From bmad-skills
Converts markdown books into structured Claude skills with granular reference files, workflows, and use-case guidelines for progressive disclosure.
How this skill is triggered — by the user, by Claude, or both
Slash command
/bmad-skills:skill-from-bookThe summary Claude sees in its skill listing — used to decide when to auto-load this skill
Transform book content into structured, context-efficient Claude skills.
Transform book content into structured, context-efficient Claude skills.
This skill guides you through converting a book (in markdown format) into a well-organized skill with:
YOU MUST FOLLOW THIS WORKFLOW STRICTLY. DO NOT SKIP OR REORDER PHASES.
STOP! Before proceeding, you MUST:
references/analysis-guide.md completelyPhase 1 Steps:
Extract TOC and outline ONLY (DO NOT read full book content)
# Count total lines
wc -l book.md
# Extract headers/TOC - THIS IS ALL YOU NEED
grep -E "^#{1,3} " book.md
Identify knowledge categories from outline
Define use cases
Ask user to confirm the identified categories and use cases before proceeding
STOP! Before proceeding, you MUST:
references/extraction-patterns.md completelyreferences/file-templates.md completelyPhase 2 Steps:
Design file structure with required files per category
Each category MUST contain these 3 basic files:
knowledge.md - Core concepts, definitions, and foundational understandingrules.md - Specific guidelines, do's and don'tsexamples.md - Good/bad code examples, before/after comparisonsAdditional files as needed:
patterns.md - Reusable solutionssmells.md - Anti-patterns and what to avoidchecklist.md - Quick reference checklistsskill-name/
├── SKILL.md
├── progress.md
├── guidelines.md
├── workflows/ # NEW: Step-by-step processes
│ ├── [task-1].md
│ └── [task-2].md
└── references/
├── category-1/
│ ├── knowledge.md # REQUIRED
│ ├── rules.md # REQUIRED
│ ├── examples.md # REQUIRED
│ ├── patterns.md # Optional
│ └── checklist.md # Optional
└── category-2/
├── knowledge.md # REQUIRED
├── rules.md # REQUIRED
├── examples.md # REQUIRED
└── smells.md # Optional
Create progress.md
Plan extraction tasks
Ask user to confirm the file structure and extraction plan before proceeding
STOP! Before proceeding, you MUST:
CRITICAL: You MUST use subagents (Task tool) for extraction. One subagent per topic - each subagent creates ALL files for that topic.
YOU MUST follow these steps:
IMPORTANT: Copy this template and replace ALL bracketed placeholders with actual values before launching subagent.
## Task: Extract [TOPIC] Knowledge Base
You are extracting knowledge from a book section to create a complete topic reference.
### Prerequisites - Read These Files First:
1. `skills/skill-from-book/references/file-templates.md` - Templates for all file types
2. `skills/skill-from-book/references/extraction-patterns.md` - Extraction rules
### Source Material:
- **Book**: [BOOK_PATH]
- **Section**: [CHAPTER/SECTION_NAME]
- **Line range**: Read with offset=[START_LINE], limit=[LINE_COUNT]
### Output Directory: [OUTPUT_TOPIC_PATH]
### Files to Create (in this order):
#### 1. knowledge.md (REQUIRED)
Core concepts, definitions, and foundational understanding.
- Extract: definitions, terminology, key concepts, how things relate
- Use the "Knowledge File" template
#### 2. rules.md (REQUIRED)
Specific guidelines, do's and don'ts.
- Extract: explicit rules, guidelines, best practices, exceptions
- Use the "Rules File" template
#### 3. examples.md (REQUIRED)
Good/bad code examples, before/after comparisons.
- Extract: all code samples, refactoring examples, comparisons
- Use the "Examples File" template
#### 4. [OPTIONAL_FILES - list any additional files needed]
[e.g., patterns.md, smells.md, checklist.md - specify what each should contain]
### Your Instructions:
1. Read the two prerequisite files FIRST to understand templates and extraction rules
2. Read the book section ONCE using: offset=[START_LINE], limit=[LINE_COUNT]
3. From that single read, extract content for ALL files listed above
4. For each file:
- Transform content (prose → bullets, extract rules, include examples)
- Format using the appropriate template from file-templates.md
- Keep each file under 200 lines
- Write to [OUTPUT_TOPIC_PATH]/[filename].md
5. Create files in order: knowledge.md → rules.md → examples.md → optional files
### Content Guidance:
[SPECIFIC_GUIDANCE - what to focus on, what to skip]
### Language Conversion (if applicable):
- Source: [SOURCE_LANG or "N/A"]
- Target: [TARGET_LANG or "N/A"]
- Convert ALL code examples to target language
## Task: Extract Functions Knowledge Base
You are extracting knowledge from a book section to create a complete topic reference.
