Getting Started

Create and consume AI skill packages in minutes.

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Prerequisites

• .NET 8.0 SDK or later
• An AI assistant (GitHub Copilot, Claude, Cursor, Roo Code, OpenCode, or Windsurf)

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Quick Start: Consuming Skill Packages

The fastest way to get started is consuming an existing skill package.

Step 1: Install a Skill Package

# Add a skill package to your project
dotnet add package Zakira.Imprint.Sample

Step 2: Build Your Project

dotnet build

Step 3: Verify Installation

After building, check that the skill files have been copied:

# For GitHub Copilot users
ls .github/skills/

# For Claude users
ls .claude/skills/

# For Cursor users
ls .cursor/rules/

# For Roo Code users
ls .roo/rules/

# For OpenCode users
ls .opencode/skills/

# For Windsurf users
ls .windsurf/rules/

That’s it! Your AI assistant now has access to the skills from the package.

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Quick Start: Creating Skill Packages

Ready to create your own skill package? Here’s the fastest path.

Step 1: Create a New Project

mkdir MyOrg.Skills
cd MyOrg.Skills
dotnet new classlib -n MyOrg.Skills
cd MyOrg.Skills

Step 2: Configure the Project

Replace the contents of MyOrg.Skills.csproj:

<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">
  <PropertyGroup>
    <TargetFramework>netstandard2.0</TargetFramework>
    
    <!-- Package metadata -->
    <PackageId>MyOrg.Skills</PackageId>
    <Version>1.0.0</Version>
    <Authors>Your Name</Authors>
    <Description>AI Skills for our organization</Description>
    
    <!-- Skills-only package settings -->
    <IncludeBuildOutput>false</IncludeBuildOutput>
    <DevelopmentDependency>true</DevelopmentDependency>
    <NoPackageAnalysis>true</NoPackageAnalysis>
    <SuppressDependenciesWhenPacking>false</SuppressDependenciesWhenPacking>
  </PropertyGroup>

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

  <ItemGroup>
    <!-- Include all files in skills folder -->
    <Imprint Include="skills\**\*" />
  </ItemGroup>
</Project>

Step 3: Create Your Skills

Create the skills directory and add your first skill:

mkdir skills
mkdir skills\coding-standards

Create skills/coding-standards/SKILL.md:

# Coding Standards

## Naming Conventions

- Use PascalCase for public members
- Use camelCase for private fields (with underscore prefix: _fieldName)
- Use meaningful, descriptive names
- Avoid abbreviations except for well-known ones (Id, Url, etc.)

## Code Organization

- One class per file
- Keep methods under 30 lines
- Maximum 3 levels of nesting

## Error Handling

- Use specific exception types
- Always include meaningful error messages
- Log exceptions with full context

Step 4: Build and Pack

dotnet build
dotnet pack -o ./packages

Step 5: Test Locally

In a test project, add a reference to your local package:

# In a different project directory
dotnet add package MyOrg.Skills --source ../MyOrg.Skills/packages
dotnet build

Check that your skills appear in the agent directories!

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Understanding the Build Output

When you build a project with Imprint packages installed, several things happen:

Files Created

Location	Purpose
.github/skills/*	Skills for GitHub Copilot
.claude/skills/*	Skills for Claude
.cursor/rules/*	Skills for Cursor
.roo/rules/*	Skills for Roo Code
.opencode/skills/*	Skills for OpenCode
.windsurf/rules/*	Skills for Windsurf
.imprint/manifest.json	Tracks installed files for cleanup
.imprint/.gitignore	Prevents manifest from being committed

What Happens on Build

dotnet build
    │
    ├─ NuGet Restore (restores skill packages)
    │
    ├─ Imprint_CopyContent (copies skills to agent directories)
    │
    ├─ Imprint_MergeMcp (merges MCP server configs)
    │
    └─ Normal build continues...

What Happens on Clean

dotnet clean
    │
    ├─ Imprint_CleanContent (removes tracked skill files)
    │
    ├─ Imprint_CleanMcpServers (removes managed MCP servers)
    │
    └─ Normal clean continues...

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Agent Auto-Detection

Imprint automatically detects which AI agents you’re using by looking for their configuration directories:

Directory Found	Agent Detected
.github/	GitHub Copilot
.claude/	Claude
.cursor/	Cursor
.roo/	Roo Code
.opencode/	OpenCode
.windsurf/	Windsurf

If no agent directories are found, Imprint defaults to targeting GitHub Copilot.

Overriding Auto-Detection

You can explicitly specify which agents to target:

<PropertyGroup>
  <!-- Target specific agents -->
  <ImprintTargetAgents>copilot;claude</ImprintTargetAgents>
</PropertyGroup>

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Next Steps

Now that you have the basics:

1. Learn the concepts: Read How Imprint Works to understand the architecture
2. Create skill packages: Follow the Creating Skill Packages guide
3. Add MCP servers: Learn about MCP Integration
4. Configure everything: See the Configuration Reference

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Common Issues

Skills Not Appearing

1. Check the build output - Look for Imprint_CopyContent in the build logs
2. Verify agent directories exist - Create .github/, .claude/, .cursor/, .roo/, .opencode/, or .windsurf/ if needed
3. Check the manifest - Look at .imprint/manifest.json to see what was installed

Package Not Working

1. Verify SDK reference - The skill package must reference Zakira.Imprint.Sdk
2. Check item declarations - Ensure <Imprint Include="..."> items are correctly defined
3. Rebuild - Run dotnet clean then dotnet build

See the Troubleshooting page for more solutions.