Add Badges

Generate and update README badge blocks without drifting into general README editing.

Dispatch

$ARGUMENTS	Action
Empty	Show the empty/help gallery and ask for the target repo or README path
Flags or natural-language badge request	Run the full badge workflow: detect -> select -> present -> insert
`--dry-run` with any request	Run through preview only and stop before file edits
removal-only request	Skip detection, inspect the existing badge block, and present the reduced set

Empty/Help Gallery

When $ARGUMENTS is empty, show the main usage shape plus examples:

/add-badges --profile active --dry-run
/add-badges --include status,package --readme README.md
/add-badges --replace --yes
/add-badges remove social badges

State the main phases and the write boundary:

Detect the repo and existing badge state
Select badges and layout based on flags and detected signals
Present the proposed block and diff indicators
Insert only after approval, unless --yes was explicitly passed

Progressive Disclosure

Keep SKILL.md focused on routing, phase order, approval boundaries, and flag semantics.
Read references/badge-catalog-core.md on every run.
Read references/badge-catalog-extended.md only when non-basic signals are detected.
Read references/style-guide.md only when layout, format-specific syntax, or dark-mode output matters.
Use scripts/detect.py for repository detection and scripts/validate-badges.py only after insertion when verification is requested.

Internal Phase 1 — Detect

Run the detection script via the Bash tool:

uv run python skills/add-badges/scripts/detect.py <path>

Parse the JSON output. The script detects: repo info, languages, package managers, frameworks, CI/CD, infrastructure, code quality, testing, docs, license, release, security, community, developer tooling, databases, monorepo signals, and existing badges.

If the script fails (uv unavailable, Python missing, script error, invalid JSON), fall back to manual detection:

Glob for manifest files (pyproject.toml, package.json, go.mod, Cargo.toml, etc.)
Read .git/config or run git remote get-url origin for owner/repo
Glob .github/workflows/*.yml for CI badge candidates
Read LICENSE first line for SPDX type
Check for Dockerfile, .pre-commit-config.yaml, codecov.yml, etc.

Internal Phase 2 — Select

Read references/badge-catalog-core.md (always). Read references/badge-catalog-extended.md when detection reports any non-basic signals (any of: frameworks, infrastructure, code_quality linters/formatters/type_checkers, docs, release, security, monorepo, databases, developer_tooling, community).

Read references/style-guide.md for layout, ordering, and URL conventions.

Selection rules:

Prefer dynamic endpoints over static — never hardcode version numbers, coverage %, download counts
Include ?logo={slug}&logoColor={white|black} on every badge with a Simple Icons slug
Match existing badge style if README already has badges (from existing_badges.style); default to flat-square
If platform is GitLab or Bitbucket, use shields.io platform paths (/gitlab/..., /bitbucket/...)
--profile <name>: preset badge selection by maturity. new (3-5 badges: status, license, language), active (8-12: core + quality, code-style, frameworks), mature (12-18: core + all extended except developer-tooling), enterprise (15-20: ALL 16 categories including OpenSSF). Overrides --include/--exclude. No profile = auto-select based on detected features
Target 8-15 badges; group by display super-groups: Status > Quality > Package > Tech Stack > Social

Display super-group → category mapping:

Super-group	Categories
Status	status
Quality	quality, code-style, security
Package	package, license
Tech Stack	language, frameworks, infrastructure, docs, release, databases, monorepo, developer-tooling
Social	social, community

Deduplicate against existing badges by comparing badge URL service/metric paths
For CI status: prefer native badge URL (e.g., github.com/{owner}/{repo}/actions/workflows/{file}/badge.svg) — works for private repos. For repos with 5+ workflows, prioritize CI/test workflows; let user select others in Phase 3
If repo.visibility is "private", skip badges marked requires: public-api and warn user. Prefer native URLs for CI and direct service URLs for coverage
If existing badges reference dead services (from existing_badges.dead_services), flag them and suggest catalog replacements
Custom badge support: if user requests a badge not in the catalog (Discord server, sponsor, custom API), construct from shields.io static badge API or endpoint badge API (/badge/dynamic/json?url=...&query=...). Ask for required params
If user requests forthebadge.com-style decorative badges, use forthebadge.com API. Note: forthebadge is decorative only — no dynamic data. For dynamic badges in large bold style, use shields.io ?style=for-the-badge

Flag handling:

--include <categories>: only generate badges from named categories (comma-separated). Category names: status, quality, package, license, language, social, code-style, frameworks, infrastructure, docs, release, databases, monorepo, community, security, developer-tooling. Mutually exclusive with --exclude — error if both provided
--exclude <categories>: skip named categories. Same names as --include. Also accepts display group alias: tech-stack expands to language,frameworks,infrastructure,docs,release,databases,monorepo,developer-tooling. Mutually exclusive with --include
--style <style>: override badge style (flat, flat-square, plastic, for-the-badge, social)
--layout <layout>: badge arrangement — inline (default), centered, grouped, table, collapsible. collapsible wraps secondary groups (Tech Stack, Social) in <details><summary> elements — ideal for 15+ badges. See style-guide.md
--readme <path>: target a specific file instead of auto-detected README
--dark-mode: generate <picture> elements with <source media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)"> for theme-aware badges on GitHub. Produce HTML instead of pure markdown
--dry-run: output proposed badge block and diff without modifying any file. Exit after preview
--yes: skip approval prompt before modifying files
--replace: replace content within markers AND consolidate scattered badges into the marker block

Internal Phase 3 — Present

Show grouped preview with category headers. Render badges as actual [![alt](url)](link) markdown so the user can see them.

Diff indicators when updating existing badges:

[+] new badge being added
[=] existing badge being kept
[-] existing badge being removed

If scattered badges exist outside markers, show their locations and offer to consolidate into the marker block.

