smk-labs/gstack-installer/install-gstack

Install or update gstack

This skill installs gstack the way its author intends: by running the upstream ./setup build, which is the only thing that compiles the browse browser engine and wires up gstack's ~60 bin/ tools. This plugin does not vendor or fork gstack; it triggers gstack's own installer so you always get the current upstream version.

Work through the steps in order. Report what you run. Stop only at the two confirmation gates (CLAUDE.md edit, team-mode commit) and at any hard blocker.

Step 0: Preflight

Detect the platform and required tools. Run:

echo "OS: $(uname -s)"
echo "git:  $(command -v git  || echo MISSING)"
echo "bun:  $(command -v bun  || echo MISSING)"
echo "node: $(command -v node || echo MISSING)"

• git and bun are required on every platform. node is additionally required on Windows.
• If bun is MISSING, stop and show the user gstack's checksum-verified install snippet, then exit:

`` BUN_VERSION="1.3.10" tmpfile=$(mktemp) curl -fsSL "https://bun.sh/install" -o "$tmpfile" echo "Verify checksum before running: shasum -a 256 $tmpfile" BUN_VERSION="$BUN_VERSION" bash "$tmpfile" && rm "$tmpfile" ``

• If git is MISSING (or node is missing on Windows), tell the user to install it and stop.

Step 1: Detect existing install

if [ -d ~/.claude/skills/gstack ]; then echo "PRESENT"; else echo "ABSENT"; fi

• ABSENT -> fresh install (Step 2a).
• PRESENT -> gstack is already installed. Do NOT clobber it. Update in place (Step 2b). Mention that the canonical update path, once gstack is loaded, is the /gstack-upgrade skill.

Step 2a: Fresh install

Run the upstream installer verbatim:

git clone --single-branch --depth 1 https://github.com/garrytan/gstack.git ~/.claude/skills/gstack && cd ~/.claude/skills/gstack && ./setup

./setup builds the browser binary and registers skills with Claude Code. It can print a lot of output; that is normal.

Step 2b: Update existing install

cd ~/.claude/skills/gstack && git pull --ff-only && ./setup

If git pull reports local changes or a non-fast-forward, do not force anything. Report it and let the user decide (they may have customized gstack).

Step 3: CLAUDE.md section (ask first)

gstack works best when CLAUDE.md tells Claude to route browsing through it. This writes to a file, so confirm with AskUserQuestion before writing. Offer: global ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md, the project ./CLAUDE.md, or skip.

Then run the block below, setting TARGET to the chosen path. It is idempotent (skips if a gstack section is already present) and creates the file if it does not exist. Keep the section text verbatim.

TARGET="$HOME/.claude/CLAUDE.md"   # or "./CLAUDE.md" for the project
if grep -q '/office-hours' "$TARGET" 2>/dev/null; then
  echo "gstack section already present in $TARGET, skipping"
else
  mkdir -p "$(dirname "$TARGET")"
  cat >> "$TARGET" <<'EOF'
 
## gstack
 
Use the /browse skill from gstack for all web browsing. Never use mcp__claude-in-chrome__* tools. Available skills: /office-hours, /plan-ceo-review, /plan-eng-review, /plan-design-review, /design-consultation, /design-shotgun, /design-html, /review, /ship, /land-and-deploy, /canary, /benchmark, /browse, /connect-chrome, /qa, /qa-only, /design-review, /setup-browser-cookies, /setup-deploy, /setup-gbrain, /retro, /investigate, /document-release, /document-generate, /codex, /cso, /autoplan, /plan-devex-review, /devex-review, /careful, /freeze, /guard, /unfreeze, /gstack-upgrade, /learn.
EOF
  echo "appended gstack section to $TARGET"
fi

Step 4: Team mode (ask first, only if --team or user opts in)

Team mode makes a shared repo auto-install gstack for every teammate and commits that change. It runs git commit, so confirm with AskUserQuestion first and only proceed on an explicit yes. Requirements: the current directory is inside a git repo, and gstack is installed (Steps 2a/2b done).

Default (block teammates without gstack) runs verbatim:

(cd ~/.claude/skills/gstack && ./setup --team) && ~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-team-init required && git add .claude/ CLAUDE.md && git commit -m "require gstack for AI-assisted work"

If the user prefers to nudge rather than block, swap required for optional in that command. Do not push; leave pushing to the user.

Step 5: Verify and finish

test -x ~/.claude/skills/gstack/browse/dist/browse && echo "browse binary: OK" || echo "browse binary: NOT BUILT (re-run ./setup; check Bun)"
ls ~/.claude/skills/gstack | head
cat ~/.claude/skills/gstack/VERSION 2>/dev/null

Then tell the user: restart Claude Code (or reload the window) so the ~70 gstack skills load. Suggest a first command: /office-hours, /review, or /qa <url>.

Notes

• Update later: run /gstack-upgrade (ships with gstack) or re-run this skill.
• Uninstall: ~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-uninstall (falls back to rm -rf ~/.claude/skills/gstack).
• What runs on your machine: this skill executes gstack's upstream ./setup, which builds with Bun and writes under ~/.claude/skills/gstack and ~/.gstack. Anyone who wants to audit it first can read the repo at github.com/garrytan/gstack before approving the clone.
• Other agents/hosts: gstack also targets Codex, OpenCode, Cursor, Factory, etc. via ./setup --host <name>. This skill installs the Claude Code host by default.