rootnode-skills MCP — Use Cases, Install & Live Demo

Why use it

Key features

Four-stage prompt compilation (Parse / Select / Construct / Validate)
Six-dimension Project audit with action plans
Detects seven structural anti-patterns that make Claude ignore instructions
Context budget analysis with per-file evaluation
Behavioral tuning against eight documented Claude tendencies

Live Demo

What it looks like in practice

rootnode-skill.replay ▶ ready

0/0

Install

Pick your client

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json · Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "rootnode-skill": {
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/drayline/rootnode-skills",
        "~/.claude/skills/rootnode-skills"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config. Restart after saving.

~/.cursor/mcp.json · .cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "rootnode-skill": {
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/drayline/rootnode-skills",
        "~/.claude/skills/rootnode-skills"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Cursor uses the same mcpServers schema as Claude Desktop. Project config wins over global.

VS Code → Cline → MCP Servers → Edit

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "rootnode-skill": {
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/drayline/rootnode-skills",
        "~/.claude/skills/rootnode-skills"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Click the MCP Servers icon in the Cline sidebar, then "Edit Configuration".

~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "rootnode-skill": {
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/drayline/rootnode-skills",
        "~/.claude/skills/rootnode-skills"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Same shape as Claude Desktop. Restart Windsurf to pick up changes.

~/.continue/config.json

{
  "mcpServers": [
    {
      "name": "rootnode-skill",
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/drayline/rootnode-skills",
        "~/.claude/skills/rootnode-skills"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Continue uses an array of server objects rather than a map.

~/.config/zed/settings.json

{
  "context_servers": {
    "rootnode-skill": {
      "command": {
        "path": "git",
        "args": [
          "clone",
          "https://github.com/drayline/rootnode-skills",
          "~/.claude/skills/rootnode-skills"
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to context_servers. Zed hot-reloads on save.

claude mcp add rootnode-skill -- git clone https://github.com/drayline/rootnode-skills ~/.claude/skills/rootnode-skills

One-liner. Verify with claude mcp list. Remove with claude mcp remove.

Use Cases

Real-world ways to use rootnode-skills

Diagnose why a Claude Project stopped following instructions

👤 Claude.ai power users whose Project drifted ⏱ ~45 min intermediate

When to use: Your Project worked, you added stuff, now it ignores key rules.

Prerequisites

Skill cloned — git clone https://github.com/drayline/rootnode-skills ~/.claude/skills/rootnode-skills

Flow

Run the project audit

Use rootnode-project-audit on my Project system prompt + instructions.✓ Copied

→ Six-dimension scorecard with specific failures called out
Check for anti-patterns

Now rootnode-anti-pattern-detection — which of the 7 patterns do I have?✓ Copied

→ Named patterns (e.g. 'conflicting directives', 'buried critical instruction')
Rebalance memory

Apply rootnode-memory-optimization — where should each rule actually live?✓ Copied

→ Recommendation on what belongs in system prompt vs project docs vs user memory

Outcome: A diagnosed Project with a concrete fix list.

Pitfalls

Audit report is long; you only fix the easy ones — Start with anti-patterns flagged — those block the rest

Compile a new Claude Project system prompt from scratch

👤 Anyone building a Claude Project for the first time ⏱ ~60 min intermediate

When to use: You have goals, constraints, and examples — but not yet a prompt.

Flow

Run prompt-compilation

rootnode-prompt-compilation — here's my intent, constraints, and 3 examples. Parse / Select / Construct / Validate.✓ Copied

→ Structured system prompt following the four stages
Validate

Now rootnode-prompt-validation — score it across the six dimensions.✓ Copied

→ Scorecard with specific weaknesses
Apply behavioral tuning

rootnode-behavioral-tuning — which of my instructions will Claude drift from?✓ Copied

→ Countermeasures inserted at the right places

Outcome: A well-engineered Project prompt on day one.

Combinations

Pair with other MCPs for X10 leverage

rootnode-skill + skillcheck-free-skill

Audit your Project prompt, then validate any skills it references against spec

Run rootnode-project-audit, then SkillCheck on each referenced SKILL.md.✓ Copied

rootnode-skill + planning-with-files

Audit produces a long fix list — track progress on it across sessions

Use planning-with-files to track the rootnode audit fix list across this week.✓ Copied

Tools

What this MCP exposes

Tool	Inputs	When to call
rootnode-prompt-compilation	intent + constraints + examples	Starting a new Project or major rewrite
rootnode-project-audit	existing Project prompt	Project behavior degraded
rootnode-anti-pattern-detection	prompt/instructions	When Claude ignores rules
rootnode-memory-optimization	all prompt + project files	Information is in the wrong place
rootnode-context-budget	project files list	Hitting context limits
rootnode-behavioral-tuning	instructions	You need reliable adherence

Cost & Limits

What this costs to run

API quota: None
Tokens per call: Audits read whole prompts — can be large
Monetary: Free — skills are local files
Tip: Run audit once per major revision, not per-message.

Security

Permissions, secrets, blast radius

Credential storage: No credentials — pure prompts

Data egress: None

Troubleshooting

Common errors and fixes

Skill not invoked — Claude gives generic prompt advice instead of using the audit

Reference the specific sub-skill by name: 'rootnode-project-audit'.

Verify: ls ~/.claude/skills/rootnode-skills/

SKILL.md frontmatter wrong in a sub-skill

Each sub-skill has its own SKILL.md — inspect the folder.

Verify: head ~/.claude/skills/rootnode-skills/rootnode-project-audit/SKILL.md

Wrong trigger keywords — wrong sub-skill activates

Sub-skill names are specific ('project-audit' vs 'global-audit' vs 'full-stack-audit'); use the right one.

Alternatives

rootnode-skills vs others

Alternative	When to use it instead	Tradeoff
skills-skill-8 (huangwb8)	You want skill-authoring tooling rather than Project-level engineering	Different layer — skill vs Project
Raw prompt iteration	Small Projects that don't need formal engineering	Lower overhead, higher drift risk

More

Resources

📖 Read the official README on GitHub

🐙 Browse open issues

🔍 Browse all 400+ MCP servers and Skills