Claude Code skill

The packaged agent workflow — what ships in the repo, what each file is for, and how to use it from any agent.

Marrow ships its agent instructions in the repository, so any agent that reads the working tree gets them for free.

What's in the repo

FilePurpose
AGENTS.mdThe operating guide agents read on entry. The golden loop, commands, rules, repo map
CLAUDE.mdProject instructions loaded automatically by Claude Code
.claude/skills/marrow-topology/Authoring skill — condensed schema, icon guidance, worked examples
.claude/skills/marrow-setup/Setup skill — takes a fresh clone to a working state

marrow-topology

Load it when creating or editing topology YAML. It packages the workflow, the condensed schema, and worked examples for each archetype — a small office that lays out tiered, a multi-site campus that lays out zoned, and so on. Copy the closest example and adapt rather than writing from scratch.

The skill defers to AGENTS.md as the authoritative reference; it's the working checklist, not a second source of truth.

marrow-setup

Load it when the toolchain isn't working: a fresh clone, a missing dist/, or validate reporting "icon pack is not installed". It installs dependencies, compiles the toolchain, and fetches the vendor icon packs that are never committed.

Using Marrow from other agents

Nothing here is Claude-specific. Any coding agent with shell and file access can drive the loop:

npm run marrow -- icons search <keyword> --json     # find real icon ids
npm run marrow -- validate input/x.yaml --json      # structured diagnostics
npm run marrow -- snapshot input/x.yaml -o /tmp/x.png
npm run marrow -- build input/x.yaml

Two things make the tool agent-friendly:

Structured diagnostics. --json gives code, path, line, column, snippet, hint, and ranked suggestions. An agent can act on MRW-E010 with a suggestion list without parsing prose.

Meaningful exit codes. 0 valid, 1 validation errors, 2 usage or I/O error. An agent can distinguish "the topology is wrong" from "I called the tool wrong" without reading output at all.

Keeping the guides in sync

AGENTS.md stays in the repository because agents read the working tree, not a website. This documentation site is the canonical, complete reference; the schema section of AGENTS.md points here rather than restating everything.

If you change the schema, the CLI, or the diagnostic registry, update the reference pages here — that's the source of truth. Then check whether AGENTS.md needs a matching one-line change.

Edit this page
The golden loop
How an AI agent drives Marrow — the six-step loop, and why looking at the picture is a required step.
Rules for agents
The non-negotiables when an agent is driving Marrow.