scaffold-exercises
Create exercise directory structures with sections, problems, solutions, and explainers that pass linting
Install / Use
npx skills add mattpocock/skills --skill scaffold-exercisesInstalls into whichever agent you are using.
SKILL.md
Installable skill definition
Quality Score
Category
Development & EngineeringSupported Platforms
Our assessment of scaffold-exercises
scaffold-exercises scores 87/100 on our quality scale, 368th of 1,751 Development & Engineering skills we index (top 22%).
Its SKILL.md is 3.5 KB long, well organised into 9 sections with 5 code examples: a solid amount of guidance for an agent.
With 268,790 GitHub stars, it is one of the more widely adopted skills in the catalogue.
Maintenance, license and trust
- The repository was last updated yesterday, so scaffold-exercises is actively maintained.
- It is released under the MIT license, a permissive license that allows use, modification and commercial use with attribution.
- Its trust signals score 100/100, with no cautions. These come from repository metadata, not a code audit — read the skill file before letting an agent act on it.
scaffold-exercises compared with similar skills
All 4 of these similar skills score higher than scaffold-exercises; compare them before choosing.
| Skill | Score | Stars | Updated | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| scaffold-exercises (this skill)by mattpocock | 87 | 268.8k | 1d ago | SKILL.md |
| Agent-Reachby Panniantong | 100 | 85.4k | 9d ago | CLAUDE.md |
| ai-job-searchby MadsLorentzen | 100 | 43.9k | 4d ago | CLAUDE.md |
| claude-howtoby luongnv89 | 100 | 41.7k | 5d ago | CLAUDE.md |
| algorithmic-artby anthropics | 100 | 177.9k | 2d ago | SKILL.md |
Frequently asked questions
- How do I install scaffold-exercises?
- Run
npx skills add mattpocock/skills --skill scaffold-exercises. The install tabs above show the steps for each supported agent. - Which AI agents does scaffold-exercises work with?
- It is written for Universal, as a SKILL.md file. Other agents that read the same format can often use it too.
- Is scaffold-exercises safe to use?
- It is MIT-licensed and scores 100/100 on trust signals. Skills are instructions an agent will follow, so read the file before installing it and do not approve commands you do not understand.
- Is scaffold-exercises still maintained?
- The repository was last updated yesterday, so scaffold-exercises is actively maintained.
Skill content
View source on GitHubname: scaffold-exercises description: Create exercise directory structures with sections, problems, solutions, and explainers that pass linting. Use when user wants to scaffold exercises, create exercise stubs, or set up a new course section.
Scaffold Exercises
Create exercise directory structures that pass pnpm ai-hero-cli internal lint, then commit with git commit.
Directory naming
- Sections:
XX-section-name/insideexercises/(e.g.,01-retrieval-skill-building) - Exercises:
XX.YY-exercise-name/inside a section (e.g.,01.03-retrieval-with-bm25) - Section number =
XX, exercise number =XX.YY - Names are dash-case (lowercase, hyphens)
Exercise variants
Each exercise needs at least one of these subfolders:
problem/- student workspace with TODOssolution/- reference implementationexplainer/- conceptual material, no TODOs
When stubbing, default to explainer/ unless the plan specifies otherwise.
Required files
Each subfolder (problem/, solution/, explainer/) needs a readme.md that:
- Is not empty (must have real content, even a single title line works)
- Has no broken links
When stubbing, create a minimal readme with a title and a description:
# Exercise Title
Description here
If the subfolder has code, it also needs a main.ts (>1 line). But for stubs, a readme-only exercise is fine.
Workflow
- Parse the plan - extract section names, exercise names, and variant types
- Create directories -
mkdir -pfor each path - Create stub readmes - one
readme.mdper variant folder with a title - Run lint -
pnpm ai-hero-cli internal lintto validate - Fix any errors - iterate until lint passes
Lint rules summary
The linter (pnpm ai-hero-cli internal lint) checks:
- Each exercise has subfolders (
problem/,solution/,explainer/) - At least one of
problem/,explainer/, orexplainer.1/exists readme.mdexists and is non-empty in the primary subfolder- No
.gitkeepfiles - No
speaker-notes.mdfiles - No broken links in readmes
- No
pnpm run exercisecommands in readmes main.tsrequired per subfolder unless it's readme-only
Moving/renaming exercises
When renumbering or moving exercises:
- Use
git mv(notmv) to rename directories - preserves git history - Update the numeric prefix to maintain order
- Re-run lint after moves
Example:
git mv exercises/01-retrieval/01.03-embeddings exercises/01-retrieval/01.04-embeddings
Example: stubbing from a plan
Given a plan like:
Section 05: Memory Skill Building
- 05.01 Introduction to Memory
- 05.02 Short-term Memory (explainer + problem + solution)
- 05.03 Long-term Memory
Create:
mkdir -p exercises/05-memory-skill-building/05.01-introduction-to-memory/explainer
mkdir -p exercises/05-memory-skill-building/05.02-short-term-memory/{explainer,problem,solution}
mkdir -p exercises/05-memory-skill-building/05.03-long-term-memory/explainer
Then create readme stubs:
exercises/05-memory-skill-building/05.01-introduction-to-memory/explainer/readme.md -> "# Introduction to Memory"
exercises/05-memory-skill-building/05.02-short-term-memory/explainer/readme.md -> "# Short-term Memory"
exercises/05-memory-skill-building/05.02-short-term-memory/problem/readme.md -> "# Short-term Memory"
exercises/05-memory-skill-building/05.02-short-term-memory/solution/readme.md -> "# Short-term Memory"
exercises/05-memory-skill-building/05.03-long-term-memory/explainer/readme.md -> "# Long-term Memory"
Related Skills
Agent-Reach
85.4kGive your AI agent eyes to see the entire internet. Read & search Twitter, Reddit, YouTube, GitHub, Bilibili, XiaoHongShu — one CLI, zero API fees.
ai-job-search
43.9kThe job search that runs on your machine. AI job application framework built on Claude Code: evaluate postings, tailor CVs, write cover letters, prep interviews. Fork it and own it.
claude-howto
41.7kA visual, example-driven guide to Claude Code — from basic concepts to advanced agents, with copy-paste templates that bring immediate value.
algorithmic-art
177.9kCreating algorithmic art using p5.js with seeded randomness and interactive parameter exploration. Use this when users request creating art using code, generative art, algorithmic art, flow fields, or particle systems.
Languages
Trust signals
From repository metadata: license, adoption, age and documentation. Not a code audit — see the Safety scan above for what the skill file itself contains.
