Michael Thomas

Craft Cloud — Pixel & Tonic's serverless hosting platform for Craft CMS. Covers craft-cloud.yaml configuration, the Build → Migrate → Release deploy pipeline, the craftcms/cloud extension package, edge image transforms via Cloudflare, edge static caching with cache.rules + ESI, Cloud-managed S3 filesystem, MySQL 8 / Postgres 15 databases (no MariaDB, no tablePrefix), Console-based command runner and scheduled cron (once-per-hour minimum), auto-handled queue jobs, custom domains and SSL, preview environments per branch, Cloud limitations (ephemeral filesystem, no SSH, no .htaccess, no built-in mail), plugin development requirements for Cloud compatibility, and self-hosted → Cloud migration. Triggers on: craft-cloud.yaml, craftcms/cloud package, cloud.esi(), php craft cloud/up, php craft cloud/setup, App::isEphemeral(), CRAFT_EPHEMERAL, edge.craft.cloud, preview.craft.cloud, CRAFT_CLOUD_PROJECT_ID, CRAFT_CLOUD_ENVIRONMENT_ID, CRAFT_CLOUD_CDN_BASE_URL, Build → Migrate → Release, Cloud filesystem, Cloud-compatible plugin, Cloudflare Images at edge, AssetsFs, static-caching rules, ESI islands, deploy to Craft Cloud, migrate to Craft Cloud, self-hosted to Cloud, Craft Cloud quotas, Craft Cloud regions, request signing (RFC 9421), CRAFT_CLOUD_SIGNING_KEY, headless 429/503, cloud.artifactUrl(), @artifactBaseUrl. Do NOT trigger for Servd (use the servd skill) or generic Craft deployment on Forge/bare metal (craftcms/deployment.md). Do NOT trigger for general DDEV local dev unrelated to Cloud parity.

Craft CMS 5 content modeling — sections, entry types, fields, Matrix, relations, project config, and content architecture strategy. Covers choosing section types, designing entry types and field layouts, selecting field types, configuring Matrix and nested entries, relations and eager loading, and multi-site propagation. Triggers on: section types (single, channel, structure), entry types, field types, field layout design, field type selection, Matrix, nested entries, relatedTo, eager loading, .with()/.eagerly(), categories, tags, globals, global sets, preloadSingles, propagation, multi-site content, project config, YAML, content strategy, taxonomy, asset volumes, filesystems, image transforms, user groups, content permissions, entrify/entrification, CKEditor vs Matrix, CMS editions, multi-language, language groups, localization, translation method, field translation, content migration, field instances, Formie forms as elements vs project config, cross-environment Formie deployment, multi-site Formie translation, element index sources, elementSources, Entries index sidebar, tableAttributes, defaultSort, authoring schema from code (service layer vs project.yaml + pc/apply). Always use when planning content architecture, creating sections/fields, configuring Matrix, setting up relations, choosing field types, designing field layouts, planning multi-site propagation, or tidying the Entries element index. Do NOT trigger for PHP plugin/module development, custom field type code, front-end Twig, or buildchain.

