prompt-pack
Author and execute "prompt packs" — a big job broken into a sequence of self-contained, independently-shippable prompts, each run in its own fresh chat so a single change never dies to a context/token limit. Also writes paste-ready handoff briefings to resume a dying chat or relay work to another tool (e.g. Codex). ALWAYS invoke when the user says any of "make a prompt pack", "turn this into prompts", "break this into phases", "prompts I can run in separate chats", "I'm running out of tokens/context", "write me a handoff", "a prompt I can paste into a new chat", "this is too big for one chat",
npx skills add nelsonwerd/idea-to-ship-skills --skill prompt-pack --agent claude-code
Same command for any agent — swap --agent for codex, cursor, copilot.
Weekly change comes from our own snapshots, not the repository page — it measures attention, not adoption.
# Prompt-Pack — Sequenced, Self-Contained Prompts for Big Work Across Chats A prompt pack turns one large, risky job into an ordered set of **small, self-contained prompts**. Each prompt is pasted into a *fresh* chat, does exactly one shippable unit of work, verifies itself, and stops for review. The pack file lives in the repo and is the durable source of truth — so work survives context limits, spans multiple chats and tools, and never leaves the app half-broken. This skill encodes a battle-tested format (refined across many real packs) so every pack you author is consistent, safe, and resumable, and every pack prompt you execute follows the same disciplined loop. ## Why this exists (the problem it solves) - **Big changes are risky.** Decomposing into ordered, independently-shippable steps with explicit guardrails keeps the app working — and reviewable — between every step. This is the core win, and it holds even with unlimited context. - **Work relays across chats and tools.** A self-contained prompt can go to a new Claude chat or be pasted into another agent (e.g. Codex via `AGENTS.md`) with no loss — so a build can move across sessions, tools, or people. - **Plans evaporate.**
- Why this exists (the problem it solves)
- When to use this
- The three modes
- Core principles (the non-negotiables that make packs work)
- Mode A — Authoring a pack
- Mode B — Executing a pack prompt
- Mode C — Handoff briefing
- File & naming conventions
- Universal rules (inherit + adapt per project)
- Pitfalls to avoid
- Scale heuristics
What does the prompt-pack skill do?
Author and execute "prompt packs" — a big job broken into a sequence of self-contained, independently-shippable prompts, each run in its own fresh chat so a single change never dies to a context/token limit. Also writes paste-ready handoff briefings to resume a dying chat or relay work to another tool (e.g. Codex). ALWAYS invoke when the user says any of "make a prompt pack", "turn this into prompts", "break this into phases", "prompts I can run in separate chats", "I'm running out of tokens/context", "write me a handoff", "a prompt I can paste into a new chat", "this is too big for one chat",
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add nelsonwerd/idea-to-ship-skills --skill prompt-pack --agent claude-code` — it drops the skill into your project so the agent can pick it up. Swap the --agent value for codex, cursor or copilot if you use one of those.
Where does this skill come from?
From nelsonwerd/idea-to-ship-skills, a repository with 78 stars. We read it straight from the repository tree rather than a submitted listing, so what you see here is what is actually published.
Is a popular skill a good skill?
Not necessarily. Stars measure attention, not adoption — a repository can trend for a week and be abandoned. That is why we show the weekly change from our own snapshots next to the total, instead of a single flattering number.