If user requests removal only (e.g., "remove social badges"), skip detection, read existing badge block, remove specified badges, present updated block.

Offer to reorder, add, or remove individual badges before finalizing. Accept natural language adjustments ("move stars before license", "drop the forks badge", "add a Discord badge").

Ask for approval before modifying files. Skip approval if --yes passed. Never skip prompts for missing required info (owner/repo, workflow file names, etc.) even with --yes.

If --dry-run, output the proposed block and exit without modifying files.

Internal Phase 4 — Insert

Find existing  /  markers or create them.

Insert approved badges grouped by display super-group (Status, Quality, Package, Tech Stack, Social). Separate groups with a blank line. Add  comment inside the marker block.

Insertion point priority:

Existing markers (replace content between them)
After first # Title heading
Top of file if no heading found

If no README exists, create one with # {repo-name} heading then add badges.

If --dark-mode, wrap each badge in <picture> elements per style-guide.md.

--replace consolidates any scattered badges found outside markers into the marker block. Show user exactly what will be moved — nothing silently deleted.

Preserve any manual content outside markers.

After insertion, optionally run uv run python skills/add-badges/scripts/validate-badges.py <readme-path> via Bash to verify all badge URLs return valid responses. Report any broken or slow badges to the user.

Stop Hooks

Stop and ask instead of writing when any of these are true:

the target README path is unclear
required repo identity details are missing for dynamic badges
workflow file names or badge-specific parameters are missing
the user did not approve a write and --yes was not passed
--replace would move or consolidate scattered badges the user has not seen yet

For write operations:

--dry-run must always stop after preview and diff
approval is mandatory before insertion unless --yes is explicit
missing required info never gets bypassed by --yes
preserve all non-marker README content and stop if the requested change would require broader README editing

Style Rules

Default style: flat-square. Match existing style if badges already present. Use for-the-badge for hero/landing sections. Use social style for star/follow count badges. Separate display groups with a blank line in the output.

Error Handling

No git remote: prompt for owner/repo. If user declines, generate only static language/framework/tooling badges (no remote-dependent badges)
No manifest files: static-only badges
RST/AsciiDoc README: use appropriate image syntax (see style-guide.md for format-specific syntax)
Mixed existing styles: recommend standardizing, ask user which style
Style-only change (--style with no other changes): preserve current badge set, update style param only
Private repo detected: skip requires: public-api badges, prefer native badge URLs, warn user
detect.py produces partial results: work with what is available, note missing sections

Tricky Icon Slugs

Common Simple Icons gotchas: gnubash not bash, nodedotjs not node, vuedotjs not vue, nextdotjs not next, .env is dotenv, springboot not spring-boot, flydotio not fly. Note: nuxt is now correct (was nuxtdotjs). For icons not in the catalog, use lowercase brand name; check simpleicons.org if unsure.

Golden Example

<!-- BADGES:START -->
<!-- generated by add-badges 2025-01-15 -->
[![CI](https://github.com/{owner}/{repo}/actions/workflows/ci.yml/badge.svg)](https://github.com/{owner}/{repo}/actions)
[![PyPI](https://img.shields.io/pypi/v/{package}?style=flat-square&logo=pypi&logoColor=white)](https://pypi.org/project/{package}/)
[![License](https://img.shields.io/github/license/{owner}/{repo}?style=flat-square)](https://github.com/{owner}/{repo}/blob/main/LICENSE)
[![OpenSSF Scorecard](https://api.scorecard.dev/projects/github.com/{owner}/{repo}/badge)](https://scorecard.dev/viewer/?uri=github.com/{owner}/{repo})
<!-- BADGES:END -->

Reference File Index

File	Read When
`references/badge-catalog-core.md`	Always — provides base badge definitions for common categories
`references/badge-catalog-extended.md`	Detection reports non-basic signals (frameworks, infrastructure, linters, docs, etc.)
`references/style-guide.md`	Determining layout, ordering, URL conventions, and format-specific syntax

Canonical Vocabulary

Canonical Term	Meaning
badge	A shields.io (or similar) image element displaying project metadata
shield	Synonym for badge; the rendered SVG from shields.io
style	Visual variant: flat, flat-square, plastic, for-the-badge, social
super-group	Display grouping: Status, Quality, Package, Tech Stack, Social
category	Classification of a badge type (e.g., license, language, frameworks)
marker	HTML comments (`<!-- BADGES:START/END -->`) delimiting the badge block
slug	Simple Icons identifier used in `?logo=` parameter (e.g., `gnubash`)
profile	Preset badge selection by project maturity: new, active, mature, enterprise
dynamic badge	Badge that fetches live data from an endpoint (version, coverage, downloads)
static badge	Badge with hardcoded text — avoid when a dynamic alternative exists

Scope Boundaries

IS for: badge detection, badge selection, badge preview, badge insertion inside marker blocks, and badge-specific README updates.

NOT for: general README rewriting, broader docs work, CI/CD design, or non-badge documentation changes.

Critical Rules

Non-negotiable constraints for every badge operation:

Never hardcode dynamic values. Always use shields.io dynamic endpoints for versions, coverage, and download counts.
Always include logo parameters. Every badge with a Simple Icons slug must have ?logo={slug}&logoColor={white|black}.
Respect existing style. Match the style of badges already present in the README; default to flat-square only when no badges exist.
Never modify content outside markers. Preserve all manual content outside  /  markers.
Always ask before writing. Never modify the README without user approval unless --yes was explicitly passed.
Check icon slugs carefully. Use the Tricky Icon Slugs list; verify against simpleicons.org when uncertain.
Skip private-incompatible badges. When repo.visibility is "private", never generate badges marked requires: public-api.

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