### Prerequisites - Read These Files First:
1. `skills/skill-from-book/references/file-templates.md` - Templates for all file types
2. `skills/skill-from-book/references/extraction-patterns.md` - Extraction rules
### Source Material:
- **Book**: /path/to/clean-code.md
- **Section**: Chapter 3 - Functions
- **Line range**: Read with offset=450, limit=380
### Output Directory: skills/clean-code/references/functions
### Files to Create (in this order):
#### 1. knowledge.md (REQUIRED)
Core concepts, definitions, and foundational understanding.
- Extract: what makes a function clean, key terminology (side effects, arguments, abstraction levels), how functions relate to other concepts
- Use the "Knowledge File" template
#### 2. rules.md (REQUIRED)
Specific guidelines, do's and don'ts.
- Extract: size rules, argument limits, naming conventions, single responsibility, do one thing principle
- Use the "Rules File" template
#### 3. examples.md (REQUIRED)
Good/bad code examples, before/after comparisons.
- Extract: all code samples showing good vs bad functions, refactoring walkthroughs
- Use the "Examples File" template
#### 4. checklist.md (OPTIONAL)
Quick reference for reviewing functions.
- Create a checklist from the rules for code review
### Your Instructions:
1. Read the two prerequisite files FIRST to understand templates and extraction rules
2. Read the book section ONCE using: offset=450, limit=380
3. From that single read, extract content for ALL files listed above
4. For each file:
- Transform content (prose → bullets, extract rules, include examples)
- Format using the appropriate template from file-templates.md
- Keep each file under 200 lines
- Write to skills/clean-code/references/functions/[filename].md
5. Create files in order: knowledge.md → rules.md → examples.md → checklist.md
### Content Guidance:
Focus on practical, actionable content. Skip author anecdotes and historical context. Prioritize rules that are universally applicable.
### Language Conversion:
- Source: Java
- Target: TypeScript
- Convert ALL code examples to TypeScript
Run in parallel: Different topics (each handled by one subagent)
Must wait: guidelines.md and workflows creation waits for ALL topic subagents to complete
STOP! Before proceeding, you MUST:
references/guidelines-template.md completelyPhase 4 Steps:
Create guidelines.md that maps:
STOP! Before proceeding, you MUST:
references/workflow-templates.md completelyPhase 5 Steps:
Identify potential workflows from the book content
Look for:
Propose workflows to user
Present a list of potential workflows:
Based on the book content, I recommend these workflows:
| Workflow | Purpose | Key Steps |
|----------|---------|-----------|
| [name] | [what it does] | [brief step summary] |
| [name] | [what it does] | [brief step summary] |
Ask user to select which workflows to create
Which workflows would you like me to create?
- Select from the list above
- Suggest additional workflows
- Skip workflow creation
Create selected workflows
For each selected workflow:
references/workflow-templates.mdUpdate guidelines.md to include workflow references
Add a "Workflows" section at the top of guidelines.md:
## Workflows
| Task | Workflow |
|------|----------|
| [task description] | `workflows/[name].md` |
Phase 6 Steps:
skill-name/
├── SKILL.md
├── guidelines.md
├── progress.md
├── workflows/ # Step-by-step processes
│ ├── [verb]-[noun].md # e.g., code-review.md, bug-fix.md
│ └── ...
└── references/
├── [category]/ # Noun, plural (e.g., functions, classes)
│ ├── knowledge.md # REQUIRED: Core concepts and definitions
│ ├── rules.md # REQUIRED: Specific guidelines
│ ├── examples.md # REQUIRED: Good/bad examples
│ ├── patterns.md # Optional: Reusable solutions
│ ├── smells.md # Optional: Anti-patterns
│ └── checklist.md # Optional: Quick reference
Always maintain progress.md:
# [Skill Name] - Creation Progress
## Status: [X/Y files complete]
## Phase 1: Foundation
- [x] SKILL.md
- [x] progress.md
- [ ] guidelines.md
## Phase 2: Workflows
- [ ] workflows/[name].md
- [ ] workflows/[name].md
## Phase 3: [Category Name]
- [ ] category/knowledge.md # REQUIRED
- [ ] category/rules.md # REQUIRED
- [ ] category/examples.md # REQUIRED
- [ ] category/patterns.md # Optional
...
npx claudepluginhub bmad-labs/skills --plugin bmad-skillsDistills long books (PDF, EPUB, Markdown, HTML, plain text) chapter-by-chapter using parallel subagents, then synthesizes results into a concise structured overview or Claude Code skill.
Creates reusable Claude Code skills from documents by applying Adler's systematic reading methodology. Works with PDFs, markdown, book notes to extract actionable knowledge.
Guides creation of effective skills that extend Claude's capabilities with specialized knowledge, workflows, and tool integrations. Includes principles for concise context and appropriate levels of freedom.