Publish Plugins Version Bump
vinta/hal-9000
Finds which plugins in the repository changed, bumps only the ones not already bumped since origin/main, and checks that each plugin's two manifests stay in sync.
Walks through installing watchmen, running its init wizard, wiring the plugin into Codex or Claude Code and checking the result with doctor.
Install Watchmen Setup
$ npx skills add firstbatchxyz/watchmen --skill setup -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install firstbatchxyz/watchmen setup --agent claude-codeProject scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/firstbatchxyz/watchmen.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/plugin-codex/skills/setup .claude/skills/setup && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.
Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/
Install the "setup" agent skill from https://github.com/firstbatchxyz/watchmen/tree/main/plugin-codex/skills/setup into .claude/skills/setup/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "setup", then confirm the skill loads.Claude Code copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$skill-installer install https://github.com/firstbatchxyz/watchmen/tree/main/plugin-codex/skills/setupType this inside Codex. $skill-installer <name> installs a curated skill from openai/skills. The installer writes to $CODEX_HOME/skills (default ~/.codex/skills). Restart Codex if the skill does not show up.
$ npx skills add firstbatchxyz/watchmen --skill setup -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install firstbatchxyz/watchmen setup --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/firstbatchxyz/watchmen.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/plugin-codex/skills/setup .agents/skills/setup && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "setup" agent skill from https://github.com/firstbatchxyz/watchmen/tree/main/plugin-codex/skills/setup into .agents/skills/setup/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "setup", then confirm the skill loads.Codex copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add firstbatchxyz/watchmen --skill setup -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install firstbatchxyz/watchmen setup --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/firstbatchxyz/watchmen.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/plugin-codex/skills/setup .cursor/skills/setup && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.
Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/
Install the "setup" agent skill from https://github.com/firstbatchxyz/watchmen/tree/main/plugin-codex/skills/setup into .cursor/skills/setup/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "setup", then confirm the skill loads.Cursor copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gemini skills install https://github.com/firstbatchxyz/watchmen.git --path plugin-codex/skills/setup--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.
$ npx skills add firstbatchxyz/watchmen --skill setup -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install firstbatchxyz/watchmen setup --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/firstbatchxyz/watchmen.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/plugin-codex/skills/setup .gemini/skills/setup && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.gemini/skills/ instead of .gemini/skills for a personal install, then run /skills reload.
Gemini CLI skills documentation · loads skills from .gemini/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "setup" agent skill from https://github.com/firstbatchxyz/watchmen/tree/main/plugin-codex/skills/setup into .gemini/skills/setup/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "setup", then confirm the skill loads.Gemini CLI copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gh skill install firstbatchxyz/watchmen setupInstalls for Copilot at project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Preview a skill first with gh skill preview. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ npx skills add firstbatchxyz/watchmen --skill setup -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/firstbatchxyz/watchmen.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/plugin-codex/skills/setup .github/skills/setup && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.copilot/skills/ instead of .github/skills for a personal install. Commit .github/skills so cloud agent and code review can use it.
GitHub Copilot skills documentation · loads skills from .github/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "setup" agent skill from https://github.com/firstbatchxyz/watchmen/tree/main/plugin-codex/skills/setup into .github/skills/setup/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "setup", then confirm the skill loads.GitHub Copilot copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add firstbatchxyz/watchmen --skill setup -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install firstbatchxyz/watchmen setup --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/firstbatchxyz/watchmen.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/plugin-codex/skills/setup .opencode/skills/setup && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.
OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "setup" agent skill from https://github.com/firstbatchxyz/watchmen/tree/main/plugin-codex/skills/setup into .opencode/skills/setup/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "setup", then confirm the skill loads.OpenCode copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
Facts
- Skill name
setup- GitHub stars
- 296
- Token cost
- ~1.1k tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 605 words
- Files
- 1
- Skills in repo
- 4
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- MIT
At a glance
Walks through installing watchmen, running its init wizard, wiring the plugin into Codex or Claude Code and checking the result with doctor.
- Works in 4 steps: Install the CLI → Run the init wizard (interactive — hand… → Wire the plugin into the agent (agent UI… → …
- Installing watchmen on a new machine
- SKILL.md covers Before you start, 1. Install the CLI, 2. Run the init wizard… and 3. Wire the plugin into the…, plus 1 more section
- Calls uv, git and curl; reaches astral.sh
What it does
Watchmen is a local CLI that turns past coding-agent sessions into a curated skills library and feeds it back into new sessions; this skill sets it up on the current machine. It first checks the operating system, whether `uv` is installed and whether watchmen is already present. A missing `uv` stops the process with install advice, an existing install skips ahead to verification, and a fresh machine goes through the steps in order.
The agent clones the repository and installs the CLI as an editable `uv` tool with `uv sync && uv tool install --editable .`. The `watchmen init` wizard is interactive, so the agent hands you the command to run yourself: it asks for an LLM provider (OpenRouter, OpenAI, Anthropic or a macOS OAuth subscription), takes the API key, ingests `~/.claude/projects/` history, previews cost and installs the background daemon and viewer. The agent never touches API keys. Plugin wiring and a final doctor check complete the setup.
