vibe-keystone

vibe-Keystone

If your CLAUDE.md surface is weak, your entire architecture could crumble down.

The keystone is the load-bearing structural file in any repository that uses Claude Code: every agent decision, every dispatched subagent, every commit message rests on it. vibe-Keystone is the bootstrap skill that produces a 626Labs-pattern CLAUDE.md after inventorying a repo, confirming scope, and adapting per repo type.

You hand a Claude Code session this skill, and it asks you four questions, then writes a CLAUDE.md that future agents in that repo will stand on.

---

What it does

When invoked (typed as /keystone or triggered by phrases like "set up CLAUDE.md", "bootstrap claude md", "create the keystone", "claude md for this repo"), the skill:

1. Inventories the repo — git status, git log, top-level layout, stack files (package.json etc.), existing .claude/, .husky/, workflows. Refuses to write blind.
2. Interviews the user for tenant context — whose repo is this (626Labs / another org / individual)? Are there tenant docs (handbook, voice guide, principles, persona) the skill should read before drafting? Where do significant decisions log? Persona inheritance vs. override? Repo type? The skill's defaults are 626Labs-flavored, but tenant answers swap them through. No org's conventions get baked in by accident.
3. Produces a CLAUDE.md following a structured skeleton:
   • Title + persona inheritance note (or override)
   • Tech Stack (paired with Voice for content-bearing repos)
   • Design system reference (for visual repos)
   • "What's where" path table
   • Domain-specific section (operational center of gravity per repo type)
   • Common tasks table
   • Conventions
   • Decisions log → 626Labs Dashboard MCP
   • "What NOT to do" guardrails
   • References (.claude/agents, .claude/rules, .claude/hooks)
4. Self-checks — verifies every required section is present, no rotting snapshot lists, voice rules match repo type, references are concrete (not generic).
5. Proposes follow-ups — .claude/agents/, .claude/rules/, .claude/hooks/ candidates that fit the repo. Does not auto-create them.

---

Repo-type adaptations

The skill produces a different shape per repo type:

Repo type	Adaptations
Code platform (services, apps, libraries)	Tech Stack only; domain section covers MCP / infrastructure / federation patterns; conventions emphasize type safety, testing, styling
Marketing / content site	Tech Stack & Voice combined; voice rules are load-bearing; adds Design system section pointing at ~/.claude/skills/626labs-design/; domain section covers rebuild pipeline, bot workflows, asset flow
Long-form writing / thesis	Persona override clause is mandatory; adds Citation discipline section; mode switching if template-driven; academic-flavored commits (draft / revise / cite / respond / meta)
Infrastructure / mixed	Tech Stack covers all surfaces; domain section explains the runtime model and cross-surface coordination

---

Installation

Two paths, depending on how you want to use it.

Path A — User-level skill (recommended for daily use)

Drop the skill into your global Claude Code config so /keystone dispatches cleanly with no namespace prefix:

mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills/keystone
curl -sL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/estevanhernandez-stack-ed/vibe-Keystone/main/skills/keystone/SKILL.md \
  -o ~/.claude/skills/keystone/SKILL.md

Or clone + copy:

git clone https://github.com/estevanhernandez-stack-ed/vibe-Keystone.git
cp vibe-Keystone/skills/keystone/SKILL.md ~/.claude/skills/keystone/SKILL.md

Restart Claude Code (or open /hooks to refresh config) and you should see keystone in the skill listing. Then type /keystone in any new repo to invoke.

Path B — Claude Code plugin marketplace

Add this repo as a marketplace in your ~/.claude/settings.json:

{
  "extraKnownMarketplaces": {
    "vibe-keystone": {
      "source": {
        "source": "github",
        "repo": "estevanhernandez-stack-ed/vibe-Keystone"
      }
    }
  }
}

Then enable the plugin via /plugin install vibe-keystone@vibe-keystone (or however you've configured plugin installs). The skill dispatches as /vibe-keystone:keystone when installed this way — slightly more verbose than Path A but auto-updating with the repo.

---

What it does NOT do