Garnish — Craft CMS's built-in JavaScript UI toolkit for the control panel. ALWAYS load when writing, editing, or reviewing JavaScript that runs in the Craft CP — plugin CP assets, custom field type JS, element index JS, CP webpack config, or code importing garnishjs / referencing window.Garnish. Also for CP accessibility, keyboard interactions, drag-sort, and CP JS memory issues. Triggers on: Garnish.Base.extend, this.base(), init, setSettings, addListener, on/off/trigger, destroy, garnishjs, GarnishAsset, CpAsset, webpack externals, CP JavaScript, Craft.* pattern, Garnish.Modal, HUD, DisclosureMenu, MenuBtn, CustomSelect, ContextMenu, Select, modal/HUD popover, BaseDrag, DragSort, DragDrop, DragMove, onSortChange/onOptionSelect/onSelectionChange, NiceText, CheckboxSelect, MixedInput, MultiFunctionBtn, ESC_KEY/RETURN_KEY, activate/textchange events, UiLayerManager, registerShortcut, trapFocusWithin/releaseFocusWithin/setFocusWithin, ARIA helpers, focus management, aria-modal, aria-hidden retained focus, inert attribute, focus trap, keyboard navigation CP, Craft.CP, Craft.Slideout, Craft.ElementEditor, Craft.sendActionRequest, CP memory leak, event listener cleanup, jQuery .on() in CP, custom slideout/overlay lifecycle, disable kills listeners, sidebar panel injected into the entry form, id-only inputs with no name attribute, host form swallows my fields, Enter key submits the entry form, lightswitch value in JS. Do NOT trigger for front-end JavaScript (Alpine, Vue, htmx) or Twig templates (craft-site).

Testing Craft CMS 5 plugins and modules with Pest — test isolation, database safety, and the markhuot/craft-pest-core harness. ALWAYS load when writing, running, fixing, or reviewing tests for a Craft plugin or module, and whenever a suite touches a real Craft install. Covers why rollback is opt-in, tests/Pest.php + tests/bootstrap.php wiring, phpunit.xml.dist <env> pins (force DB name + table prefix, default connection coordinates, pin CRAFT_ENVIRONMENT against server-scoped locks), why --configuration= defeats DB isolation, throwing fail-closed DB guards, installing the plugin under test, process-timezone pinning, per-test site fixtures, idempotent Install migrations, stale service caches when components get swapped, muting audit sinks, queue stubs, factories, HTTP/DB assertions, CI test jobs. Triggers on: Pest, pestphp, craft-pest-core, markhuot, RefreshesDatabase, InstallsCraft, tests/Pest.php, phpunit.xml.dist, vendor/bin/pest, composer test, ddev craft pest, db_test, CRAFT_DB_DATABASE, CRAFT_ENVIRONMENT, BusyResourceException, GET_LOCK, Entry::factory(), assertDatabaseHas, transaction rollback, test site fixture, createIndexIfMissing, UserPermissions::reset(), TestCaseAlreadyInUse, cookieValidationKey with --filter, 'too many keys', 'tests pollute the database', 'passes on dev but fails in isolation', 'passes alone but fails in the suite', 'two suites deadlock', 'datetimes off by hours in tests', flaky order-dependent test, no Pest job in CI. Do NOT trigger for front-end/JS testing or PHP style analysis.

Craft CMS 5 PHP coding standards and conventions. ALWAYS load when writing, editing, reviewing, or discussing any PHP in a Craft plugin or module — even small edits. Also when running ECS, PHPStan, or scaffolding with ddev craft make. Covers: PHPDoc blocks (@author, @since, @throws chains), section headers (=========), class organization, naming conventions (services, queue jobs, records, events, enums), defineRules() and validation, beforePrepare() and addSelect(), MemoizableArray, DateTimeHelper vs Carbon, strict_types/declare(strict_types=1), short nullable notation (?string), typed properties, void returns, control flow (early returns, match over switch), CP Twig template conventions, form macros, translations (Craft::t), ECS/PHPStan config, scaffolding commands, and the verification checklist. Triggers on: writing service classes, models, controllers, elements, element queries, records, queue jobs, migrations, or any PHP class in a Craft context; PHP code review, refactoring, or style questions; requireAdmin vs requirePermission, manage-settings, settings permission, kebab-case permission handles never camelCase, allowAdminChanges, read-only settings, getCpNavItem dead nav item, permission handle constant on owning controller, App::env() never getenv(), App::parseEnv() for $VAR settings, no-em-dash user-facing copy. NOT for front-end Twig (craft-twig-guidelines), template architecture (craft-site), or CP JavaScript/Garnish (craft-garnish). If you are touching PHP in a Craft context, you need this skill.

