Add Plugin Skill

A Claude Code skill for automatically researching and creating new plugins for the day/night cycle automation system.

Purpose

This skill automates the process of adding new application support to the day/night cycle automation. When a user asks to add support for a new application, this skill will:

Research how theme switching works for the target application
Identify the appropriate implementation pattern
Create a plugin function in plugins.go
Register the plugin in the plugins map
Provide configuration examples and documentation

Usage

Simply ask Claude Code to add support for an application:

Add a plugin for Visual Studio Code

Add support for Slack

Create a plugin for Kitty terminal

The skill will automatically activate based on these types of requests.

What It Does

Research Phase

Searches for official documentation on theme switching
Identifies configuration file locations and formats
Discovers available theme names
Determines if live reloading is supported
Checks for AppleScript or CLI support

Implementation Phase

Selects the appropriate plugin pattern (JSON, YAML, AppleScript, CLI, text file)
Creates a new plugin function in plugins.go
Implements theme switching logic for both light and dark modes
Adds proper error handling with descriptive error messages
Registers the plugin in the plugins map

Documentation Phase

Provides configuration examples for config.yaml
Documents any special setup requirements
Notes whether app restart or reload is needed
Suggests theme names to use

Files

SKILL.md - Main skill definition and instructions
plugin-patterns.md - Detailed implementation patterns by configuration type
examples.md - Complete worked examples for common applications

Supported Patterns

The skill knows how to implement plugins for:

JSON configuration files (VS Code, Cursor, Electron apps)
YAML configuration files (CLI tools, development tools)
AppleScript control (iTerm2, Terminal, native macOS apps)
Command-line interfaces (CLI-first tools)
Text file manipulation (Vim, config files with includes)
Hybrid approaches (apps with multiple control methods)

Prerequisites

The skill expects:

The plugins map in plugins.go
Configuration file at config.yaml (or config.example.yaml)
Access to web search for research
Go toolchain for building and testing

Examples

Example 1: Adding VS Code Support

User: "Add a plugin for Visual Studio Code"

Skill actions:

Searches for VS Code theme documentation
Discovers settings.json location and workbench.colorTheme property
Creates vscodePlugin function in plugins.go using JSON pattern
Registers plugin in plugins map
Provides config with popular theme names

Example 2: Adding Kitty Terminal

User: "Add support for Kitty terminal"

Skill actions:

Researches Kitty configuration
Finds it uses include-based theme system
Creates plugin function that updates kitty.conf
Implements reload signal (SIGUSR1) for live updates
Documents theme file requirements

Benefits

Saves time: Automates repetitive research and boilerplate
Consistency: Follows established patterns and conventions
Quality: Includes proper error handling and validation
Documentation: Provides complete setup instructions
Best practices: Uses proven patterns from existing plugins

Customization

The skill can be extended with:

Additional plugin patterns
Platform-specific implementations (Windows, Linux)
Integration with helper utilities
Automated testing setup

Maintenance

To update the skill:

Edit the relevant .md files in .claude/skills/add-plugin/
Keep patterns in sync with plugins.go structure changes
Add new examples as more plugins are implemented
Update research checklist based on common issues

Notes

The skill uses web search to ensure accurate, up-to-date information
It follows the patterns established by existing plugins
All generated code includes proper error handling
Plugins are tested for basic functionality before completion

add-plugin