@jaybeeuu/agent-cortex 1.39.0 → 1.40.0

package/bin/installers/claude.mjs

@@ -1,56 +1,82 @@
-// Install-time generator + registrar for the Claude Code plugin. Producing
-// claude/ from the canonical sources is the ONLY code path — there is no
-// separate build-time generator: the package script `pnpm build:claude` runs
-// the same command as the CLI with `--output` (`node bin/agent-cortex.mjs
-// install claude --output claude`), so the committed subtree and installer
-// output can never diverge:
+// Install-time generator + registrar for the Claude Code plugin. A plain
+// `agent-cortex install claude` MATERIALISES the plugin into a home-scoped
+// directory (~/.agent-cortex/claude); there is no committed claude/ output in
+// the repo to regenerate — claude-extras/ and the gitignored $HOME target are
+// the only stores. The materialised plugin is:
 //
-//   node bin/agent-cortex.mjs install claude        regenerates claude/ in place
-//                               AND registers the plugin with Claude Code via
-//                               the `claude plugin` CLI (marketplace add →
-//                               install → marketplace update → plugin update)
+//   <output>/.claude-plugin/plugin.json     plugin manifest (version tracks the
+//                                           package — never stale)
+//   <output>/agents/<slug>.md               composed agents (agents/<name>/
+//                                           agent.md + claude/ harness dirs,
+//                                           {{TOOL:...}}/{{PATH:...}}
+//                                           substituted against token-map.json's
+//                                           claude column) plus agents-native
+//                                           (ralph verbatim)
+//   <output>/skills/<name>/                 skill dirs COPIED flat (one dir per
+//                                           skill, as Claude's <name>/SKILL.md
+//                                           plugin scan expects) with .md files
+//                                           token-substituted — no symlinks, so
+//                                           literal {{TOOL:...}}/{{PATH:...}}
+//                                           never reaches Claude
+//   <output>/hooks.json + hooks/<scripts>   from hooks/claude/ (support files
+//                                           referenced via ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT})
+//   <output>/.mcp.json + scripts/           hand-authored extras copied from
+//                                           claude-extras/ (the canonical
+//                                           store)
+//
+// Default output is ~/.agent-cortex/claude (the home install root
+// ~/.agent-cortex doubles as the marketplace root — the installer writes
+// ~/.agent-cortex/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json exposing ./claude, so
+// `claude plugin marketplace add ~/.agent-cortex` works). `--output <dir>`
+// generates the plugin subtree only — no marketplace manifest, no runtime
+// registration (tests/CI). `--dry-run` plans without writing or spawning.
+//
+//   node bin/agent-cortex.mjs install claude
+//                               materialises into ~/.agent-cortex/claude +
+//                               marketplace manifest, AND registers the plugin
+//                               with Claude Code via the `claude plugin` CLI
+//                               (marketplace add → install → marketplace
+//                               update → plugin update)
 //   node bin/agent-cortex.mjs install claude --output <dir>
-//                               generates only — no runtime registration
+//                               generates only — no manifest, no registration
 //   node bin/agent-cortex.mjs install claude --dry-run
 //                               plans generation + registration without writing
 //
-// claude/ stays committed (not gitignored): registration points Claude Code's
-// marketplace at this checkout (`.claude-plugin/marketplace.json` exposes
-// ./claude), so the plugin content is the working tree and a fresh clone
-// installs as-is with no generation step. CI regenerates claude/ via
-// `--output` and runs `git diff --exit-code claude/...` — byte-for-byte
-// validation that the committed output equals installer output, catching stale
-// output and hand-edits to generated files alike.
-//
-// Generated from:
-//   claude/agents/<slug>.md          agents/<name>/agent.md +
-//                                    agents/<name>/claude/frontmatter.json +
-//                                    agents/<name>/claude/<section>.md ({{SECTION:...}}),
-//                                    with {{TOOL:...}}/{{PATH:...}} substituted against
-//                                    the claude column of token-map.json. Agents in the
-//                                    DEFER set ship instead from agents-native/<name>.md.
-//   claude/skills/<name>             symlinks to the grouped skills/<group>/<name> dirs
-//                                    (single source — Claude scans skills one level deep)
-//   claude/.claude-plugin/plugin.json  name/version/description from package.json
-//                                    (version tracks the package — never stale)
-//   claude/hooks.json                copied from hooks/claude/hooks.json when present
-//   claude/hooks/<scripts>           copied from hooks/claude/ (support files bundled
-//                                    alongside hooks.json, referenced via ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT})
-//
-// The claude/ subtree stays committed and CI drift-checks it (build:claude +
-// git diff --exit-code), so a fresh clone remains installable as-is. Hand-authored
-// support files under claude/ (claude/.mcp.json, claude/scripts/) are left untouched.
+// Registration is idempotent by state, not by exit code: `claude plugin
+// marketplace list --json` decides add-vs-update and `claude plugin list
+// --json` decides install-vs-update against the materialised version — a
+// re-run is the update path, and a repeat install at the same version is a
+// true no-op. If the `claude` CLI is missing or predates the plugin subcommand
+// (v2+), the installer warns and prints the manual registration commands,
+// exiting non-zero only with --require-register.
 //
 // Zero dependencies so it runs on the CI Node and local Node alike.
 
