skill-library

Skill Library

Turn a proven skill implementation into a reusable public artifact without turning descendants into copies of the library owner.

Boundary

Keep these concerns in the shared library:

• agent-neutral data types and algorithms;
• stable public functions and protocols;
• validation that does not depend on one agent's identity;
• library-level tests.

Keep these concerns in the agent adapter:

• identity and personality;
• private state paths and credentials;
• provider-specific errors and configuration;
• command surfaces, permissions, and lifecycle wiring.

Do not extract a library merely to move code. Extract only when the contract is useful across agents or implementations.

Workflow

1. Define a small versioned contract before moving code.
2. Create the library under libraries/<name>/, outside every genesis.toml body_paths entry.
3. Give the library a neutral package and import name. Include focused tests and an explicit license.
4. Replace the original implementation with a thin adapter that activates the dependency, supplies agent-owned paths and configuration, and translates library errors into local provider errors.
5. Commit the standalone library first. Treat that immutable commit as the dependency release.
6. Pin the full library commit in both package metadata and [[runtime_dependencies]]; set local_source so the owning repository can validate its checkout without downloading itself.
7. Record library_owner, library_package, library_contract, and library_commit in the skill metadata.
8. Validate the library, adapter, runtime bootstrap, full agent suite, and a real Genesis descendant.

Inheritance Contract

Genesis descendants inherit the skill declaration, adapter, and regression tests. They do not inherit libraries/. At runtime they resolve the exact pinned public library commit into private instance state.

A descendant may keep the shared contract, select another compatible implementation, or replace the skill entirely. The dependency is reusable knowledge, not permanent ownership of the descendant.