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Installing Skillchain

Skillchain v3.0 can be installed globally (for all projects) or per-project (for team sharing). Both installation methods use the provided installation script.

Prerequisites​

  • Claude Code CLI installed (npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code)
  • Bash shell (macOS, Linux, or WSL on Windows)
  • Git (to clone the repository)

Install once, use in all your projects:

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/ancoleman/ai-design-components.git
cd ai-design-components

# Install globally
./install.sh

This installs to:

  • ~/.claude/commands/skillchain/ - Commands (exposed as /skillchain:*)
  • ~/.claude/skillchain-data/ - Data (registries, shared resources)

Benefits of Global Installation​

  • Available everywhere: Works in any project directory
  • Personal setup: Your preferences follow you across projects
  • Easy updates: Update once, affects all projects
  • No repo clutter: Doesn't add files to project repositories

Verification​

After installation, verify it works:

# Navigate to any project
cd ~/my-project

# Start Claude Code
claude

# Test skillchain
/skillchain:start help

You should see the skillchain help guide with all 76 available skills across 10 domains.

Option 2: Project-Specific Installation​

Install for a single project (can be committed and shared with team):

# Navigate to your project
cd ~/my-project

# Clone or copy the ai-design-components repo
git clone https://github.com/ancoleman/ai-design-components.git

# Install to current project
./ai-design-components/install.sh --project

Or specify a target project:

# Install to a specific project
cd ai-design-components
./install.sh --project ~/path/to/your/project

This installs to:

  • <project>/.claude/commands/skillchain/ - Commands
  • <project>/.claude/skillchain-data/ - Data

Benefits of Project Installation​

  • Team sharing: Commit .claude/ to git for team access
  • Version pinning: Each project can use a different skillchain version
  • Project defaults: Project-specific preferences
  • Portability: Works offline without global setup

Adding to Git​

If you want to commit skillchain to your project repository:

# Ensure .claude directory is tracked
git add .claude/commands/skillchain/
git add .claude/skillchain-data/

# Commit
git commit -m "Add skillchain v3.0 for team collaboration"

Installation Locations​

Claude Code looks for commands in two locations:

LocationScopeUse Case
~/.claude/commands/Global (your user)Personal commands available everywhere
.claude/commands/Project-specificTeam commands committed to repo

Resolution order: Project commands override global commands if both exist.

What Gets Installed​

The installation script installs the skillchain in a separated structure:

Commands Directory (exposed as slash commands)​

~/.claude/commands/skillchain/
├── start.md                    # /skillchain:start (main entry)
├── help.md                     # /skillchain:help
│
├── blueprints/                 # 12 blueprints
│   ├── dashboard.md
│   ├── crud-api.md
│   ├── api-first.md
│   ├── rag-pipeline.md
│   ├── ml-pipeline.md
│   ├── ci-cd.md
│   ├── k8s.md
│   ├── cloud.md
│   ├── observability.md
│   ├── security.md
│   ├── cost.md
│   └── data-pipeline.md
│
└── categories/                 # 12 orchestrators
    ├── frontend.md
    ├── backend.md
    ├── devops.md
    ├── infrastructure.md
    ├── security.md
    ├── developer.md
    ├── data.md
    ├── ai-ml.md
    ├── cloud.md
    ├── finops.md
    ├── fullstack.md
    └── multi-domain.md

Data Directory (NOT exposed as commands)​

~/.claude/skillchain-data/
├── registries/                 # 11 registry files
│   ├── _index.yaml             # Registry index (76 skills)
│   ├── frontend.yaml           # 15 skills
│   ├── backend.yaml            # 14 skills
│   ├── devops.yaml             # 6 skills
│   ├── infrastructure.yaml     # 12 skills
│   ├── security.yaml           # 7 skills
│   ├── developer.yaml          # 7 skills
│   ├── data.yaml               # 6 skills
│   ├── ai-ml.yaml              # 4 skills
│   ├── cloud.yaml              # 3 skills
│   └── finops.yaml             # 2 skills
│
└── shared/                     # Shared resources
    ├── preferences.md
    ├── theming-rules.md
    └── execution-flow.md

Why two directories? Every .md file in commands/ becomes a slash command. The separated structure prevents internal files from appearing as unwanted commands like /skillchain:_registry.

Updating​

To update an existing installation, simply run the installer again:

# Update global installation
cd ai-design-components
git pull  # Get latest changes
./install.sh

# Update project installation
./install.sh --project ~/your-project

The installer will:

  1. Detect existing installation
  2. Backup current files (if desired)
  3. Replace with new version
  4. Preserve your user preferences (~/.claude/skillchain-prefs.yaml)

Uninstalling​

To remove skillchain:

# Remove global installation
rm -rf ~/.claude/commands/skillchain
rm -rf ~/.claude/skillchain-data

# Remove project installation
rm -rf .claude/commands/skillchain
rm -rf .claude/skillchain-data

# Optional: Remove saved preferences
rm ~/.claude/skillchain-prefs.yaml

Troubleshooting​

Command Not Found​

If /skillchain:start doesn't work:

  1. Check installation location:

    ls ~/.claude/commands/skillchain/start.md     # Global
    ls .claude/commands/skillchain/start.md       # Project

  2. Verify data directory exists:

    ls ~/.claude/skillchain-data/registries/      # Global
    ls .claude/skillchain-data/registries/        # Project

  3. Verify Claude Code is running:

    claude --version

  4. Restart Claude Code: Exit and restart the Claude Code CLI.

Permission Denied​

If you get permission errors:

# Make installer executable
chmod +x install.sh

# Run with proper permissions
./install.sh

Wrong Version Installed​

Check which version is active:

# View registry version
cat ~/.claude/skillchain-data/registries/_index.yaml | head -5

# Should show:
# version: "3.0.0"
# total_skills: 76

Skills Not Loading​

If skills aren't triggering:

  1. Check skill installation: The skills themselves must be installed separately from skillchain. See Skills Installation.

  2. Verify skill invocation paths: Skills are referenced by their full invocation name (e.g., frontend-skills:theming-components).

Configuration​

After installation, skillchain works immediately with default settings. However, you can customize:

User Preferences​

On first run, skillchain will ask if you want to save preferences:

# ~/.claude/skillchain-prefs.yaml
global:
  theme:
    color_scheme: "blue-gray"
    theme_modes: ["light", "dark"]
  frameworks:
    frontend: "react"
    backend: "fastapi"
    database: "postgres"

Project-Specific Defaults​

For project installations, you can create project-specific defaults:

# .claude/skillchain-project.yaml
project:
  name: "my-app"
  defaults:
    theme:
      color_scheme: "brand-colors"
    frameworks:
      frontend: "svelte"

These override global preferences when working in that project.

Next Steps​