-import { readFileSync, writeFileSync, mkdirSync, rmSync, symlinkSync, statSync, existsSync, readdirSync } from "node:fs";
-import { spawnSync } from "node:child_process";
-import { join, dirname, relative, resolve } from "node:path";
+import { readFile, writeFile, mkdir, rm, copyFile, stat, readdir, chmod } from "node:fs/promises";
+import { spawn } from "node:child_process";
+import { join, dirname, basename, resolve } from "node:path";
 import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
-import { composeAgent } from "../../scripts/lib/compose-agent.mjs";
+import { homedir } from "node:os";
+import { composeAgent, loadTokenMap, substituteTokens } from "../../scripts/lib/compose-agent.mjs";
 
 const MODULE_DIR = dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url));
-const DEFAULT_ROOT = join(MODULE_DIR, "..", "..");
+const PACKAGE_ROOT = join(MODULE_DIR, "..", "..");
+
+// Home-scoped plugin install root. The parent dir (~/.agent-cortex) is the
+// marketplace root: it carries .claude-plugin/marketplace.json exposing
+// ./claude, so `claude plugin marketplace add ~/.agent-cortex` points Claude
+// Code at the materialised plugin. Overridable in tests via HOME (node's
+// os.homedir() honours $HOME on POSIX).
+const DEFAULT_OUTPUT = join(homedir(), ".agent-cortex", "claude");
+
+// The token-map contract version this installer implements (token-map.json
+// "version" field). A higher map version is rejected: the contract must be
+// extended before this installer can trust it.
+const CONTRACT_VERSION = 1;
+
+const CLAUDE = "claude";
+
+const DEFAULT_WARN = (msg) => console.warn(`[claude-installer] ${msg}`);
 
 // Agents NOT transformed from the composable sources. `ralph` is authored natively for Claude
 // instead (agents-native/ralph.md) — its event-driven orchestration can't be produced by
@@ -58,14 +84,22 @@ const DEFAULT_ROOT = join(MODULE_DIR, "..", "..");
 const DEFER = new Set(["ralph"]);
 
 // Ralph-coupled Copilot skills that don't apply to the lean Claude Ralph (and carry dead
-// ~/.copilot orchestration paths). Not symlinked into the Claude plugin.
+// ~/.copilot orchestration paths). Not copied into the Claude plugin.
 const SKILL_EXCLUDE = new Set(["ralph", "run-pipeline-stage"]);
 
 const NAME_PREFIX = "agent-cortex:";
 
-function isFile(p) {
+async function isFile(p) {
   try {
-    return statSync(p).isFile();
+    return (await stat(p)).isFile();
+  } catch {
+    return false;
+  }
+}
+
+async function isDirectory(p) {
+  try {
+    return (await stat(p)).isDirectory();
   } catch {
     return false;
   }
@@ -76,22 +110,24 @@ function byName(a, b) {
 }
 
 /** Compose agents from agents/<name>/; DEFERed agents come from agents-native/ instead. */
-function buildAgents(root) {
+async function buildAgents(root) {
   const files = [];
   const skipped = [];
-  const entries = readdirSync(join(root, "agents"), { withFileTypes: true }).sort((a, b) => byName(a.name, b.name));
+  const entries = (await readdir(join(root, "agents"), { withFileTypes: true })).sort((a, b) =>
+    byName(a.name, b.name),
+  );
 
   for (const entry of entries) {
     if (!entry.isDirectory()) continue;
     const dir = join(root, "agents", entry.name);
-    if (!isFile(join(dir, "agent.md")) || !isFile(join(dir, "claude", "frontmatter.json"))) continue;
+    if (!(await isFile(join(dir, "agent.md"))) || !(await isFile(join(dir, "claude", "frontmatter.json")))) continue;
 
     if (DEFER.has(entry.name)) {
       skipped.push(entry.name);
       continue;
     }
 
-    const fm = composeAgent(root, entry.name, "claude");
+    const fm = await composeAgent(root, entry.name, CLAUDE);
     const slug = fm.name.startsWith(NAME_PREFIX) ? fm.name.slice(NAME_PREFIX.length) : fm.name;
     const header =
       `---\n` +
@@ -105,40 +141,78 @@ function buildAgents(root) {
   return { files, skipped };
 }
 
-/** Copy hand-authored Claude-native agents into claude/agents/ verbatim. */
-function buildNatives(root, nativeSrc) {
+/** Copy hand-authored Claude-native agents into agents/ verbatim. */
+async function buildNatives(root, nativeSrc) {
   const files = [];
-  if (!existsSync(nativeSrc)) return files;
-  for (const file of readdirSync(nativeSrc).filter((f) => f.endsWith(".md")).sort(byName)) {
-    files.push({ file, content: readFileSync(join(nativeSrc, file), "utf-8") });
+  if (!(await isDirectory(nativeSrc))) return files;
+  const names = (await readdir(nativeSrc)).filter((f) => f.endsWith(".md")).sort(byName);
+  for (const file of names) {
+    files.push({ file, content: await readFile(join(nativeSrc, file), "utf-8") });
   }
   return files;
 }
 