Releasing Craft CMS plugins — tagging, Packagist propagation, GitHub releases, branch promotion, shared-library ordering, history rewrites. ALWAYS load when cutting, preparing, verifying, or debugging a plugin release: bumping a version, dating a changelog, creating or moving a git tag, or checking what Packagist serves. Covers the composer.json version key (bump-or-omit trade-off, same-commit rule, verifying the tag's own blob), Packagist verification via repo.packagist.org/p2, the 'Skipped tag' silent failure, the tag recreation risk model (unserved safe, served never), GitHub release objects drifting from tags, gh api PATCH wiping tag_name, blank bodies from empty --notes-file, the create-release.yml Store dispatch (422 already_exists, allowUpdates), shared-library releases dependency-first (additive minors breaking released consumers, module: track invalid), two-way origin comparison, filter-repo purges (already_ran re-runs, --refs/--partial, tree-hash verify, blob-level sweeps), and path repositories (canonical, no exclude, branch-alias, duplicate names). Triggers on: cut/prepare a release, tag a version, Packagist not serving the new version, 'Skipped tag', repo.packagist.org, gh release create/edit, untagged- release, prerelease latest 404, target_commitish, draft release, promote develop to main, release the library first, Invalid migration track, purge a secret from history, filter-repo, path repository, branch-alias. NOT for writing changelog entries, CI workflow YAML (craftcms quality.md), or plugin store listings.

Index and router for plugin-specific Craft CMS 5 guidance — configuration, Twig API, PHP API, migrations, deployment, and pitfalls for the plugins this pack documents. Triggers whenever a task names one of these plugins in ANY context (build, configure, style, render, query, import, migrate, deploy, cache, debug): Formie (forms, submissions, File Upload, form in a migration, notifications, translations), SEOmatic (meta, sitemaps, JSON-LD, SEO field), Blitz (static/page caching, purge), Feed Me (XML/JSON/CSV import), Imager-X (transforms, srcset, quick syntax, named transforms, Power Pack, pppicture, ppimg), ImageOptimize (OptimizedImages), CKEditor (rich text, nested entries), Sprig (reactive, htmx), Element API (JSON endpoints), Retour (redirects, 404s), Navigation (nav menus), Hyper (link field), Colour Swatches, Password Policy (HIBP), Typogrify, Cache Igniter, Knock Knock (staging password), Elements Panel (N+1 debug), Sherlock (security scan), Amazon SES (SES/SNS bounce), Embedded Assets (oEmbed), Timeloop (recurring dates), Vite (craft.vite.*, asset bundling), Warp (passwordless login, magic link, one-time code/OTP, passkeys, WebAuthn, craft.warp, member sessions). Also load for passwordless or magic-link auth with NO plugin named. Always load when a task names one of these plugins — read references/<plugin>.md first. Do NOT trigger for Craft core with no plugin named (craftcms), template architecture (craft-site), or content modeling (craft-content-modeling).

Scaffold Claude Code configuration specifically for Craft CMS projects. Generates CLAUDE.md and .claude/rules/ files tailored to the project type (plugin, site, module, hybrid, or monorepo). Only for Craft CMS projects — not for Next.js, Laravel, or other frameworks. Triggers on: 'set up Claude for this Craft project', 'initialize CLAUDE.md', 'scaffold project config', 'configure Claude Code for Craft', 'create CLAUDE.md', 'missing CLAUDE.md', 'does this project have a CLAUDE.md', 'bootstrap Claude config', 'new Craft project setup', 'onboard a developer to this Craft project', 'generate .claude/rules', 'set up coding standards config', 'upgrade Claude config', 'update CLAUDE.md', 'compare my setup', 'is my config up to date', 'audit my Claude setup', 'redo project setup'. Also triggers when starting work in a new Craft CMS project that lacks a CLAUDE.md file, or when the user wants to check or upgrade an existing configuration. Detects project type from composer.json (craft-plugin, craft-module, project), .ddev/config.yaml, templates/, config/project/, and modules/. NOT for installing Craft CMS itself, creating DDEV environments, writing PHP code, building templates, or content modeling. NOT for non-Craft projects — if the project is React, Next.js, Laravel, or any non-Craft framework, this skill does not apply.