When your agent uses it
- Installing watchmen on a new machine
- Onboarding watchmen with Codex or Claude Code
- Verifying an existing watchmen install and fixing what doctor flags
Example prompts
- “Set up watchmen on this laptop and tell me what I need to run myself.”
- “Watchmen is installed but sessions are not showing up; run the doctor check and fix it.”
- “Wire the watchmen plugin into Codex.”
Requirements
- uv
- git
- An API key or OAuth subscription for an LLM provider, entered in the init wizard
Workflow steps
4 steps, taken from the step headings in SKILL.md.
What it can do on your machine
Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit bbe763c. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.
Tool permissions
Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.
From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.
Runs code
Shell commands in SKILL.md call:
uvgitcurlshbrew
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
Hosts in commands or code, which the agent is likely to contact:
astral.sh
From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.
Credentials
Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.
From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.
Context cost
Watchmen Setup loads about 1.1k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 67 tokens; SKILL.md has 605 words of instructions outside code blocks.
Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.
Safety
Auto-check: notes
The automated check noted patterns worth knowing about, such as sudo or a known installer.
- NotePipes a well-known installer script into a shellSKILL.md:20
and tell the user to install uv first (`curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh`, or `brew install uv`), then re
Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.
SKILL.md
The full file from firstbatchxyz/watchmen at commit bbe763c, republished under its MIT licence (© firstbatchxyz). 605 words, ~1,144 tokens.
Download SKILL.mdSave it as
.claude/skills/setup/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).- name
- setup
- description
- Set up watchmen end-to-end for the current machine — install the CLI, run the init wizard, wire the plugin into Codex (and Claude Code), and verify the install with doctor. Use when someone wants to install, onboard, or configure watchmen with their coding agent.
Set up watchmen
You are guiding the user through installing and wiring watchmen on this machine. watchmen is a local CLI that turns past coding-agent sessions into a curated skills library and surfaces it back into new sessions. This skill is a thin orchestrator: you run the non-interactive shell steps yourself, and for the steps that are interactive (the init wizard) or that only the agent UI can do (plugin install), you give the user the exact commands and wait.
Do not touch the user's API keys or credentials directly — the init wizard handles provider auth. Never paste a key on the user's behalf.
Before you start
Check what's already here so you don't redo work:
!uname -s; command -v uv >/dev/null && echo "uv: $(uv --version)" || echo "uv: MISSING"; command -v watchmen >/dev/null && echo "watchmen: $(watchmen --version 2>/dev/null)" || echo "watchmen: not installed"
Read that output and branch:
uv: MISSING→ stop and tell the user to install uv first (curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh, orbrew install uv), then re-run this skill. uv is the only hard prerequisite besides a provider credential.- watchmen already installed → skip to step 3 (verify) and only fix what
doctorflags. Don't reinstall over a working setup. - Fresh machine → walk steps 1 → 4 in order.
1. Install the CLI
watchmen installs as an editable uv tool from a clone, so git pull + the daemon pick up updates:
git clone https://github.com/firstbatchxyz/watchmen.git
cd watchmen
uv sync && uv tool install --editable .Run these for the user (pick a sensible parent dir, or ask where they want the clone). If the clone already exists, cd into it and just run the uv sync && uv tool install --editable . line.
2. Run the init wizard (interactive — hand off)
watchmen init is an interactive wizard: it asks which LLM provider to use (OpenRouter / OpenAI / Anthropic, or an OAuth subscription on macOS), prompts for that provider's API key, ingests ~/.claude/projects/ history, lets the user pick projects, previews cost, runs analyze + curate, and installs the daemon + viewer for autostart.
You can't drive an interactive prompt cleanly, so tell the user to run it themselves in their terminal:
watchmen initWait for them to confirm it finished before continuing. If they'd rather skip the wizard and just install the background services with defaults, watchmen up is the non-interactive equivalent (no provider/project picking) — but they'll still need a provider credential set via watchmen settings api-key or an OAuth login.
Show full SKILL.md (217 more words)Show less
3. Wire the plugin into the agent (agent UI — hand off)
The plugin (skill suggestions + the brief digest) installs through the agent's own plugin system, which you cannot invoke from here. Give the user the exact commands for whichever agent(s) they use and ask them to paste them.
Codex:
/plugins marketplace add github:firstbatchxyz/watchmen
/plugins install watchmenYou then get /skills brief (or $brief) inside Codex with the workspace digest. Codex has no statusline, so the skill-suggestion hint is on-demand brief instead of a live indicator.
Claude Code:
/plugin marketplace add firstbatchxyz/watchmen
/plugin install watchmen@watchmen
/reload-pluginsThen the statusLine, one-time (Claude Code only): watchmen statusline install.
