Publish a skill to varg how to

varg how to (https://varg.ai/how-to) is where AI agents look for video, image and audio skills. Every listing has the same card, so agents can compare skills at a glance and search finds them by meaning. This skill turns any skill folder or repo into that card and sends it for review. The varg team approves most skills within a day; then the skill is searchable by agents (the varg MCP search_skills, varg.ai/how-to/api/search) and has a page at varg.ai/how-to/skills/<slug>.

Never publish without the person's OK on the exact card. Never invent an install command, a feature or an example.

0. Gates

• What is the skill? A folder with a SKILL.md (Agent Skills format), or its repo URL. No SKILL.md → stop: this catalog lists agent skills. Offer to help write one first.
• Where does it live? The listing links a public https source (GitHub tree URL preferred). Local only → ask the person to push it first.
• How will you send it? The varg MCP publish_skill tool if it is connected (best). Otherwise the API with VARG_API_KEY (step 6). Neither → tell the person: claude mcp add --transport http varg https://mcp.varg.ai/mcp, or the form at https://varg.ai/how-to/publish.

1. Read the skill

Read SKILL.md (frontmatter name, description, the "Use when" / "NOT for" lines, required keys and tools), the README, the license, scripts/ (every script, for step 3) and anything under assets/ or examples/ that shows output.

2. Is it already listed?

Search with the skill's purpose in one line, through search_skills or:

curl -s "https://api.varg.ai/v2/skills/search?q=<what it makes, URL-encoded>&kind=skill&limit=5"

The same skill already listed (same repo, or the same thing under another name) → tell the person and do not publish a duplicate; an update goes in a message to the varg team (send_feedback).

3. Check it against the standard

Run the checklist in references/standard-checklist.md. Report what fails in plain words. Blocking: secrets in files, curl | bash or install hooks, scripts calling unknown hosts, bundled media without a license, no SKILL.md description. Everything else (evals, metadata, ≤ 500 lines) is advice: list it, offer to fix it, publish anyway if the person wants.

4. Fill the card

Exactly the fields and rules in references/card.md — the one format every listing uses:

Field	Rule (short)
name	Title Case, ≤ 80 chars, named after the task, from the first fitting name template ("Turn {input} into {output}", "{Task} with {Library}", …)
summary	One line ≤ 160 chars: what it makes, from what. No "This skill…", no catalog words
source_url	https repo or tree URL of the skill folder
install	The exact command from the repo's docs; else npx skills add <owner>/<repo> --skill <name> only when the folder sits where that CLI finds it; else leave out
use_when	3–6 triggers, from the SKILL.md description, as tasks ("Burning captions into a 9:16 video")
category	One id from the table in references/card.md
tags	≤ 12, lowercase: tools, models, formats
media_url	https link to a real output of this skill (repo asset, the author's post or upload); none → leave out
description	2–5 sentences: input → output, how it works, what it needs (keys, tools, cost)
publisher_name	Who to credit, if not the repo owner

5. Show the card, get the OK

Show it exactly like this and wait for a yes (edits → show again):

Name:        <name>
Summary:     <summary>
Source:      <source_url>
Install:     <install or "—">
Use when:    <trigger 1> · <trigger 2> · …
Category:    <category id> (<label>)   Tags: <tags>
Example:     <media_url or "—">
About:       <description>
Standard:    <passes | what is advised>

6. Publish

With the varg MCP: call publish_skill with the card fields. Without it:

KEY="${VARG_API_KEY:-$(grep -o '"api_key"[^,}]*' ~/.varg/credentials 2>/dev/null | head -1 | cut -d'"' -f4)}"
curl -s -X POST https://api.varg.ai/v2/skills/submissions \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $KEY" -H 'content-type: application/json' \
  -d '{"name":"…","summary":"…","source_url":"https://…","install":"…","use_when":["…"],"category":"…","tags":["…"],"via":"api"}'

201 with "moderation": "pending" = sent. 429 = over the plan's publishing quota (my_skills shows it); say when to try again. 400 lists the field to fix.

7. Tell the person what happens next

"Sent for review. The varg team checks it, usually within a day. Ask me 'what's the status of my skills?' (my_skills, or GET /v2/skills/submissions/my). Once approved it is searchable by agents and has a page at varg.ai/how-to/skills/<slug>." A rejection comes with a reason: fix it and publish again.