Craft CMS 5 front-end Twig development — atomic design, template architecture, components, Vite buildchain. Covers atoms/molecules/organisms, props/extends/block patterns, layout chains, view routing, content builders, image presets, Tailwind named-key collections, multi-brand CSS tokens, JavaScript boundaries (Alpine/DataStar/Vue, tabs, accordions), Vite asset loading, and front-end auth (login, registration, password reset, profiles). Triggers on: {% include ... only %}, {% embed %}, _atoms/_molecules/_organisms/_views/_builders, component--variant.twig, _component--props.twig, collect({}), utilities prop, data-brand theming, hero/card components, Matrix block rendering, craft.vite.script, vite.php, vite.config.ts, buildchain, per-page scripts, Blitz static/page caching, ImageOptimize, Imager-X, responsive images, srcset, image transforms, SEOmatic meta/OpenGraph/JSON-LD, Sprig, htmx, multi-language, hreflang, localization, Formie form styling, login/registration form, RSS/Atom/JSON feeds, XML sitemap, search page, .search(), headless GraphQL, Next.js/Nuxt/Astro integration, example-templates command, render builder, fluent BaseTag {{ tag.render() }}, progressive enhancement. Always use when creating, editing, or reviewing Craft front-end Twig templates, components, layouts, views, builders, buildchain, or front-end auth — including plugin template integration (Blitz, SEOmatic, Sprig, Formie, Imager-X). Do NOT trigger for PHP plugin/module development (craftcms) or content modeling (craft-content-modeling).

Twig coding standards and conventions for Craft CMS 5 templates. ALWAYS load this skill when writing, editing, or reviewing any .twig file in a Craft CMS project — even for small edits. Covers: variable naming (camelCase, no abbreviations), null handling (?? operator, ??? with empty-coalesce plugin), whitespace control ({%- trimming, NOT {%- minify -%}), include isolation (always use 'only'), Craft Twig helpers ({% tag %}, tag(), attr(), |attr filter, |parseAttr, |append, svg()), collect() for props and class collections, .implode(), comment headers with ========= separators on component files, and common pitfalls (snake_case, macros as components, hardcoded colors). Triggers on: Twig template creation, editing, or review; .twig files; {% include %} with 'only'; {% tag %} and polymorphic elements; collect() and props.get(); class string building; attr() and |attr filter; svg() with styling and aria; ?? and ??? null coalescing; whitespace control and blank lines in output; minify alternatives; Twig file headers and comment blocks; variable naming conventions in Twig; currentSite, siteUrl, craft.entries, .eagerly(), .collect in template context; |e('js') aggressive escaping (spaces become \uXXXX), js escaper, grepping escaped translated strings. NOT for Twig architecture patterns, atomic design structure, or template routing (use craft-site). NOT for PHP code (use craft-php-guidelines). NOT for content modeling or field configuration (use craft-content-modeling).