If watchmen was already installed and you're updating it, the refresh path is /plugins marketplace update watchmen then reinstall — the plugin only re-caches when its version changes.
4. Verify
Run doctor and read it back to the user:
!watchmen doctor 2>&1 | tail -20
Walk the ✓/✗/! lines. Common follow-ups:
- viewer not responding →
watchmen viewer install - hooks not wired →
watchmen hooks install - API key invalid/missing →
watchmen settings providerto check,watchmen settings api-key --provider <p>to fix - no corpus / 0 sessions → they haven't run
watchmen init(orwatchmen ingest) yet
Close with a one-line "you're set up" summary and point them at watchmen status for the daily view and watchmen --help for the full command surface. Keep the whole interaction tight; only dig into a step if it failed.
© firstbatchxyz, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file
Files
Just SKILL.md in plugin-codex/skills/setup of firstbatchxyz/watchmen.
Open the folder on GitHubat commit bbe763c
Compare with similar skills
Watchmen Setup next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.
| Skill | Stars | Used in | Tokens | Auto-check | Licence | Repo updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watchmen Setup this skillfirstbatchxyz/watchmen | 296 | — | ~1.1k | Automated safety check: Notes | MIT | |
| Publish Plugins Version Bumpvinta/hal-9000 | 138 | 1 repos | ~1k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| OmniRoute Plugins, Skills and Memory CLIdiegosouzapw/OmniRoute | 74k | — | ~1k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Darwin Skill Optimizeralchaincyf/darwin-skill | 6.2k | 1 repos | ~4.7k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Neat-Freak Knowledge CloseoutKKKKhazix/khazix-skills | 21k | — | ~1.9k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Beads Task Memorygastownhall/beads | 28k | — | ~1.2k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT |
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More from firstbatchxyz/watchmen
Watchmen Setup
firstbatchxyz/watchmen
Sets up watchmen on the current machine: installs the CLI, hands off the init wizard, wires the plugin and statusline into Claude Code and Codex, and verifies with doctor.
Watchmen Workspace Brief
firstbatchxyz/watchmen
Summarizes what the watchmen tool detected in your workspace since its last curator run: skill changes, AGENTS.md edits and a suggested skill to load.
Watchmen Brief
firstbatchxyz/watchmen
Reports what the watchmen plugin found in this workspace since its last curator run: new or changed skills, CLAUDE.md edits and a suggested skill to load.
Related
Works with
Categories
Questions about Watchmen Setup
What does Watchmen Setup do?
Walks through installing watchmen, running its init wizard, wiring the plugin into Codex or Claude Code and checking the result with doctor. Watchmen is a local CLI that turns past coding-agent sessions into a curated skills library and feeds it back into new sessions; this skill sets it up on the current machine. It first checks the operating system, whether `uv` is installed and whether watchmen is already present.
When should I use Watchmen Setup?
Watchmen Setup fits situations like: installing watchmen on a new machine; onboarding watchmen with Codex or Claude Code; verifying an existing watchmen install and fixing what doctor flags.
How do I install Watchmen Setup in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add firstbatchxyz/watchmen --skill setup -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (plugin-codex/skills/setup in firstbatchxyz/watchmen) into .claude/skills/setup in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install Watchmen Setup in Codex?
Run `npx skills add firstbatchxyz/watchmen --skill setup -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (plugin-codex/skills/setup in firstbatchxyz/watchmen) into .agents/skills/setup in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use Watchmen Setup in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?
Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add firstbatchxyz/watchmen --skill setup -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/setup, .gemini/skills/setup, .github/skills/setup and .opencode/skills/setup in your project.
What does Watchmen Setup need to run?
Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Watchmen Setup needs the command-line tools its instructions call (uv, git, curl, sh and brew). Our summary lists: uv; git; An API key or OAuth subscription for an LLM provider, entered in the init wizard.
Does Watchmen Setup access the network?
SKILL.md names 1 domain. In commands or code: astral.sh; the agent is likely to contact it when it follows the instructions. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.
Is Watchmen Setup safe to install?
Our automated static check of SKILL.md found notes only (pipes a well-known installer script into a shell), nothing it rates as a warning. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.
What licence does Watchmen Setup use?
Watchmen Setup is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.
How many tokens does Watchmen Setup use?
About 1.1k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 4.6k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.
What are the alternatives to Watchmen Setup?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with Watchmen Setup: Publish Plugins Version Bump (vinta/hal-9000, 138 stars), OmniRoute Plugins, Skills and Memory CLI (diegosouzapw/OmniRoute, 74k stars), Darwin Skill Optimizer (alchaincyf/darwin-skill, 6.2k stars) and Neat-Freak Knowledge Closeout (KKKKhazix/khazix-skills, 21k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
Who maintains Watchmen Setup?
firstbatchxyz (a GitHub organization) maintains it in firstbatchxyz/watchmen, which has 296 GitHub stars. The repository holds 4 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on August 25, 2026.
Source: firstbatchxyz/watchmen on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.