knack ← all docs

Docs · last updated

What files a knack pack puts on your machine

Exact paths, exact file shapes, exact licence-file format. Nothing surprising and nothing hidden.

A knack pack installer copies a small number of files into your existing Claude Code config directory. This page lists every path it touches, what’s in each file, and what it leaves alone.

The install root

By default, packs install into ~/.claude/ on macOS and Linux, and %USERPROFILE%\.claude\ on Windows. This is the same directory Claude Code itself reads from.

You can redirect to any other location by setting CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR before running the installer:

CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR=~/work/.claude ./install.sh

Whichever path resolves becomes the root referred to as <config> below.

The four locations a pack touches

<config>/
├── skills/
│   └── <skill-name>/         (one directory per skill; contains SKILL.md plus any supporting files)
├── commands/
│   └── <command>.md          (flat .md files; one per slash command the pack provides)
├── agents/
│   └── <agent>.md            (flat .md files; one per subagent the pack provides)
└── knack/
    └── <pack-id>.licence     (plain text; one per installed knack pack)

The installer creates these directories if they don’t already exist. It copies files into them and never above them.

<config>/skills/<skill-name>/

The skill body is a SKILL.md file with YAML frontmatter (name:, description:, optional model:). Some skills include an examples/ subdirectory with worked-example inputs and outputs the skill can reference.

Solo Consultant Ops, for example, lays down five skill directories: proposal-writer/, sow-templater/, follow-up-sequencer/, invoice-chaser/, and rate-card-calculator/. The Knack Starter Pack lays down two: idea-clarifier/ and first-skill-template/.

<config>/commands/<command>.md

Slash commands are single markdown files with frontmatter that Claude Code reads as /{filename-without-extension}. SCO ships one: engagement-coordinator.md (a slash wrapper around the agent of the same name). Most packs ship zero or one.

<config>/agents/<agent>.md

Subagents are single markdown files with frontmatter declaring which tools they can use. SCO ships engagement-coordinator.md. The Starter Pack ships none.

<config>/knack/<pack-id>.licence

A plain-text key/value record, one per installed pack. After running the SCO installer, this file looks like:

pack=solo-consultant-ops
version=1.1.1
licence_key=KNACK-SCO-202604-XXXXXX
installed_at=2026-05-10T11:24:13Z

Four lines. No JSON, no encoding, no checksum, no signature. It’s a record for you and for Claude Code to surface to a skill that wants it. Knack never sees this file again after you receive your purchase email.

The free Knack Starter Pack doesn’t write a .licence file at all (no key, no record needed).

What it doesn’t touch

The installer does not modify:

  • <config>/settings.json or <config>/settings.local.json (your Claude Code config)
  • <config>/keybindings.json (your shortcuts)
  • <config>/projects/ (your project history)
  • Any other skills, commands, or agents you’ve installed yourself or from another pack
  • Anything outside <config>/

The only directories it writes inside are skills/, commands/, agents/, and knack/, and within those it only touches paths that match the pack’s own contents. Other packs’ files in those same directories are untouched.

Idempotency

Re-running the same installer is a clean overwrite per file, not a duplicate install. For each skill in the pack, the installer:

rm -rf "<config>/skills/<skill-name>"
cp -R "<source>/skills/<skill-name>" "<config>/skills/"

So upgrading from v1.0.1 to v1.1.0 doesn’t leave v1.0.1 files behind in the same skill directory, and /agents won’t show a duplicate. The licence file is rewritten with the new version on every install.

Updates

When a pack ships a new version, you’ll get an email with the new download link. Download, unzip, run the installer. The flow is identical to the first install. Your custom edits to skill files are overwritten on update; if you’ve customised, see how to customise a knack pack you’ve installed for keep-your-changes-on-update patterns.

Uninstalling

To remove a pack and everything it added, see how to uninstall a knack pack. Two commands; nothing else of yours is touched.