-/** Flatten grouped skills (skills/<group>/<name>/) into claude/skills/ as relative symlinks. */
-function buildSkills(root) {
-  const links = [];
+/**
+ * Copy the grouped source skills (skills/<group>/<name>/) into the plugin FLAT
+ * (skills/<name>/ — Claude's plugin scan expects <name>/SKILL.md directly
+ * under skills/), token-substituting .md files against token-map.json's claude
+ * column (the same materialisation as bin/installers/pi.mjs: no symlinks, so
+ * literal {{TOOL:...}}/{{PATH:...}} never survives; non-.md files verbatim).
+ */
+async function buildSkills(root, skillOut, { dryRun, pluginRoot, tokenMap, warn }) {
   const seen = new Map();
-  for (const group of readdirSync(join(root, "skills")).sort(byName)) {
+  const transform = (content) =>
+    substituteTokens(content, CLAUDE, tokenMap, { dropNullTools: true, pluginRoot, resolveRelativePaths: true, warn });
+
+  const names = [];
+  let md = 0;
+  let files = 0;
+  for (const group of (await readdir(join(root, "skills"))).sort(byName)) {
     const groupDir = join(root, "skills", group);
-    if (!statSync(groupDir).isDirectory()) continue;
-    for (const name of readdirSync(groupDir).sort(byName)) {
+    if (!(await isDirectory(groupDir))) continue;
+    for (const name of (await readdir(groupDir)).sort(byName)) {
       const skillDir = join(groupDir, name);
-      if (!isFile(join(skillDir, "SKILL.md"))) continue;
+      if (!(await isFile(join(skillDir, "SKILL.md")))) continue;
       if (SKILL_EXCLUDE.has(name)) continue;
       if (seen.has(name)) {
         throw new Error(`duplicate skill name "${name}" (${seen.get(name)} and ${group}) — names must be unique when flattened`);
       }
       seen.set(name, group);
-      links.push({ name, target: skillDir });
+      names.push(name);
+      const stats = await copyTree(skillDir, join(skillOut, name), transform, dryRun);
+      md += stats.md;
+      files += stats.files;
+    }
+  }
+  return { names, md, files, dir: skillOut };
+}
+
+/** Recursively copy a tree; transform .md file contents, copy everything else verbatim. */
+async function copyTree(src, dest, transform, dryRun) {
+  let md = 0;
+  let files = 0;
+  for (const entry of await readdir(src, { withFileTypes: true })) {
+    const from = join(src, entry.name);
+    const to = join(dest, entry.name);
+    if (entry.isDirectory()) {
+      const stats = await copyTree(from, to, transform, dryRun);
+      md += stats.md;
+      files += stats.files;
+    } else if (entry.isFile()) {
+      files += 1;
+      if (entry.name.endsWith(".md")) md += 1;
+      if (dryRun) continue;
+      await mkdir(dest, { recursive: true });
+      if (entry.name.endsWith(".md")) await writeFile(to, transform(await readFile(from, "utf-8")));
+      else await copyFile(from, to);
     }
   }
-  return links;
+  return { md, files };
 }
 
 /** plugin.json manifest; version tracks the package so it can never go stale. */
-function buildPluginJson(root) {
-  const pkg = JSON.parse(readFileSync(join(root, "package.json"), "utf-8"));
+async function buildPluginJson(root) {
+  const pkg = JSON.parse(await readFile(join(root, "package.json"), "utf-8"));
   return (
     JSON.stringify(
       {
@@ -156,55 +230,159 @@ function buildPluginJson(root) {
   );
 }
 
+/**
+ * Marketplace manifest exposing the plugin at <marketplaceRoot>/<basename>.
+ * Lives at `<marketplaceRoot>/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json` (the home
+ * install root ~/.agent-cortex doubles as the marketplace root), so `claude
+ * plugin marketplace add ~/.agent-cortex` resolves ./claude relative to the
+ * manifest's directory.
+ */
+async function buildMarketplaceManifest(root, outputName) {
+  const pkg = JSON.parse(await readFile(join(root, "package.json"), "utf-8"));
+  return {
+    name: "jaybeeuu",
+    owner: { name: "jaybeeuu" },
+    metadata: { description: "jaybeeuu's personal Claude Code plugins." },
+    plugins: [
+      {
+        name: pkg.name.replace(/^@[^/]+\//, ""),
+        source: `./${outputName}`,
+        description: "Personal Claude Code plugin with custom agents and skills",
+      },
+    ],
+  };
+}
+
 /**
  * Hook support files (hooks/claude/ except hooks.json) bundled into
- * claude/hooks/ so hook commands can reference them via ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}.
- * hooks.json itself is special-cased to the plugin root (claude/hooks.json).
+ * hooks/ so hook commands can reference them via ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}.
+ * hooks.json itself is special-cased to the plugin root (hooks.json).
  */
-function buildHookFiles(root) {
+async function buildHookFiles(root) {
   const files = [];
   const srcDir = join(root, "hooks", "claude");
-  if (!existsSync(srcDir)) return files;
-  const walk = (dir, rel) => {
-    for (const entry of readdirSync(dir, { withFileTypes: true }).sort((a, b) => byName(a.name, b.name))) {
+  if (!(await isDirectory(srcDir))) return files;
+  const walk = async (dir, rel) => {
+    const entries = await readdir(dir, { withFileTypes: true });
+    entries.sort((a, b) => byName(a.name, b.name));
+    for (const entry of entries) {
       const full = join(dir, entry.name);
-      if (entry.isDirectory()) walk(full, join(rel, entry.name));
+      if (entry.isDirectory()) await walk(full, join(rel, entry.name));
       else if (entry.name !== "hooks.json")
-        files.push({ rel: join(rel, entry.name), content: readFileSync(full, "utf-8") });
+        files.push({ rel: join(rel, entry.name), content: await readFile(full, "utf-8") });
     }
   };
-  walk(srcDir, "");
+  await walk(srcDir, "");
   return files;
 }
 
