Installation

skillgen is not on PyPI yet, so you install it from a clone of the repository.

Requirements

Tool	Why	Required
Python 3.10 or newer	skillgen is a Python package	Yes
uv	installs it as a tool and manages its environment	Yes
git	to clone it; in your app, lets skillgen record the source commit and detect stale skills	Yes for install
Claude Code	reads each page's code; batch generation calls claude -p	For generation
Chromium (via Playwright)	only for --xy, probe and login	Optional

Graphify (the code graph), PyYAML, jsonschema and ast-grep (ast-grep-cli) are installed with skillgen as normal dependencies.

Install

git clone https://github.com/chapeee/skillprinter.git
cd skillprinter
uv tool install --editable ".[probe]"
skillgen doctor --fix

• uv tool install puts skillgen on your PATH.
• --editable means a git pull in the clone updates your skillgen at once.
• The probe extra adds Playwright, which generate --xy needs to measure where each field sits on a running dev copy. Leave it out for code-only use: uv tool install --editable .
• skillgen doctor --fix checks every tool and downloads Chromium for the probe. skillgen install downloads it too.
• .[astgrep,probe] from older notes still works; ast-grep is now a core dependency.

One-step local install

The repository ships a script that works like npm link. It removes any old install, clears uv's cache for the package, installs your clone globally in editable mode, checks that skillgen points at your clone, and downloads Chromium.

.\scripts\install-local.ps1

scripts/install-local.sh

PowerShell	bash	Effect
-RunTests	--run-tests	Also run the checks
-NoExtras	--no-extras	Install without the probe extra
-SkipChromium	--skip-chromium	Do not download Chromium
-Uninstall	--uninstall	Remove the global install

Rerun it after changing dependencies or pyproject.toml. If PowerShell blocks the script:

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\scripts\install-local.ps1

Set up Claude Code

Batch generation (generate --all) calls Claude Code headless. Install it and sign in once by running claude. To add the /skillgen command, its subagent and its driver skill to Claude Code:

skillgen install

Run skillgen install again after you update skillgen, because it copies the instructions rather than linking them. See Working in Claude Code.

Check the install

skillgen doctor
skillgen --version

doctor reports each tool with a mark: ✓ found, ✗ missing and required, · missing but optional.

Check	Required	Purpose
python	Yes	3.10 or newer
skillgen	Yes	the version, and the folder it runs from
graphify	Yes	code graph (core)
claude	No	Claude Code for batch analysis
ast-grep	No	router hint packs (installed with skillgen)
playwright	No	runtime probe (probe extra)

doctor exits with code 0 when every required check passes.

On Windows

Use PowerShell. Git Bash rewrites arguments that start with / into Windows paths, so --route /campaigns/new arrives as C:/Program Files/Git/campaigns/new. See Troubleshooting.