plugin-creator

Plugin Creator (with Superpowers Enforcement)

This skill wraps the built-in plugin-dev:create-plugin with enforcement pattern awareness from the superpowers framework. It adds an enforcement audit layer and PostToolUse validation hooks that the built-in version lacks.

Process

Step 1: Classify the Plugin

Before drafting, classify what's being created or edited:

Type	Description	Enforcement Needs
Full plugin	New plugin with skills, hooks, commands, agents	High — needs enforcement across all components
Skill addition	Adding a skill to an existing plugin	Medium — needs skill-level enforcement audit
Hook addition	Adding hooks to an existing plugin	Medium — needs path validation, matcher coverage
Component edit	Substantial edit to existing plugin component	Medium — needs re-audit of affected enforcement

Anti-Patterns: Read Before Drafting

!cat ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../references/creator-anti-patterns.md

Step 1b: Check for Mechanical Enforcement Opportunities

Before drafting, identify constraints that should be mechanically enforced rather than prompt-enforced. Four mechanisms are available:

Mechanism	Resolves at	Use for
${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}	Skill load	Script paths in Bash templates (use directly, never wrap in $())
!command`` (bang)	Skill load	Injecting reference file content, environment state
Scoped hooks (Pre/PostToolUse)	Each tool call	Mechanically checkable constraints (lint, path guards)
SessionStart hook (once: true)	Session start	Expensive computations (API calls, index builds) — not paths or content

The principle: if a constraint is mechanically checkable, enforce it with a hook. If it requires judgment, keep it as prompt text.

Step 2: Invoke the Built-in Plugin Creator

Use the Skill tool to invoke the built-in plugin creator:

Skill(skill="plugin-dev:create-plugin")

Follow its full process. The built-in creator handles the workflow — do not reimplement it.

Step 3: Enforcement Audit (After Each Draft)

After writing or revising plugin components (and before final validation), audit against the superpowers enforcement patterns. Read the enforcement checklist:

!cat ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../references/enforcement-checklist.md

Then score the draft using the appropriate template:

For Plugin Skills

Score against all 12 patterns from the checklist. Focus especially on:

1. Iron Laws — Does each skill have absolute constraints for high-drift actions?
2. Fact Rows (supersedes Rationalization Tables, v5.36.0) — Does each skill state its incident-learned, non-derivable knowledge (numbers, thresholds, named incidents, tool quirks) as declarative bullets with drive-framed consequences? Legacy excuse/reality tables count as present but convert on next touch; never author new ones.
3. Red Flags + STOP — Are there pattern interrupts for observable wrong actions?
4. Trigger-Only Descriptions — Does each skill description contain ONLY trigger phrases, no process summary?
5. Gate Functions — Does every phase transition have a verifiable exit condition?

For Plugin Hooks

Verify:

1. Matcher coverage — Do hooks fire on the right tool events?
2. Path validity — Do hook commands use ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../.. (not ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR})?
3. Error handling — Do hooks fail gracefully (non-zero exit blocks the action)?
4. Scope — Are hooks scoped to skills (frontmatter) or global (plugin.json)?

For Plugin Structure

Verify:

1. plugin.json — Valid manifest with correct version, name, description
2. marketplace.json — Version matches plugin.json in all locations
3. Directory layout — skills/, hooks/, commands/, agents/ as needed
4. Path portability — No hardcoded absolute paths in any component

Step 4: Reconcile Tensions

Tension resolution: Enforcement patterns go in skill body (not description), implementation code goes in scripts/, names are descriptive but descriptions are trigger-only.

Step 5: Continue Iteration

Return to the built-in plugin creator's process for validation and testing. After each iteration's revision, re-run the enforcement audit (Step 3).

During iteration, watch for enforcement iteration signals (see "Enforcement Iteration Signals" in the anti-patterns reference loaded above).

References

• Enforcement checklist: references/enforcement-checklist.md (loaded above via bang injection)
• Anti-patterns: references/creator-anti-patterns.md (loaded above via bang injection)
• Philosophy: references/PHILOSOPHY.md
• Built-in plugin creator: plugin-dev:create-plugin