+/**
+ * Hand-authored extras the plugin needs that the generators don't produce:
+ * the repo's claude-extras/ dir is the canonical store for .mcp.json and
+ * scripts/, and the installer ships them to the output. Content is captured
+ * at read time (not path-referenced) so the write-phase cleanup of the
+ * output dir can never destroy the sources (outputs normally go to
+ * ~/.agent-cortex/claude or a tmp dir, never into claude-extras/).
+ */
+async function buildHandAuthored(root) {
+  const items = [];
+  const srcExtras = join(root, "claude-extras");
+  if (await isFile(join(srcExtras, ".mcp.json"))) {
+    const mcp = join(srcExtras, ".mcp.json");
+    items.push({ rel: ".mcp.json", content: await readFile(mcp), mode: (await stat(mcp)).mode & 0o777 });
+  }
+  const scriptsDir = join(srcExtras, "scripts");
+  if (await isDirectory(scriptsDir)) {
+    for (const file of (await readdir(scriptsDir)).sort(byName)) {
+      const src = join(scriptsDir, file);
+      if (await isFile(src)) items.push({ rel: join("scripts", file), content: await readFile(src), mode: (await stat(src)).mode & 0o777 });
+    }
+  }
+  return items;
+}
+
 /**
  * Generate the Claude Code plugin subtree.
  *
  * @param {object} options
- * @param {string} [options.root]   Package root (contains agents/, skills/, token-map.json, …).
- *                                  Defaults to the repo containing this module.
- * @param {string} [options.output] Target directory (default: <root>/claude).
- * @param {boolean} [options.dryRun] Plan and report without writing anything.
- * @returns {{ output: string, agents: string[], natives: string[], skills: string[], hooks: boolean, dryRun: boolean }}
+ * @param {string} [options.root]        Package root (contains agents/, skills/, token-map.json, …).
+ *                                       Defaults to the repo containing this module.
+ * @param {string} [options.output]      Plugin target dir. Defaults to ~/.agent-cortex/claude;
+ *                                       the default install additionally writes the marketplace
+ *                                       manifest at ~/.agent-cortex/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json.
+ * @param {string} [options.pluginRoot]  Override plugin_root used for {{PATH:...}} resolution
+ *                                       (default: token-map.json's claude value)
+ * @param {boolean} [options.dryRun]     Plan and report without writing anything.
+ * @param {(msg: string) => void} [options.warn] Warning sink, also collected in `warnings`.
+ * @returns {{ output: string, marketplaceRoot: string|null, manifestPath: string|null,
+ *             marketplaceManifest: object|null, agents: string[], natives: string[],
+ *             skills: {names: string[], md: number, files: number, dir: string},
+ *             hooks: boolean, hookFiles: string[], handAuthored: string[],
+ *             warnings: string[], dryRun: boolean }}
  */
-export function installClaude({ root = DEFAULT_ROOT, output, dryRun = false } = {}) {
-  const out = output ?? join(root, "claude");
+export async function installClaude({ root = PACKAGE_ROOT, output, dryRun = false, pluginRoot, warn = DEFAULT_WARN } = {}) {
+  const tokenMap = await loadTokenMap(root);
+  if (typeof tokenMap.version === "number" && tokenMap.version > CONTRACT_VERSION) {
+    throw new Error(
+      `token-map.json version ${tokenMap.version} is newer than the contract version ${CONTRACT_VERSION} this installer implements — upgrade agent-cortex`,
+    );
+  }
+
+  const warnings = [];
+  const warnSink = (msg) => {
+    warnings.push(msg);
+    warn(msg);
+  };
+
+  const out = output ?? DEFAULT_OUTPUT;
+  // The marketplace manifest is part of the home install (default target) only:
+  // --output is generate-only (tests/CI), matching its no-registration semantics.
+  const isDefaultInstall = output === undefined;
+  const marketplaceRoot = isDefaultInstall ? dirname(out) : null;
+  const manifestPath = isDefaultInstall ? join(marketplaceRoot, ".claude-plugin", "marketplace.json") : null;
+
+  const rootPlugin = pluginRoot ?? tokenMap.paths.plugin_root?.[CLAUDE];
+
+  // Read hand-authored extras from the canonical claude-extras/ dir BEFORE
+  // the cleanup below (defensive: the output is normally ~/.agent-cortex/claude
+  // or a tmp dir, never claude-extras/, but clearing the output first would
+  // still destroy sources if they ever collided). They are re-copied fresh in
+  // the write phase. In dry-run nothing is cleaned or written.
+  const cleanable = ["agents", "skills", ".claude-plugin", "hooks", "scripts", "hooks.json", ".mcp.json"];
+  const handAuthored = await buildHandAuthored(root);
+
+  // Regenerate the plugin children (removes stale output from earlier flows,
+  // e.g. old symlinked skills). Must happen BEFORE the build helpers write.
+  if (!dryRun) {
+    for (const child of cleanable) {
+      await rm(join(out, child), { recursive: true, force: true });
+    }
+    await mkdir(out, { recursive: true });
+  }
 
