using-templates

Use and customize workflow templates for common scenarios. Use when user wants to use a template, asks about available templates, or wants to customize existing workflows.

About using-templates

using-templates is a Claude AI skill developed by mbruhler. Use and customize workflow templates for common scenarios. Use when user wants to use a template, asks about available templates, or wants to customize existing workflows. This powerful Claude Code plugin helps developers automate workflows and enhance productivity with intelligent AI assistance.

145Stars
5Forks
2025-11-09

Why use using-templates? With 145 stars on GitHub, this skill has been trusted by developers worldwide. Install this Claude skill instantly to enhance your development workflow with AI-powered automation.

nameusing-templates
descriptionUse and customize workflow templates for common scenarios. Use when user wants to use a template, asks about available templates, or wants to customize existing workflows.

Using Workflow Templates

I help you use and customize workflow templates for common automation scenarios.

When I Activate

I activate when you:

  • Ask about available templates
  • Want to use a workflow template
  • Need to customize a template
  • Ask "what templates exist?"
  • Say "use the X template"

Template Locations

Templates are searched in the following locations (in order of priority):

  1. Project root: ./workflows/*.flow - Project-specific templates
  2. Claude root: ~/.claude/workflows/*.flow - User's global templates
  3. Plugin examples: ~/.claude/plugins/repos/orchestration/examples/*.flow - Built-in examples

Project-local templates take precedence over global templates.

Built-in Example Templates

Located in examples/ directory:

  • tdd-implementation.flow - Test-Driven Development
  • debug-and-fix.flow - Bug investigation and fixing
  • polish-news-aggregation.flow - News data aggregation
  • plugin-testing.flow - Plugin testing workflow
  • i18n-fix-hardcoded-strings.flow - Internationalization
  • ui-component-refinement.flow - UI component improvement
  • agent-system-demo.flow - Agent system demonstration

Using Templates

1. List Templates

# List project templates ls ./workflows/*.flow 2>/dev/null # List user's global templates ls ~/.claude/workflows/*.flow 2>/dev/null # List built-in examples ls ~/.claude/plugins/repos/orchestration/examples/*.flow

2. View Template

# View from any location cat ./workflows/my-template.flow cat ~/.claude/workflows/my-template.flow cat ~/.claude/plugins/repos/orchestration/examples/tdd-implementation.flow

3. Execute Template

Use /orchestration:template command (searches all locations automatically):

/orchestration:template tdd-implementation

Or reference directly with path:

Use ./workflows/my-workflow.flow
Use ~/.claude/workflows/my-workflow.flow
Use examples/tdd-implementation.flow

Customizing Templates

Parameter Substitution

Some templates have parameters:

# Template with parameter $scanner := {base: "Explore", prompt: "{{SCAN_TYPE}}", model: "sonnet"}

Customize:

# Your version $scanner := {base: "Explore", prompt: "Security expert", model: "sonnet"}

Modify Steps

Add or remove workflow steps:

# Original step1 -> step2 -> step3 # Your version (added error handling) step1 -> step2 -> (if failed)~> handle-error ~> (if passed)~> step3

Add Checkpoints

Insert review points:

# Original analyze -> implement -> deploy # Your version analyze -> implement -> @review-implementation -> deploy

Template Structure

Templates typically have:

# Header with description # Template: TDD Implementation # Description: Implement features using Test-Driven Development # Parameters: None # Phase 1: RED step1 -> step2 # Phase 2: GREEN step3 -> step4 # Phase 3: REFACTOR step5 -> step6

Saving Custom Templates

After customizing, save to your preferred location:

Project-specific templates (recommended for project workflows)

mkdir -p ./workflows cat > ./workflows/my-project-workflow.flow << 'EOF' # My Project Workflow # Description: Custom automation for this project ... EOF

User's global templates (shared across all projects)

mkdir -p ~/.claude/workflows cat > ~/.claude/workflows/my-global-workflow.flow << 'EOF' # My Global Workflow # Description: Custom automation available everywhere ... EOF

Plugin examples (for contributing back)

cat > ~/.claude/plugins/repos/orchestration/examples/my-workflow.flow << 'EOF' # My Example Workflow # Description: Custom automation for X ... EOF

Guidelines:

  1. Use .flow extension
  2. Add descriptive header
  3. Include usage instructions
  4. Project templates take precedence if same name exists globally

Template Categories

Development Workflows

  • TDD implementation
  • Bug fixing
  • Refactoring
  • Code review

Testing Workflows

  • Test automation
  • Integration testing
  • Security scanning
  • Performance testing

Deployment Workflows

  • CI/CD pipelines
  • Staged deployment
  • Rollback procedures

Data Workflows

  • Data aggregation
  • Data validation
  • Data transformation
  • Report generation

Best Practices

āœ… DO:

  • Start with existing template
  • Customize incrementally
  • Test modifications
  • Save successful customizations

āŒ DON'T:

  • Modify original templates (copy first)
  • Skip testing customizations
  • Over-complicate simple templates

Template Parameters

Common parameters in templates:

ParameterPurposeExample
{{TARGET}}Target file/directorysrc/components
{{SCAN_TYPE}}Type of scansecurity, performance
{{ENV}}Environmentstaging, production
{{BRANCH}}Git branchmain, develop

Related Skills

  • creating-workflows: Create new templates
  • executing-workflows: Execute templates
  • managing-agents: Use agents in templates

Want to use a template? Ask me to show available templates or execute one!

mbruhler

mbruhler

claude-orchestration

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