Summary

Convert hve-core-installer.agent.md from a custom agent into a self-contained Skill package under .github/skills/hve-core-installer/. The installer's interactive workflow, environment detection scripts, validation scripts, and installation method logic should be extracted into the skill format while preserving all existing functionality.

Motivation

The hve-core-installer contains substantial domain-specific knowledge (environment detection, installation methods, validation, MCP configuration, agent copy workflows) that fits the Skill pattern better than an agent. Skills are reusable knowledge packages that can be invoked by any agent, making the installer's capabilities more broadly accessible and easier to maintain.

Acceptance Criteria

1. Extract into Skill using /prompt-build

• Use /prompt-build to extract the scripts and instructions from hve-core-installer.agent.md into a .github/skills/hve-core-installer/ Skill package
• Create SKILL.md with proper frontmatter (name, description) following the existing video-to-gif skill as reference
• Extract all embedded scripts (environment detection, validation, extension validation, collision detection, agent copy, upgrade detection, file status check, eject) into standalone script files under .github/skills/hve-core-installer/scripts/
• Provide both Bash and PowerShell variants for each script where the agent currently includes both
• SKILL.md must document all 7 phases, decision matrix, MCP configuration templates, error recovery, and rollback procedures

2. Functional parity with current codebase

• Verify all 6 clone-based installation methods work correctly (peer clone, git-ignored, mounted, codespaces, multi-root workspace, submodule)
• Verify extension quick-install workflow works correctly
• Verify Phase 7 agent customization (copy, collision detection, upgrade mode, eject) works correctly
• Ensure MCP configuration templates match current .vscode/mcp.json format
• Ensure settings configuration templates match current chat.*FilesLocations VS Code settings format
• Validate scripts reference correct paths relative to the new skill location

3. Remove the agent file

• Delete .github/agents/hve-core-installer.agent.md
• Remove the hve-core-installer.agent.md entry from collections/hve-core-all.collection.yml

4. Collection configuration

• Create a new collections/hve-core-installer.collection.yml that includes only the hve-core-installer skill
• Create a corresponding collections/hve-core-installer.collection.md describing the collection
• Add the hve-core-installer skill to collections/hve-core-all.collection.yml (replacing the removed agent entry)
• Do NOT add hve-core-installer to any other existing collection YAML files
• Run npm run plugin:generate to regenerate plugin outputs
• Run npm run plugin:validate to confirm collection metadata is correct

Implementation Notes

• The existing video-to-gif skill at .github/skills/video-to-gif/ serves as the reference implementation for skill structure
• Scripts should be organized under .github/skills/hve-core-installer/scripts/ with clear naming (e.g., detect-environment.sh, detect-environment.ps1, validate-installation.sh, validate-installation.ps1)
• The SKILL.md should reference scripts using relative paths from the skill directory
• All interactive prompts, checkpoint text, and decision matrix tables from the agent should be preserved in the SKILL.md
• The agent's tool declarations (vscode/newWorkspace, vscode/runCommand, etc.) are not applicable to skills and should be omitted

Related Files

• Source: .github/agents/hve-core-installer.agent.md
• Reference skill: .github/skills/video-to-gif/SKILL.md
• Collections: collections/hve-core-all.collection.yml
• Docs: docs/getting-started/methods/