-  const agents = buildAgents(root);
-  const natives = buildNatives(root, join(root, "agents-native"));
-  const skills = buildSkills(root);
-  const pluginJson = buildPluginJson(root);
+  const agents = await buildAgents(root);
+  const natives = await buildNatives(root, join(root, "agents-native"));
+  const skillOut = join(out, "skills");
+  const skills = await buildSkills(root, skillOut, { dryRun, pluginRoot: rootPlugin, tokenMap, warn: warnSink });
+  const pluginJson = await buildPluginJson(root);
   const hooksSrc = join(root, "hooks", "claude", "hooks.json");
-  const hooksJson = isFile(hooksSrc) ? readFileSync(hooksSrc, "utf-8") : null;
-  const hookFiles = buildHookFiles(root);
+  const hooksJson = (await isFile(hooksSrc)) ? await readFile(hooksSrc, "utf-8") : null;
+  const hookFiles = await buildHookFiles(root);
+  const marketplaceManifest = isDefaultInstall ? await buildMarketplaceManifest(root, basename(out)) : null;
 
   const summary = {
     output: out,
+    marketplaceRoot,
+    manifestPath,
+    marketplaceManifest,
+    pluginVersion: JSON.parse(pluginJson).version,
     agents: agents.files.map((f) => f.file.replace(/\.md$/, "")),
     natives: natives.map((f) => f.file.replace(/\.md$/, "")),
-    skills: skills.map((l) => l.name),
+    skills: { names: skills.names, md: skills.md, files: skills.files, dir: skillOut },
     hooks: hooksJson !== null,
     hookFiles: hookFiles.map((f) => f.rel),
+    handAuthored: handAuthored.map((f) => f.rel),
+    warnings,
     dryRun,
   };
 
@@ -214,160 +392,332 @@ export function installClaude({ root = DEFAULT_ROOT, output, dryRun = false } =
     console.log(`DRY-RUN — would generate into ${out}, no files written:`);
     console.log(`  agents: ${summary.agents.join(", ")}`);
     if (summary.natives.length) console.log(`  native agents: ${summary.natives.join(", ")}`);
-    console.log(`  skills: ${summary.skills.length} symlink(s)`);
+    console.log(`  skills: ${summary.skills.names.length} copied → ${skillOut}/<name>/ (token-substituted)`);
     console.log(`  .claude-plugin/plugin.json (version ${JSON.parse(pluginJson).version})`);
+    if (isDefaultInstall && manifestPath) {
+      console.log(`  marketplace manifest → ${manifestPath} (plugin agent-cortex @ ./${basename(out)})`);
+    }
     if (summary.hooks) console.log("  hooks.json (from hooks/claude/hooks.json)");
     if (summary.hookFiles.length)
-      console.log(`  hook scripts: ${summary.hookFiles.join(", ")} (bundled into claude/hooks/)`);
+      console.log(`  hook scripts: ${summary.hookFiles.join(", ")} (bundled into ${join(out, "hooks")}/)`);
+    if (summary.handAuthored.length)
+      console.log(`  hand-authored files: ${summary.handAuthored.join(", ")} (copied from repo claude-extras/)`);
     return summary;
   }
 
-  // Generated subsets only — hand-authored support files (.mcp.json, scripts/)
-  // under output are left untouched.
+  // Write phase — the cleanup before buildSkills already cleared stale children.
   const agentOut = join(out, "agents");
-  rmSync(agentOut, { recursive: true, force: true });
-  mkdirSync(agentOut, { recursive: true });
+  await mkdir(agentOut, { recursive: true });
   for (const { file, content } of [...agents.files, ...natives]) {
-    writeFileSync(join(agentOut, file), content);
+    await writeFile(join(agentOut, file), content);
   }
   console.log(`Generated ${summary.agents.length} Claude agent(s): ${summary.agents.join(", ")}`);
   if (summary.natives.length) console.log(`Copied ${summary.natives.length} native Claude agent(s): ${summary.natives.join(", ")}`);
 
-  const skillOut = join(out, "skills");
-  rmSync(skillOut, { recursive: true, force: true });
-  mkdirSync(skillOut, { recursive: true });
-  for (const { name, target } of skills) {
-    symlinkSync(relative(skillOut, target), join(skillOut, name));
-  }
-  console.log(`Linked ${summary.skills.length} skill(s) into ${skillOut}`);
+  await mkdir(skillOut, { recursive: true });
+  console.log(
+    `Copied ${summary.skills.names.length} skill(s) → ${skillOut}/<name>/ (token-substituted, no symlinks)`,
+  );
 
-  mkdirSync(join(out, ".claude-plugin"), { recursive: true });
-  writeFileSync(join(out, ".claude-plugin", "plugin.json"), pluginJson);
+  await mkdir(join(out, ".claude-plugin"), { recursive: true });
+  await writeFile(join(out, ".claude-plugin", "plugin.json"), pluginJson);
   console.log(`Wrote ${join(out, ".claude-plugin", "plugin.json")}`);
 
+  if (isDefaultInstall && manifestPath && marketplaceManifest) {
+    const manifestDir = dirname(manifestPath);
+    await mkdir(manifestDir, { recursive: true });
+    await writeFile(manifestPath, JSON.stringify(marketplaceManifest, null, 2) + "\n");
+    console.log(`Wrote ${manifestPath} (plugin agent-cortex @ ./${basename(out)})`);
+  }
+
   if (summary.hooks) {
-    writeFileSync(join(out, "hooks.json"), hooksJson);
+    await writeFile(join(out, "hooks.json"), hooksJson);
     console.log(`Wrote ${join(out, "hooks.json")} (from ${hooksSrc})`);
 