Craft CMS 5 plugin and module development — extending Craft with PHP. Covers elements, element queries, services, models, records, controllers, migrations, queue jobs, console commands, field types, native fields, events, behaviors, Twig extensions, widgets, filesystems, permissions, project config, GraphQL, testing, and debugging. Triggers on: beforePrepare()/afterSave()/defineSources()/defineTableAttributes()/attributeHtml(), MemoizableArray, BaseNativeField, EVENT_REGISTER_*/DEFINE_*/BEFORE_*/AFTER_*, CraftVariable, custom element or field type (normalizeValue/serializeValue/inputHtml), webhook, API endpoint, queue/batch job, CP section, dashboard widget, utility page, element action/exporter/condition, registerUserPermissions, requirePermission vs requireAdmin, kebab-case permission handles, allowAdminChanges, canView/canSave/canDelete, defineRules, elevated session, project-config/apply, drafts/revisions, element edit sidebar (EVENT_DEFINE_SIDEBAR_HTML) + toolbar buttons, metaFieldsHtml, VueAdminTable, GeneralConfig, getIsMultiSite/refreshSites stale after creating a site, deleteSite phantom sites, element query stops filtering by siteId, naive UTC datetime columns and strtotime drift, element-query ['like'] tuple matches nothing, configWarning config-file overrides. Always use when writing, editing, or reviewing Craft plugin/module PHP — even when no API is named. For plugin-specific work also load craft-plugins. Do NOT trigger for front-end Twig (craft-site) or content modeling (craft-content-modeling).

DDEV local development environment for Craft CMS projects. ALWAYS load this skill when running any ddev command, configuring .ddev/config.yaml, or troubleshooting local container issues. Covers config.yaml (project type, PHP/Node versions, database, docroot), shorthand commands, add-ons and built-in Mailpit, custom commands, Vite dev server exposure, database import/export, Xdebug toggling, sharing local sites, and troubleshooting (port conflicts, container restarts, ddev-injected env vars silently overriding your .env or config/general.php). Triggers on: ddev start/stop/restart, ddev craft, ddev composer, ddev npm, ddev ssh, ddev import-db, ddev export-db, ddev craft db/backup, ddev xdebug on/off, ddev share, ddev add-on, ddev poweroff, ddev describe, ddev logs, ddev delete, .ddev/config.yaml, .ddev/commands/, web_extra_exposed_ports, web_extra_daemons, PHP version or Node version in local dev, port conflicts, container restart issues, database backup/restore locally, ran npm/composer on host instead of ddev, wrong node_modules architecture, local dev environment for Craft CMS, ddev-injected PRIMARY_SITE_URL, .ddev/.env.web regenerated on restart, CRAFT_ env var overriding config/general.php, general-config edit has no effect, ddev exec --dir, running a plugin's Pest suite inside a host project, ddev craft pest, tests wrote to the dev database. NOT for production deployment, CI/CD pipelines, GitHub Actions, or server configuration. NOT for Docker/container usage outside of DDEV.

Servd (servd.host) — Craft-specialised managed hosting for Craft CMS. Covers git push-to-deploy with the optional servd.yaml build config, local → staging → production environments with uni-directional Project Config sync, the servd/craft-asset-storage plugin (S3-backed Flysystem volumes on the svdcdn.com CDN, off-server image transforms, Imager-X/ImageOptimize integrations), Servd's static caching (full vs tag-based purge, {% dynamicInclude %}, CSRF injection, cache-busting) and running Blitz alongside it in reverse-proxy mode, MariaDB/MySQL databases over an SSH tunnel, automatic + manual backups, the Dedicated Queue Runner, environment variables and secrets, the ephemeral load-balanced filesystem (Redis + remote volumes for runtime files), plugin/feature constraints, and Servd-vs-Craft-Cloud differences. Triggers on: servd.yaml, servd/craft-asset-storage, servd-asset-storage plugin handle, SERVD_PROJECT_SLUG, SERVD_SECURITY_KEY, SERVD_BUNDLE_HASH, files.svdcdn.com, Servd static caching, {% dynamicInclude %} (Servd), servd-asset-storage/clone, servd-asset-storage/local/pull-database, push-assets, clear-caches/servd-static-cache, clear-caches/servd-edge-caches, Dedicated Queue Runner, Servd Asset Platform, deploy to Servd, host Craft on Servd, Servd vs Craft Cloud. Do NOT trigger for Craft Cloud (use the craft-cloud skill), generic Craft deployment on Forge/bare metal (craftcms/deployment.md), or general DDEV local dev unrelated to Servd parity (ddev).