silo-code/silo/guide

Build extensions with Claude Code

The silo-extension-builder Claude Code skill turns a plain-English description into a working Silo extension — it scaffolds the project, writes the source, compiles it, and installs it into Silo in one session.

Install the skill

Copy the skill file to Claude Code's global skills directory so it's available in any project:

mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills/silo-extension-builder && \
  curl -fsSL -o ~/.claude/skills/silo-extension-builder/SKILL.md \
  https://raw.githubusercontent.com/silo-code/silo/main/skills/silo-extension-builder/SKILL.md

Use the skill

Start a Claude Code session in any directory, then type:

/silo-extension-builder Create a status bar item that shows the current git branch.

The skill will ask for an extension id and output path if you don't provide them, scaffold the project with create-silo-extension, write the implementation, compile it, and offer to install it via silo install.

You can also pass id and path upfront to skip the prompts:

/silo-extension-builder id=dave.clock path=~/my-extensions/dave.clock
 
Create a status bar item that shows the current time, updated every second.

What gets created

After scaffolding, the extension directory contains:

<path>/
  src/index.tsx      ← your extension source (edit this)
  package.json       ← manifest with silo.id, silo.main, npm scripts
  dist/index.js      ← compiled bundle (after first build)

The package.json includes build scripts:

npm run build   # one-shot compile
npm run dev     # watch mode — recompiles on every save

Install and uninstall

silo install <path>        # install from a local folder
silo uninstall <id>        # remove by extension id

Installed extensions appear in Settings → Extensions where you can also disable or uninstall them from the UI.

Publish your extension

When the extension is ready to share, publish it to the Silo registry so it appears on Browse and extensions.getsilo.dev — see Sharing extensions. Folder / URL / npm sideloads still work for private shares.

See Publishing an extension for the package contract.