     if (hookFiles.length > 0) {
       const hookOut = join(out, "hooks");
-      rmSync(hookOut, { recursive: true, force: true });
-      mkdirSync(hookOut, { recursive: true });
+      await mkdir(hookOut, { recursive: true });
       for (const { rel, content } of hookFiles) {
         const dest = join(hookOut, rel);
-        mkdirSync(dirname(dest), { recursive: true });
-        writeFileSync(dest, content);
+        await mkdir(dirname(dest), { recursive: true });
+        await writeFile(dest, content);
       }
       console.log(`Bundled ${hookFiles.length} hook support file(s) into ${hookOut}`);
     }
   } else {
-    console.log(`Skipped hooks.json — ${hooksSrc} not found (existing file left untouched)`);
+    console.log(`Skipped hooks.json — ${hooksSrc} not found`);
+  }
+
+  if (handAuthored.length > 0) {
+    for (const { rel, content, mode } of handAuthored) {
+      const dest = join(out, rel);
+      await mkdir(dirname(dest), { recursive: true });
+      await writeFile(dest, content);
+      if (mode !== undefined) await chmod(dest, mode);
+    }
+    console.log(`Copied hand-authored file(s): ${summary.handAuthored.join(", ")}`);
   }
 
   return summary;
 }
-
 // ─── Claude Code registration ────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 // The `claude` CLI on PATH. Overridable in tests via the claudeBin option.
 const DEFAULT_CLAUDE_BIN = "claude";
 
+/** Validate a marketplace manifest object; returns the marketplace and plugin
+ * names that `claude plugin` commands address. */
+function parseMarketplaceManifest(manifest, label) {
+  const marketplace = manifest.name;
+  const plugin = manifest.plugins?.[0]?.name;
+  if (typeof marketplace !== "string" || typeof plugin !== "string") {
+    throw new Error(
+      `unparsable marketplace manifest (${label}): expected { name, plugins: [{ name }] }`,
+    );
+  }
+  return { marketplace, plugin };
+}
+
 /**
- * Read the marketplace manifest that exposes this checkout's claude/ subtree
- * (`.claude-plugin/marketplace.json`); returns the marketplace and plugin
- * names that `claude plugin` commands address. Registration is only possible
- * from a checkout carrying the manifest.
+ * Read the marketplace manifest that exposes the plugin at install root
+ * (<root>/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json).
  */
-function readMarketplaceManifest(root) {
+async function readMarketplaceManifest(root) {
   const manifestPath = join(root, ".claude-plugin", "marketplace.json");
   let manifest;
   try {
-    manifest = JSON.parse(readFileSync(manifestPath, "utf-8"));
+    manifest = JSON.parse(await readFile(manifestPath, "utf-8"));
   } catch (err) {
     throw new Error(
       `no Claude marketplace manifest at ${manifestPath} (${err.message}) — ` +
-        `"agent-cortex install claude" registers the plugin by pointing Claude Code at this checkout`,
+        `"agent-cortex install claude" registers the plugin by pointing Claude Code at the install root`,
     );
   }
-  const marketplace = manifest.name;
-  const plugin = manifest.plugins?.[0]?.name;
-  if (typeof marketplace !== "string" || typeof plugin !== "string") {
-    throw new Error(
-      `unparsable marketplace manifest at ${manifestPath}: expected { name, plugins: [{ name }] }`,
-    );
+  return { manifest, path: manifestPath };
+}
+
+/**
+ * Version of the materialised plugin (<root>/<source>/.claude-plugin/plugin.json,
+ * where <source> is the marketplace manifest's plugin source) — the signature a
+ * directory-source marketplace exposes to `claude plugin`. Read when the version
+ * is not passed explicitly; undefined when it cannot be determined.
+ */
+async function readMaterialisedPluginVersion(root, manifest) {
+  const source = manifest.plugins?.[0]?.source;
+  if (typeof source !== "string") return undefined;
+  const pluginDir = source.startsWith(".") ? join(root, source) : resolve(source);
+  try {
+    return JSON.parse(await readFile(join(pluginDir, ".claude-plugin", "plugin.json"), "utf-8")).version;
+  } catch {
+    return undefined;
   }
-  return { marketplace, plugin };
 }
 
