---

name: "@tank/tank-package-publisher" description: Package lifecycle specialist for Tank directory publishing. Use when users ask to publish a skill to Tank, run tank publish, fix publish failures, validate skills.json, bump versions, or verify releases. Handles dry-run-first workflow, manifest validation, and publish error remediation.

Tank Package Publisher

Manage, validate, and publish skills to the Tank directory using the tank CLI with a dry-run-first workflow.

Trigger Phrases

• "publish this skill to Tank"
• "run tank publish"
• "tank publish --dry-run"
• "version already exists"
• "fix tank publish error"
• "prepare this skill for release"
• "validate skills.json before publishing"
• "release checklist for tankpkg"

Critical Workflow

Do not skip steps. Always run in order.

1. Preflight

   • Ensure tank is installed: tank --version
   • Ensure auth is valid: tank whoami (or run tank login)
   • Ensure target directory contains both required files:
     • skills.json
     • SKILL.md

2. Manifest and Package Validation

   • Validate skills.json parseability and required fields.
   • Confirm package name is valid (lowercase, optional @org/name, max length 214).
   • Confirm semver version format.
   • Ensure package stays within Tank packer limits:
     • max compressed package size: 50MB
     • max file count: 1000

3. Dry Run First

   • Run: tank publish --dry-run
   • Do not publish if dry-run fails.
   • Review dry-run output for name/version/size/file count.

4. Publish

   • Run: tank publish
   • If publish fails, classify error and apply the matching fix from the Failure Map.

5. Post-Publish Verification

   • Confirm package appears in directory:
     • tank info <package-name>
     • tank search <keyword>
   • Optionally run tank verify and tank audit <package-name>.

Manifest Rules

Recommended skills.json baseline:

{
  "name": "@tank/your-skill-name",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "description": "One-sentence trigger-oriented description.",
  "permissions": {
    "network": { "outbound": [] },
    "filesystem": { "read": [], "write": [] },
    "subprocess": false
  },
  "repository": "https://github.com/tankpkg/skills"
}

Use least-privilege permissions unless the workflow requires broader access.

Package Hygiene

• Keep release payload small and focused.
• Exclude unnecessary files with .tankignore.
• Tank automatically excludes node_modules and .git.
• Avoid symlinks and path tricks; Tank packer rejects unsafe paths.

Failure Map

• Not logged in (Not logged in. Run: tank login)
  • Run tank login, then retry.
• No skills.json found
  • Run tank init in target directory, then populate metadata and retry.
• Invalid skills.json / parse error
  • Fix JSON syntax and schema shape, rerun dry-run.
• 401 Authentication failed
  • Re-authenticate with tank login; verify token with tank whoami.
• 403 permission error
  • Confirm org ownership or publish rights for package scope.
• 409 version already exists
  • Bump skills.json.version to next semver and republish.
• Upload/confirm failed
  • Retry once, then inspect network/auth state and rerun dry-run.

Safe Defaults

• Default to tank publish --dry-run before every real publish.
• Never mutate unrelated files during release prep.
• For bugfix releases, keep changes minimal and version bump explicit.
• Always report exact command outputs that matter (name/version, dry-run pass/fail, final publish status).

Output Contract

When completing a publish task, return:

1. Package name and target version.
2. Preflight results (auth, required files, manifest validity).
3. Dry-run status and key metrics.
4. Publish result (success/failure) and exact remediation if failed.
5. Post-publish verification commands and their outcomes.

Resources

Additional documentation and tools for Tank publishing:

References

• references/MANIFEST_SCHEMA.md — Complete skills.json schema with field constraints and examples
• references/ERROR_CODES.md — Full error catalog with remediation steps
• references/CI_PUBLISHING.md — CI/CD automation workflows for GitHub Actions, GitLab CI

Scripts

Executable helpers for common tasks:

• scripts/preflight-check.sh <dir> — Validate auth, required files, and package limits
• scripts/validate-manifest.sh <dir> — Check skills.json syntax and schema
• scripts/version-bump.sh <dir> <major|minor|patch> — Bump version in manifest and SKILL.md

Assets

• assets/skills.json.template — Starter manifest with all fields
• assets/.tankignore.template — Common ignore patterns