Package Patterns

Two patterns for creating Imprint packages: skills-only and code+skills.

Overview

Imprint supports two distinct package patterns:

Pattern	Ships DLL?	Development Dependency?	Use Case
Skills-Only	No	Yes	Standards, guidelines, best practices
Code + Skills	Yes	No	Libraries with AI guidance

Pattern 1: Skills-Only Packages

Skills-only packages contain just AI skills and MCP fragments - no compiled code. They’re marked as development dependencies, meaning they don’t add any runtime cost to consumer applications.

When to Use

Organization coding standards
Security best practices
Framework guidelines
Domain-specific knowledge
Project templates/patterns

Project Configuration

<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">
  <PropertyGroup>
    <TargetFramework>netstandard2.0</TargetFramework>
    
    <!-- Don't ship any DLL -->
    <IncludeBuildOutput>false</IncludeBuildOutput>
    
    <!-- Mark as build-time only -->
    <DevelopmentDependency>true</DevelopmentDependency>
    
    <!-- Skip unnecessary analysis -->
    <NoPackageAnalysis>true</NoPackageAnalysis>
    
    <!-- Important: Include SDK dependency in package -->
    <SuppressDependenciesWhenPacking>false</SuppressDependenciesWhenPacking>
  </PropertyGroup>

  <ItemGroup>
    <PackageReference Include="Zakira.Imprint.Sdk" Version="1.0.0-preview">
      <PrivateAssets>compile</PrivateAssets>
    </PackageReference>
  </ItemGroup>

  <ItemGroup>
    <Imprint Include="skills\**\*" />
    <Imprint Include="mcp\*.mcp.json" Type="Mcp" />
  </ItemGroup>
</Project>

Key Properties Explained

Property	Value	Purpose
`IncludeBuildOutput`	`false`	No DLL in the package
`DevelopmentDependency`	`true`	NuGet marks as build-time only
`NoPackageAnalysis`	`true`	Skip unnecessary package validation
`SuppressDependenciesWhenPacking`	`false`	Include SDK dependency in `.nuspec`

Package Contents

A skills-only package looks like this:

MyOrg.Skills.1.0.0.nupkg
├── build/
│   └── MyOrg.Skills.targets       # Auto-generated by SDK
├── skills/
│   ├── coding-standards/
│   │   └── SKILL.md
│   └── security/
│       └── SKILL.md
└── mcp/
    └── MyOrg.Skills.mcp.json

Consumer Experience

When a consumer installs this package:

No runtime dependency is added
Skills are copied on build
MCP servers are merged on build
Clean removes everything

<!-- Consumer's project -->
<PackageReference Include="MyOrg.Skills" Version="1.0.0" />
<!-- No runtime reference appears in the compiled output -->

Pattern 2: Code + Skills Packages

Code + skills packages ship both a compiled library AND AI skills. When developers install your library, they get both the code and guidance on how to use it.

When to Use

SDK or library distribution
Frameworks with best practices
APIs with usage guidance
Tools with operational knowledge

Project Configuration

<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">
  <PropertyGroup>
    <TargetFramework>net8.0</TargetFramework>
    
    <!-- Normal library settings -->
    <GenerateDocumentationFile>true</GenerateDocumentationFile>
    <PackageId>MyOrg.Utils</PackageId>
    <Version>1.0.0</Version>
    
    <!-- Don't set IncludeBuildOutput=false - we want the DLL -->
    <!-- Don't set DevelopmentDependency - consumers need runtime code -->
  </PropertyGroup>

  <ItemGroup>
    <PackageReference Include="Zakira.Imprint.Sdk" Version="1.0.0-preview">
      <PrivateAssets>compile</PrivateAssets>
    </PackageReference>
  </ItemGroup>

  <ItemGroup>
    <Imprint Include="skills\**\*" />
    <Imprint Include="mcp\*.mcp.json" Type="Mcp" />
  </ItemGroup>
</Project>

Key Differences from Skills-Only

Property	Skills-Only	Code + Skills
`IncludeBuildOutput`	`false`	`true` (default)
`DevelopmentDependency`	`true`	Not set (false)
`TargetFramework`	`netstandard2.0`	Actual target (e.g., `net8.0`)

Package Contents

A code + skills package looks like this:

MyOrg.Utils.1.0.0.nupkg
├── lib/
│   └── net8.0/
│       ├── MyOrg.Utils.dll
│       └── MyOrg.Utils.xml
├── build/
│   └── MyOrg.Utils.targets       # Auto-generated by SDK
├── skills/
│   └── string-utils/
│       └── SKILL.md
└── mcp/
    └── MyOrg.Utils.mcp.json

Consumer Experience

When a consumer installs this package:

Runtime reference is added
DLL is used during compilation and at runtime
Skills are copied on build
MCP servers are merged on build

<!-- Consumer's project -->
<PackageReference Include="MyOrg.Utils" Version="1.0.0" />

// Consumer can use the code
using MyOrg.Utils;

var slug = "Hello World".Slugify();

Choosing the Right Pattern

Use Skills-Only When:

You’re distributing pure guidance (no code)
You want zero runtime footprint
You’re packaging organizational standards
The skills apply across different projects/technologies

Use Code + Skills When:

You’re shipping a library with usage guidance
The skills specifically teach how to use your code
Users need both runtime code and AI assistance
The skills reference your library’s APIs

Hybrid Approach

For complex scenarios, you can create separate packages:

MyOrg.Utils/
├── MyOrg.Utils.csproj          # Code-only library
└── MyOrg.Utils.Skills.csproj   # Skills-only package

This allows:

Library updates independent of skill updates
Optional skill installation
Different versioning strategies

<!-- Consumer chooses what to install -->
<PackageReference Include="MyOrg.Utils" Version="1.0.0" />
<PackageReference Include="MyOrg.Utils.Skills" Version="1.0.0" /> <!-- Optional -->

Example: Complete Code + Skills Package

Here’s a complete example of a string utilities library with AI skills:

StringUtils.csproj:

<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">
  <PropertyGroup>
    <TargetFramework>net8.0</TargetFramework>
    <ImplicitUsings>enable</ImplicitUsings>
    <Nullable>enable</Nullable>
    <GenerateDocumentationFile>true</GenerateDocumentationFile>
  </PropertyGroup>

  <ItemGroup>
    <PackageReference Include="Zakira.Imprint.Sdk" Version="1.0.0-preview">
      <PrivateAssets>compile</PrivateAssets>
    </PackageReference>
  </ItemGroup>

  <ItemGroup>
    <Imprint Include="skills\**\*" />
  </ItemGroup>
</Project>

StringExtensions.cs:

namespace StringUtils;

public static class StringExtensions
{
    public static string Slugify(this string text)
    {
        // Implementation
    }
    
    public static string Truncate(this string text, int maxLength)
    {
        // Implementation
    }
}

skills/string-utils/SKILL.md:

# StringUtils Library

This project uses the StringUtils library. When working with strings:

## Available Extensions

- `Slugify()` - Convert text to URL-friendly slugs
- `Truncate(maxLength)` - Truncate with ellipsis

## Examples

```csharp
// Creating slugs for URLs
var slug = title.Slugify();

// Truncating for display
var preview = content.Truncate(100);

Best Practices

Always use Slugify() for URL generation
Use Truncate() instead of manual substring operations ```

Next Steps

Creating Skill Packages - Detailed guide for skills-only
Creating Code+Skills Packages - Detailed guide for hybrid
Configuration Reference - All package options