-/** Run one claude plugin command, inheriting its output; throws on failure. */
+/** Run one claude plugin command, inheriting its output; rejects on failure. */
 function runClaudeCommand(claudeBin, args) {
   const label = `${claudeBin} ${args.join(" ")}`;
-  const result = spawnSync(claudeBin, args, { stdio: "inherit" });
-  if (result.error) {
-    throw new Error(`failed to run "${label}": ${result.error.message}`);
+  return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+    const child = spawn(claudeBin, args, { stdio: "inherit" });
+    child.on("error", (err) => reject(new Error(`failed to run "${label}": ${err.message}`)));
+    child.on("exit", (code, signal) => {
+      if (code === 0) resolve();
+      else if (code !== null) reject(new Error(`"${label}" exited ${code}`));
+      else reject(new Error(`"${label}" was terminated by ${signal}`));
+    });
+  });
+}
+
+/**
+ * Probe whether `claudeBin` supports the plugin CLI by running
+ * `claude plugin --help` with output suppressed. Resolves `{ ok: true }` when
+ * it exits 0, otherwise `{ ok: false, message }` naming the failure (missing
+ * binary vs missing subcommand) so registration can give targeted guidance.
+ */
+function probePluginSupport(claudeBin) {
+  return new Promise((resolve) => {
+    const child = spawn(claudeBin, ["plugin", "--help"], { stdio: "ignore" });
+    child.on("error", (err) =>
+      resolve({
+        ok: false,
+        message: `cannot run "${claudeBin}" (${err.message}) — is Claude Code installed and on PATH?`,
+      }),
+    );
+    child.on("exit", (code) => {
+      if (code === 0) resolve({ ok: true });
+      else
+        resolve({
+          ok: false,
+          message:
+            `"${claudeBin}" lacks the "plugin" subcommand — its Claude Code build predates plugin support; ` +
+            `update to a build with the plugin CLI (v2+), e.g. "pnpm add -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code@latest", and re-run`,
+        });
+    });
+  });
+}
+
+/** Run a claude plugin command capturing stdout; null when the command fails. */
+function queryClaudeCommand(claudeBin, args) {
+  const label = `${claudeBin} ${args.join(" ")}`;
+  return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+    const child = spawn(claudeBin, args, { stdio: ["ignore", "pipe", "ignore"] });
+    let stdout = "";
+    child.stdout.setEncoding("utf8");
+    child.stdout.on("data", (chunk) => (stdout += chunk));
+    child.on("error", (err) => reject(new Error(`failed to run "${label}": ${err.message}`)));
+    child.on("exit", (code) => {
+      if (code !== 0) resolve(null);
+      else resolve(stdout);
+    });
+  });
+}
+
+/**
+ * Whether `claude plugin marketplace list` already registers `marketplace`.
+ * Unparseable output counts as not-registered: the fallback `marketplace add`
+ * is itself idempotent (the CLI reports "already on disk", exit 0).
+ */
+async function marketplaceRegistered(claudeBin, marketplace) {
+  const out = await queryClaudeCommand(claudeBin, ["plugin", "marketplace", "list", "--json"]);
+  if (out == null) return false;
+  try {
+    const entries = JSON.parse(out.trim());
+    return Array.isArray(entries) && entries.some((entry) => entry?.name === marketplace);
+  } catch {
+    return false;
   }
-  if (result.status !== 0) {
-    throw new Error(`"${label}" exited ${result.status}`);
+}
+
+/**
+ * Installed version of `pluginId` per `claude plugin list --json`; null when
+ * not installed or the output is unreadable (the caller falls back to the
+ * idempotent `plugin install`).
+ */
+async function installedPluginVersion(claudeBin, pluginId) {
+  const out = await queryClaudeCommand(claudeBin, ["plugin", "list", "--json"]);
+  if (out == null) return null;
+  try {
+    const entries = JSON.parse(out.trim());
+    const entry = Array.isArray(entries) ? entries.find((e) => e?.id === pluginId) : undefined;
+    return typeof entry?.version === "string" ? entry.version : null;
+  } catch {
+    return null;
   }
 }
 
 /**
- * Register the freshly generated claude/ subtree with Claude Code by driving
- * the `claude plugin` CLI against this checkout as the marketplace source:
+ * Register the materialised plugin with Claude Code by driving the `claude
+ * plugin` CLI against the home install root as the marketplace source.
+ * Idempotent by STATE, not by exit code (the CLI exits 0 on re-add /
+ * re-install, saying "already on disk"/"already installed"):
+ *
+ *   `claude plugin marketplace list --json`  → add the marketplace when
+ *     missing, otherwise `marketplace update` refreshes the directory source
+ *     (a re-run is the documented UPDATE path)
+ *   `claude plugin list --json`               → `plugin install` when not
+ *     installed, `plugin update` when the materialised version is newer,
+ *     nothing when the installed version already matches (a repeat install is
+ *     a true no-op)
  *
- *   1. `claude plugin marketplace add <root>`        (idempotent: already on disk)
- *   2. `claude plugin install <plugin>@<market> -y`  (idempotent: already installed)
- *   3. `claude plugin marketplace update <market>`   (re-validate the directory source)
- *   4. `claude plugin update <plugin> -y`            (refresh the cache on version bumps)
+ * Both reads degrade gracefully: unparseable output just runs the idempotent
+ * add/install (whose non-zero exits surface as genuine failures). The manifest
+ * and the materialised version come from <root>/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json
+ * and the plugin source's plugin.json unless passed explicitly via
+ * `manifest`/`pluginVersion` (installClaude hands both through so --dry-run
+ * never needs files on disk).
  *
- * Requires a Claude Code binary whose `plugin` subcommand exists (v2+); older
- * CLIs treat the args as a chat prompt, so support is probed first. In
- * --dry-run mode nothing is spawned — the commands are reported as a plan.
+ * When the `claude` CLI is unusable (missing on PATH, or a build predating the
+ * plugin subcommand), the installer warns loudly and prints the exact commands
+ * to complete registration manually, exiting non-zero only when
+ * `requireRegister` is set — the default is warn-only because the plugin is
+ * already materialised by then; the file side of the install succeeded.
  *
  * @param {object} options
- * @param {string} [options.root]      Checkout root carrying .claude-plugin/marketplace.json
- *                                     (defaults to the repo containing this module)
- * @param {string} [options.claudeBin] The `claude` executable (default: `claude` from PATH)
- * @param {boolean} [options.dryRun]   Plan and report without running or writing
- * @returns {{ marketplace: string, plugin: string, commands: string[][], dryRun: boolean }}
+ * @param {string} [options.root]            Marketplace root carrying .claude-plugin/…
+ *                                           (defaults to the repo containing this module)
+ * @param {string} [options.claudeBin]       The `claude` executable (default: `claude` from PATH)
+ * @param {boolean} [options.dryRun]         Plan and report without running or writing
+ * @param {object} [options.manifest]        Pre-parsed marketplace manifest (skips the file read)
+ * @param {string} [options.pluginVersion]   Materialised plugin version (default: read from plugin.json)
+ * @param {boolean} [options.requireRegister] Exit non-zero when registration cannot run
+ * @param {(msg: string) => void} [options.warn] Warning sink (default: console.warn)
+ * @returns {{ marketplace: string, plugin: string, commands: string[][],
+ *             dryRun: boolean, registered: boolean, skipped: string[] }}
  */
-export function registerClaude({ root = DEFAULT_ROOT, claudeBin = DEFAULT_CLAUDE_BIN, dryRun = false } = {}) {
-  const { marketplace, plugin } = readMarketplaceManifest(root);
+export async function registerClaude({
+  root = PACKAGE_ROOT,
+  claudeBin = DEFAULT_CLAUDE_BIN,
+  dryRun = false,
+  manifest,
+  pluginVersion,
+  requireRegister = false,
+  warn = DEFAULT_WARN,
+} = {}) {
+  const { manifest: manifestObj, path: manifestPath } =
+    manifest !== undefined ? { manifest, path: null } : await readMarketplaceManifest(root);
+  const { marketplace, plugin } = parseMarketplaceManifest(manifestObj, manifestPath ?? "generated manifest");
   const pluginId = `${plugin}@${marketplace}`;
-  const commands = [
-    ["plugin", "marketplace", "add", resolve(root)],
-    ["plugin", "install", pluginId, "-y"],
-    ["plugin", "marketplace", "update", marketplace],
-    ["plugin", "update", plugin, "-y"],
-  ];
+  const version = pluginVersion ?? (await readMaterialisedPluginVersion(root, manifestObj));
+  const home = resolve(root);
 
