Template Updater

Overview

Use this skill to refresh an existing template safely: research current best practices, compare against current implementation, verify placeholder completeness, apply updates, and validate rendering.

When to Use

• Template produces outdated or incorrect output when rendered
• New framework conventions make template content stale
• Reflection flags template quality issues
• User asks to audit/refresh an existing template

The Iron Law

Never update a template blindly. Every refresh must be evidence-backed, TDD-gated, and integration-validated.

Workflow

Step 0: Evaluate Current State

1. Read the template file and understand its purpose
2. Identify all {{PLACEHOLDER}} tokens and their expected values
3. Check which creators/skills use this template
4. Identify issues: missing placeholders, outdated content, wrong structure

Step 1: Research Best Practices

1. Read .claude/templates/CLAUDE.md for template conventions
2. Review similar templates for patterns
3. Check the template-renderer skill for rendering expectations
4. Use Skill({ skill: 'research-synthesis' }) if external research needed

Step 2: Generate Patch Backlog

1. List specific changes needed
2. Prioritize: structural fixes > content updates > formatting improvements
3. Ensure all placeholders are documented

Step 3: Apply Updates

1. Write or update rendering tests first (RED phase)
2. Apply template changes (GREEN phase)
3. Refactor for clarity (REFACTOR phase)
4. Use Edit tool — never rewrite the entire file

Step 4: Verify Integration

1. Verify all {{PLACEHOLDER}} tokens are documented in the template header
2. Test rendering with Skill({ skill: 'template-renderer' })
3. Verify output matches expected structure for the artifact type
4. Run pnpm lint:fix && pnpm format

Step 5: Record

1. Log changes via MemoryRecord if significant
2. Update CHANGELOG.md entry

Domain-Specific Validation

• All {{PLACEHOLDER}} tokens MUST be documented with description and example
• Template MUST render without errors when all placeholders are provided
• Template output MUST match the target artifact's expected structure
• Conditional sections MUST handle missing optional placeholders gracefully

Anti-Patterns

• Adding placeholders without documenting them
• Hardcoding values that should be placeholders
• Breaking the template's rendering by changing placeholder names
• Removing sections that creators depend on