialize (any case), run Initialization Mode.
If the invocation argument is update or refresh (any case), run Update Mode.
Otherwise, run Guidance Mode.

Guidance Mode

Serve the relevant guidance for what the user is building. Do not read every guidance document — that defeats the purpose. Find the one or two that apply, read them, and apply them.

The guidance documents live in this skill's own references/ directory. Use this map to choose, then read only the specific file(s) you need:

Deciding whether something should be a skill, agent, or hook → ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/plugin-entity-taxonomy.md.
Authoring or hardening a skill (descriptions, frontmatter, progressive disclosure, allowed-tools, scripts, composition, testing, troubleshooting) → the files under ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/skill-building-guidance/.
Authoring an agent (domain focus, self-containment, model selection, multi-agent economics, graceful degradation) → the files under ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/agent-building-guidelines/.
Plugin or marketplace configuration files (plugin.json, marketplace.json, monitors.json, themes.json) → the files under ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/claude-marketplace-and-plugin-configuration/.
Versioning, README structure, local development, the iterative development process, and specialization-versus-model-tier reasoning → the top-level files in ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/.
Writing the instructions for a target model (how Sonnet 5, Opus 5, and Fable 5 differ in following instructions, which instructions to leave out, and how to calibrate length, narration, and scope) → ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/per-model-authoring.md.
Copyable starter files → ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/templates/.

Steps:

Identify what the user is building or asking about.
List the relevant subdirectory under ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/ to see the available documents, using the map above.
Read only the document(s) that directly apply.
Apply the guidance to the user's situation. Cite the document you used so the user can read it in full if they want.

Initialization Mode

Install the plugin-building skills into the current repository so anyone using the repo can run them and consult the guidance, with no dependency on this plugin remaining installed.

Run ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/init-guidance.sh from the repository root. The script vendors three skills into .claude/skills/ under a plugin- prefix so they never collide with this plugin's own slash commands: a guidance-only plugin-guidance skill (whose references/ directory is the single in-repo copy of the guidance documents), plugin-skill-builder, and plugin-agent-builder (with their names, cross-references, and guidance paths rewritten to that vendored copy). It then writes the path-scoped rule index at .claude/rules/plugin-building-guidance.md. Capture its output.
Report to the user what was written: the three vendored skills, the total file count, the rule index path, and the paths: globs. Explain that the three skills are now available directly in the repo (/plugin-guidance, /plugin-skill-builder, /plugin-agent-builder) and that the rule index is an index only — Claude Code loads it when a matching skill or agent file is touched, and it points to the vendored guidance so only the documents the current file needs are loaded, not all of them.
Do not commit. Leave the new files staged for the user to review.

Update Mode

Refresh the vendored skills and their rule index in a repository that already has them, so contributors get the current skills and guidance after this plugin has been updated. Updating is the same vendoring operation as Initialization Mode — it replaces every vendored skill in full (each SKILL.md and the guidance documents under plugin-guidance/references/, removing any files that the plugin source has since dropped) and regenerates the rule index — but it first confirms the skills are actually installed before touching anything.

Check whether the skills are already installed at the expected location. Run find .claude -maxdepth 3 $ -path '*/skills/plugin-guidance' -o -name plugin-building-guidance.md $ from the repository root. The skills are installed only when both the .claude/skills/plugin-guidance directory and the .claude/rules/plugin-building-guidance.md rule index turn up.
If the skills are not installed (the find turns up neither, or only one of the two), do not update. Tell the user the skills are not installed at the expected location (.claude/skills/plugin-guidance/ and .claude/rules/plugin-building-guidance.md) and ask whether they want to install them now. If they confirm, switch to Initialization Mode and run its steps. If they decline, stop without writing anything.
If the skills are installed, run ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/init-guidance.sh from the repository root. The script removes each vendored skill directory and re-copies it fresh from the plugin source, so every SKILL.md and every guidance document under plugin-guidance/references/ is replaced with the current version (and any file the plugin has since removed is dropped), then regenerates the rule index at .claude/rules/plugin-building-guidance.md. Capture its output.
Report to the user what was refreshed: the three vendored skills, the total file count, the rule index path, and the paths: globs.
Do not commit. Leave the changes staged for the user to review.

Bundled files

The model reads these on demand while the skill is loaded. They are exposed as readable files and are never executed.

Frequently asked questions

What does the Guidance AI skill do?

Why use Guidance on TypingMind?

Because you install it once and use it with any model. Guidance is plain Markdown rather than provider-specific code, so the same skill runs on GPT-5, Claude, Gemini, Grok, or a local model — and you can switch model mid-chat without it breaking. TypingMind runs on your own API keys, so you pay providers directly instead of a per-seat subscription, and your skills and chats stay in your own storage.

How do I install Guidance in TypingMind?

Open Plugins → Skills → Install from GitHub in TypingMind and paste https://github.com/testdouble/han/tree/main/han-plugin-builder/skills/guidance. TypingMind reads its SKILL.md and bundles its files and installs it as a skill you can enable per chat.

Which AI models can use Guidance?

Any model you connect in TypingMind. AI skills are plain Markdown instructions rather than provider-specific code, so GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, and local models can all load this skill when a request matches it.

How many AI models can I use with Guidance?

As many as you like. As long as a model supports skills, you can use Guidance with it — GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek, Mistral, Llama and more — all on TypingMind with your own API keys.

Is the Guidance AI skill free?

Yes. It is published on GitHub by testdouble under the MIT license. You only pay your own AI provider for the tokens you use.

What are AI skills?

An AI skill is a reusable instruction bundle that teaches an AI model how to do one specific task. It follows the open Agent Skills format: a SKILL.md file with a name and description, plus any scripts, templates or reference files the model may need. The model reads the instructions only when your request matches the skill, so an installed skill costs nothing until it is used.

How are AI skills different from plugins or MCP servers?

A plugin or MCP server gives a model new tools to call — code that runs somewhere and returns a result. An AI skill gives the model knowledge and process instead: how to approach a task, which steps to follow, what good output looks like. Skills are plain Markdown, so they need no server, no API key and no runtime, and they work with any model.

View all

Algorithmic Art

anthropics

OrganizationPopular

Creating algorithmic art using p5.js with seeded randomness and interactive parameter exploration. Use this when users request creating art using code, generative art, algorithmic art, flow fields, or…

Doc Coauthoring

Guide users through a structured workflow for co-authoring documentation. Use when user wants to write documentation, proposals, technical specs, decision docs, or similar structured content. This…

Authoring Skills

How to create and maintain agent skills in .agents/skills/. Use when creating a new SKILL.md, writing skill descriptions, choosing frontmatter fields, or deciding what content belongs in a skill vs…

Dce Edge

DCE-safe require() patterns and edge runtime constraints. Use when writing conditional require() calls, guarding Node-only imports (node:stream etc.), or editing define-env-plugin.ts / app-render /…

Overview

Installation

Install in TypingMind

Install in another agent

Use it in TypingMind

Works with any AI model

Skill instructions

Project Context

Guidance Mode

Initialization Mode

Update Mode

Bundled files

Frequently asked questions

Related AI Skills

Set up your own AI workspace now