bytestash
ByteStash Skill
⚠️ MANDATORY SKILL INVOCATION ⚠️
YOU MUST invoke this skill (NOT optional) when the user mentions ANY of these triggers:
- "save snippet", "store code", "archive snippet"
- "search snippets", "find snippet", "lookup code"
- "share snippet", "create share link", "public snippet"
- "list snippets", "show my snippets", "snippet library"
- "delete snippet", "remove snippet", "update snippet"
- "organize snippets", "categorize snippets", "tag snippets"
- Any mention of ByteStash or code snippet management
Failure to invoke this skill when triggers occur violates your operational requirements.
Purpose
ByteStash is a self-hosted code snippet management service with multi-file support, sharing capabilities, and organization features. This skill provides read-write access to manage snippets with full CRUD operations.
Capabilities:
- Read-only: List, search, and retrieve snippets
- Create/Update: Save new snippets with multiple code fragments
- Delete: Remove snippets with user confirmation
- Share Management: Create, view, and delete share links (public/protected/expiring)
- Organization: Categorize and organize snippets with tags
Authentication: API key via x-api-key header (recommended for CLI/automation)
Setup
Required credentials in ~/.homelab-skills/.env:
BYTESTASH_URL="https://bytestash.example.com"
BYTESTASH_API_KEY="your-api-key-here"
How to get your API key:
- Log in to ByteStash web interface
- Navigate to Settings → API Keys
- Create new API key with a descriptive name
- Copy the generated key to
.envfile
Security:
- Set permissions:
chmod 600 ~/.homelab-skills/.env - API keys are scoped to your user account
- NEVER commit
.envto version control
Commands
All commands use the bash script wrapper in scripts/bytestash-api.sh.
List Snippets
cd skills/bytestash
./scripts/bytestash-api.sh list
Search Snippets
# Search by title (case-insensitive partial match)
./scripts/bytestash-api.sh search "docker"
# Search by category
./scripts/bytestash-api.sh search --category "bash"
Get Snippet Details
./scripts/bytestash-api.sh get <snippet-id>
Create Snippet
# Single fragment (inline code)
./scripts/bytestash-api.sh create \
--title "Docker Compose Example" \
--description "Production-ready compose file" \
--categories "docker,devops" \
--code "version: '3.8'..." \
--language "yaml" \
--filename "docker-compose.yml"
# Multiple fragments (from files)
./scripts/bytestash-api.sh push \
--title "FastAPI Setup" \
--description "Complete FastAPI project structure" \
--categories "python,api" \
--files "app.py,requirements.txt,Dockerfile"
Update Snippet
./scripts/bytestash-api.sh update <snippet-id> \
--title "New Title" \
--description "Updated description" \
--categories "new,tags"
Delete Snippet
# Prompts for confirmation
./scripts/bytestash-api.sh delete <snippet-id>
Share Management
# Create public share link
./scripts/bytestash-api.sh share <snippet-id>
# Create protected share (requires auth)
./scripts/bytestash-api.sh share <snippet-id> --protected
# Create expiring share (24 hours)
./scripts/bytestash-api.sh share <snippet-id> --expires 86400
# List all shares for a snippet
./scripts/bytestash-api.sh shares <snippet-id>
# Delete share link
./scripts/bytestash-api.sh unshare <share-id>
# View shared snippet
./scripts/bytestash-api.sh view-share <share-id>
Workflow
When the user asks about ByteStash:
-
"Save this code as a snippet"
- Determine if single or multiple files
- If single: Use
createcommand with inline code - If multiple: Use
pushcommand with file paths - Always include title, description, and categories
-
"Find my Docker snippets"
- Use
search --category dockerorsearch "docker" - Present results with ID, title, description, and categories
- If user wants details: Use
get <id>to show full snippet
- Use
-
"Share this snippet publicly"
- Use
share <snippet-id>to create public link - Return share URL:
{BYTESTASH_URL}/s/{share-id} - Optionally use
--protectedor--expiresflags
- Use
-
"What snippets do I have?"
- Use
listcommand - Group by categories for better organization
- Show total count and recent updates
- Use
-
"Delete this snippet"
- Confirm with user before deletion
- Use
delete <snippet-id> - Verify deletion with success message
-
"Organize my snippets by category"
- List all snippets with
list - Identify missing/inconsistent categories
- Suggest category updates with
updatecommand
- List all snippets with
Multi-Fragment Snippets
ByteStash supports snippets with multiple code fragments (files). Each fragment has:
- file_name: Display name (e.g.,
app.py,Dockerfile) - code: The actual code content
- language: Syntax highlighting language (e.g.,
python,dockerfile) - position: Display order (0-indexed)
When to use multi-fragment:
- Related configuration files (docker-compose.yml + .env)
- Full project structures (API + tests + docs)
- Before/after code examples
- Multi-language implementations
Notes
Data Model:
{
"id": 123,
"title": "Snippet Title",
"description": "Detailed description",
"categories": ["tag1", "tag2"],
"fragments": [
{
"id": 456,
"file_name": "example.py",
"code": "print('hello')",
"language": "python",
"position": 0
}
],
"updated_at": "2024-01-01T00:00:00Z",
"share_count": 2
}
Authentication:
- Uses
x-api-keyheader with API key from.env - API keys are managed in ByteStash web UI (Settings → API Keys)
- Preferable to JWT tokens for automation
Share Links:
- Public shares: Anyone with link can view
- Protected shares: Requires authentication to view
- Expiring shares: Auto-delete after specified seconds
- Share IDs are random strings (e.g.,
abc123def456)
Destructive Operations:
- Delete snippet: Permanently removes snippet and all fragments
- Delete share: Invalidates share link (snippet remains)
- Both require user confirmation before execution
Output Format:
- All commands return JSON by default
- Use
jqfor filtering/formatting (e.g.,./bytestash-api.sh list | jq '.[] | select(.categories[] == "docker")') - Errors return HTTP status codes with JSON error messages
Limitations:
- API key required for all operations (no anonymous access via API)
- Categories are tags (no hierarchical structure)
- No bulk operations (must process snippets individually)
- Share links cannot be updated (must delete and recreate)
- Some deployments may require JWT auth for share endpoints (
/api/share*)
Reference
- API Endpoints: See
references/api-endpoints.mdfor complete API reference - Quick Reference: See
references/quick-reference.mdfor command examples - Troubleshooting: See
references/troubleshooting.mdfor common failures - Official Docs: API documentation at
{BYTESTASH_URL}/api-docs/ - Web Interface: Full-featured UI at
{BYTESTASH_URL}