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New Project Developer Walkthrough

This walkthrough guides you from zero to your first deployed artifacts in about 15 minutes. You'll install SkillMeat, create a collection, add artifacts from the marketplace, deploy them to your project, and verify everything works.

Prerequisites

What you need

  • Python 3.9 or later — check with python --version or python3 --version
  • Basic terminal comfort — you'll run a few CLI commands
  • A Claude Code project — a local directory with a .claude/ folder (or you'll create one)
  • Internet access — to download artifacts from GitHub and the marketplace
  • No prior SkillMeat experience required — you're starting fresh

Step 1: Install SkillMeat

Choose your preferred installation method:

pip install skillmeat

uv tool install skillmeat

python3 -m venv ~/.skillmeat-venv
source ~/.skillmeat-venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: ~/.skillmeat-venv\Scripts\activate
pip install skillmeat

Verify the installation:

skillmeat --version

You should see version output like skillmeat, version 0.32.0.

Step 2: Initialize Your Collection

A collection is your personal library where you store and manage all your artifacts. Create your first one:

skillmeat init

You'll see output like:

Collection 'default' initialized
  Location: /Users/you/.skillmeat/collection
  Artifacts: 0

Your collection is now ready to receive artifacts. You can explore it if curious:

ls -la ~/.skillmeat/collection/

Step 3: Add Your First Artifact from the Marketplace

Now you'll add a real artifact. Let's start with a useful skill from Anthropic's official marketplace:

skillmeat add skill anthropics/skills/canvas

SkillMeat will show you a security prompt. Read it to understand what you're adding, then confirm:

Fetching artifact from GitHub...
Added skill: canvas
  Location: ~/.skillmeat/collection/skills/canvas/

What just happened: SkillMeat downloaded the Canvas Design skill from GitHub, verified it, and stored it in your collection.

Explore Your Collection

See what's in your collection now:

skillmeat list

You should see:

Artifacts (1)
┌────────┬────────┬─────────┐
│ Name   │ Type   │ Origin  │
├────────┼────────┼─────────┤
│ canvas │ skill  │ github  │
└────────┴────────┴─────────┘

Step 4: (Optional) Add More Artifacts

Feel free to experiment with additional artifacts from the marketplace:

# Add a different skill
skillmeat add skill anthropics/skills/document

# Or add a command
skillmeat add command user/repo/commands/review

List your collection again to see them:

skillmeat list

Step 5: Deploy to Your Project

Now you'll deploy your artifacts to your Claude Code project (the .claude/ directory). First, navigate to your project:

cd /path/to/your/project

If you don't have a .claude/ directory yet, SkillMeat will create it for you.

Deploy the canvas skill:

skillmeat deploy canvas

You'll see output like:

Deploying 1 artifact(s)...
Deployed 1 artifact(s)
  canvas → .claude/skills/canvas/

Check what was deployed:

ls -la .claude/skills/

You should see canvas/ directory with the skill files inside.

If you added more artifacts, deploy them too:

skillmeat deploy canvas document review

The web UI gives you a visual overview of your collection and deployed artifacts. Start it:

skillmeat web dev

Wait for both servers to start. You'll see:

SkillMeat API running on http://localhost:8080
SkillMeat Web UI running on http://localhost:3000

Using the Web UI

  1. Open http://localhost:3000 in your browser
  2. Click Collection in the left sidebar
  3. You'll see all your artifacts listed (canvas, and any others you added)
  4. Click any artifact to see details: version, metadata, what it does
  1. Click Projects in the left sidebar
  2. Select your current project
  3. Click Deployed tab to see all artifacts deployed to this project
  4. Each shows deployment status, version, and when it was deployed
  • [ ] Your artifacts appear in Collection view
  • [ ] Your artifacts appear in Projects → [Your Project] → Deployed tab
  • [ ] Artifact versions are visible (e.g., "v1.2.0" or "latest")
  • [ ] Timestamps show "just now" or recent times

To stop the web UI, press Ctrl+C in the terminal.

Step 7: Quick Verification (CLI Only)

If you prefer not to use the web UI, verify everything via the CLI:

# Check your collection
skillmeat list

# Check what's deployed in your project
cd /path/to/your/project
skillmeat status

# View detailed info on a deployed artifact
skillmeat show canvas

Troubleshooting

"skillmeat: command not found"

You need to activate your virtual environment or reinstall:

# If using virtual environment
source ~/.skillmeat-venv/bin/activate

# Then verify
skillmeat --version

"Collection already exists"

You've already run skillmeat init. To use the existing collection:

skillmeat list

Or to create a new named collection:

skillmeat init my-new-collection

GitHub rate limit errors

If you see "rate limit exceeded," set a GitHub token to increase limits:

skillmeat config set github-token ghp_your_token_here

Get a token from GitHub Settings → Developer settings → Personal access tokens (classic). You don't need special permissions for public repos.

Artifact fails to deploy

Check that your project directory has a .claude/ folder:

ls -la .claude/

If not, create it:

mkdir -p .claude/

Then retry:

skillmeat deploy canvas

What Just Happened

You've successfully:

  1. ✅ Installed SkillMeat
  2. ✅ Created a personal collection
  3. ✅ Added artifacts from the marketplace
  4. ✅ Deployed them to your project
  5. ✅ Verified everything works (via CLI and optionally web UI)

Your artifacts are now available in your Claude Code projects. Use them in your .claude/ directory just like any other Claude Code artifacts.

Next Steps

Now that you have your first artifacts deployed, explore deeper workflows:

  • See Also (coming in v1 docs rollout):
  • docs/user/guides/collection-init-config.md — Understand collection configuration and settings
  • docs/user/guides/adding-artifacts.md — Learn all ways to add artifacts (marketplace, GitHub, local files)

  • docs/user/guides/deploying-artifacts.md — Master deployment options, including Git PR workflows for teams

  • Quick links to common tasks:

  • Discovery & Import Quick Guide — Scan your existing .claude/ directory for artifacts to import
  • Marketplace Usage Guide — Browse and search the marketplace for more artifacts
  • Web UI Guide — Get more comfortable with the visual interface

  • CLI Reference — Full list of all available commands

  • Ready for more?

  • Do you have an existing project with artifacts? See the Existing Project Migrant Walkthrough
  • Setting up for a team? See the Team / Enterprise Admin Walkthrough (coming soon)
  • Using Backstage? See the Backstage Platform Engineer Walkthrough (coming soon)

Getting Help

  • View help for any command: skillmeat --help or skillmeat deploy --help
  • Check the CLI Reference for detailed command documentation
  • Review Troubleshooting Guide for common issues
  • Ask questions in the SkillMeat community or file an issue on GitHub

Time to complete: ~15 minutes
Complexity: Beginner
Prerequisites met: ✅