Guide · Agent skill
How to use the Monorepo Management agent skill
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
The monorepo-management skill gives an AI agent structured guidance for building and maintaining a monorepo: several related projects such as apps and shared packages kept in one Git repository. It is written for developers who work with Node.js and JavaScript tooling. After following this guide you will know what the skill does, how to add it to your agent, how to ask for help with natural requests, and what to check before trusting its output.
Monorepo Managementwshobson/agents · MIT Download the skill Quick start
- 1Download and unzip. Download the skill ZIP from this page and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ or into your project's .claude/skills/ folder.
- 2Confirm the skill is available. Check that the monorepo-management skill appears in your agent's skills list, or upload the ZIP under Settings → Capabilities → Skills in the Claude apps.
- 3Describe your monorepo goal. Ask in plain language, naming your package manager and build system, for example pnpm with Turborepo.
- 4Create or review the structure. Let the agent set up apps/ and packages/ folders, or review your existing layout against the skill's example.
- 5Configure turbo.json and workspaces. Write task pipelines with dependsOn and outputs, and declare workspace packages in pnpm-workspace.yaml.
- 6Check the result. Run the build and test commands yourself and confirm the cache behaves as expected before relying on the setup.
- 7Set up publishing if needed. If you publish packages, add Changesets and the release workflow, and make sure the required secrets exist.
What is an agent skill?
An agent skill is a folder of instructions that an AI agent can load when a task matches the skill's description. The skill for this guide is named monorepo-management and its main file is SKILL.md, with a second file, references/details.md, holding longer worked examples that the agent reads when the main guidance is not enough.
What the skill makes the agent do
When the skill is installed, the agent can guide you through organising several related projects in one repository. The skill covers creating a Turborepo setup, writing turbo.json task pipelines, structuring package.json files with workspace dependencies, and publishing packages with Changesets. It also gives a checklist of common pitfalls, such as circular dependencies, phantom dependencies and incorrect cache inputs.
- Set up a new monorepo with npx create-turbo@latest and a layout of apps/ and packages/
- Write turbo.json task configurations with dependsOn, outputs and cache settings
- Configure pnpm-workspace.yaml and workspace dependencies such as workspace:*
- Publish packages with Changesets and a GitHub Actions release workflow
- Review a repository for common monorepo pitfalls
How do you install the skill?
Download the ZIP file from this page and unzip it. You can install the skill in one of two places. For a single user across all projects, unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/. For one project only, unzip it into the project's .claude/skills/ folder. Alternatively, in the Claude apps, open Settings, go to Capabilities, and upload the skill under Skills.
- Personal install: ~/.claude/skills/ (available in every project)
- Project install: .claude/skills/ inside your repository (shared with that project)
- Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills, then upload the ZIP
How do you trigger the skill with a request?
You do not need a special command. The skill is meant to load when your request matches its description, which covers setting up monorepos, optimising builds and managing shared dependencies. Describe your goal in plain language and mention your tools, such as pnpm, Turborepo or Nx, so the agent picks the right guidance.
- Set up a monorepo with pnpm workspaces and Turborepo for a Next.js app and a shared UI package.
- My Turborepo builds rebuild everything on every commit. Help me fix the turbo.json cache settings.
- Migrate three separate repos into one monorepo and keep their shared dependencies consistent.
- Add Changesets to my pnpm monorepo and write a GitHub Actions release workflow.
- Check my monorepo for circular dependencies and phantom dependencies.
What does a typical turbo.json look like?
The skill's example turbo.json defines tasks for build, test, lint, dev and type-check. The build task depends on the builds of its dependencies (^build) and lists its outputs so Turborepo can cache them. The dev task turns caching off and is marked persistent. Treat this as a starting point and check it against the current Turborepo documentation for your version.
- Turborepo 2 uses tasks instead of pipeline. The skill notes that Turborepo 2 rejects a turbo.json that still uses pipeline, and that npx @turbo/codemod migrate upgrades a 1.x config.
{"$schema": "https://turbo.build/schema.json", "tasks": {"build": {"dependsOn": ["^build"], "outputs": ["dist/**", ".next/**", "!.next/cache/**"]}, "dev": {"cache": false, "persistent": true}}}What does the skill need before it works well?
The skill assumes a working JavaScript toolchain. You need Node.js and a package manager such as pnpm, npm or Yarn. You also need Turborepo (via npx create-turbo) or Nx, depending on the build system you choose. If you publish packages, install the Changesets CLI. For the release workflow, the GitHub repository needs NPM_TOKEN and GITHUB_TOKEN secrets.
- Node.js and a package manager (pnpm, npm or Yarn)
- Turborepo (npx create-turbo) or Nx
- Changesets CLI, if you publish packages
- GitHub repository with NPM_TOKEN and GITHUB_TOKEN secrets, for the release workflow
Safety notes: scripts and network access
This skill does not run scripts and does not use the network by itself. It provides instructions and examples, and any commands it suggests are run by you or your agent in your own environment. Review each command before running it, especially commands that publish packages or change repository secrets.
- Runs scripts: no
- Uses network: no
- Publishing commands such as pnpm changeset publish and the release workflow affect real npm packages, so review them first
What people use it for
- Starting a new monorepo with a Next.js app, a docs site and shared UI and config packages
- Migrating several separate repositories into one codebase with consistent tooling
- Speeding up slow CI builds by correcting Turborepo inputs and outputs
- Sharing TypeScript and ESLint configs across packages
- Publishing versioned packages with Changesets from a GitHub Actions workflow
Frequently asked questions
How do I install the monorepo management skill?
Download the ZIP from this page and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder for one repository. In the Claude apps you can instead upload the ZIP under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
What do I need to use the monorepo-management skill?
You need Node.js and a package manager such as pnpm, npm or Yarn, plus Turborepo (npx create-turbo) or Nx depending on your build system. The Changesets CLI is needed only if you publish packages, and the release workflow needs NPM_TOKEN and GITHUB_TOKEN secrets.
Is the monorepo management skill free?
The skill is listed under the MIT licence, which is stated on this page. Check the licence file in the source repository for the full terms.
Does this skill run scripts or access the internet?
According to this listing, the skill runs no scripts and uses no network. It gives instructions and examples, and any commands are run by you or your agent.
Can I use this skill for a simple single-project app?
It is not recommended. A monorepo adds complexity that a single project does not need, so the skill is aimed at teams and developers managing several related packages or apps.
How does it compare with asking an agent without the skill?
The skill adds a structured reference for Turborepo, Nx and pnpm workspaces, including a pitfalls checklist and the Changesets publishing flow. Without it, the agent relies on general knowledge, so results may vary. Either way, check configuration formats against current documentation, since syntax such as Turborepo 2 changes over time.
New agent skills, repos and AI tools — every week
The best new skills and open-source projects, the fastest-growing repos, and one free prompt. Five minutes to read. Unsubscribe anytime.
Our verdict
This skill suits developers starting a monorepo with pnpm, Turborepo or Nx, teams merging several repos, and engineers debugging slow builds or cache problems. It is a poor fit for simple single-project apps and for non-developers, and its examples should be checked against current tool documentation before use on production repositories.
Download the skill