-  const summary = { marketplace, plugin, commands, dryRun };
+  const summary = { marketplace, plugin, commands: [], dryRun, registered: true, skipped: [] };
   console.log(`Registering plugin "${pluginId}" with Claude Code (via ${claudeBin})…`);
 
+  const manualCommands = [
+    `${claudeBin} plugin marketplace add ${home}`,
+    `${claudeBin} plugin install ${pluginId} -y`,
+  ];
+
   if (dryRun) {
-    for (const args of commands) console.log(`  would run: ${claudeBin} ${args.join(" ")}`);
+    console.log("  would query: claude plugin marketplace list --json   (add vs marketplace update by state)");
+    console.log("  would query: claude plugin list --json               (install vs plugin update by version)");
+    console.log(`  would run: ${manualCommands[0]}  (or "${claudeBin} plugin marketplace update ${marketplace}" when already registered)`);
+    console.log(`  would run: ${manualCommands[1]}  (or "${claudeBin} plugin update ${plugin}" when a newer version is materialised)`);
     console.log("(dry-run — no Claude Code state written)");
     return summary;
   }
 
-  // Older Claude Code builds treat `claude plugin …` as a chat prompt; reject
-  // them up-front instead of letting the registration appear to succeed.
-  const probe = spawnSync(claudeBin, ["plugin", "--help"], { stdio: "ignore" });
-  if (probe.error) {
-    throw new Error(
-      `cannot run "${claudeBin}" (${probe.error.message}) — is Claude Code installed and on PATH?`,
+  // Reject unusable CLIs up-front instead of letting registration appear to
+  // succeed: older Claude Code builds treat `claude plugin …` as a chat prompt.
+  const probe = await probePluginSupport(claudeBin);
+  if (!probe.ok) {
+    warn(
+      `Claude Code CLI "${claudeBin}" ${probe.message} — the plugin is materialised but NOT registered with Claude Code. ` +
+        `Complete registration manually with:\n` +
+        manualCommands.map((c) => `  ${c}`).join("\n"),
     );
+    if (requireRegister) {
+      throw new Error(
+        `registration required (--require-register) but the Claude Code CLI cannot drive it — run the commands above and re-run`,
+      );
+    }
+    summary.registered = false;
+    return summary;
   }
-  if (probe.status !== 0) {
-    throw new Error(
-      `"${claudeBin}" lacks the "plugin" subcommand — its Claude Code build predates plugin support; ` +
-        `update to a build with the plugin CLI (v2+), e.g. "pnpm add -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code@latest", and re-run`,
-    );
+
+  // Decide the sequence from the live state; unreadable state falls back to
+  // the idempotent add/install (which the CLI itself short-circuits).
+  const marketPresent = await marketplaceRegistered(claudeBin, marketplace);
+  const installed = await installedPluginVersion(claudeBin, pluginId);
+
+  if (marketPresent) {
+    summary.commands.push(["plugin", "marketplace", "update", marketplace]);
+  } else {
+    summary.commands.push(["plugin", "marketplace", "add", home]);
+  }
+
+  if (installed == null) {
+    summary.commands.push(["plugin", "install", pluginId, "-y"]);
+  } else if (version != null && installed === version) {
+    summary.skipped.push(`plugin install ${pluginId} — already installed at ${installed}`);
+    summary.skipped.push(`plugin update ${plugin} — installed version matches the materialised version`);
+  } else {
+    summary.skipped.push(`plugin install ${pluginId} — already installed (updating ${installed} → ${version ?? "materialised"})`);
+    summary.commands.push(["plugin", "update", plugin, "-y"]);
   }
 
-  for (const args of commands) {
+  for (const args of summary.commands) {
     console.log(`  ${claudeBin} ${args.join(" ")}`);
-    runClaudeCommand(claudeBin, args);
+    await runClaudeCommand(claudeBin, args);
   }
   console.log(
     `Installed — verify with "claude plugin list" / "claude plugin details ${plugin}" (restart Claude Code to apply).`,