v0.3.0: `--from-template` rejects file paths despite PR #84 / release notes describing them as supported

[Sophylax]

Summary

PR #84 and the v0.3.0 release notes describe --from-template <path> as accepting three forms: (1) skill directory, (2) SKILL.md file with frontmatter, (3) any other markdown file as raw body. The merged code accepts only form (1) — file paths hard-error before any branching.

Repro

$ skern skill create my-skill --from-template /path/to/SKILL.md --scope project --force
Error: --from-template must point to a skill directory containing a SKILL.md file, but "/path/to/SKILL.md" is a file; pass the parent directory instead

Same error for any non-directory path; raw-body markdown files are rejected identically.

Code reference

internal/cli/skill_create.go @ v0.3.0 — loadTemplate returns the file-mode error before frontmatter detection or any fallback runs:

if !info.IsDir() {
    return nil, fmt.Errorf("--from-template must point to a skill directory ...")
}

The struct comment confirms the intent (// The flag only accepts a skill directory containing a SKILL.md), so this is the implementation contract — the docs disagree.

Impact

Silent breaking change between v0.2.x (any path read as raw body) and v0.3.0 (directories only). Downstream tools that pass file paths regress on routine upgrades.

Two paths forward

• (a) Code → docs. Re-add the SKILL.md-file branch + raw-body fallback so v0.3.0 matches its release notes and stays compatible with v0.2.x callers.
• (b) Docs → code. Update PR Fix --from-template: preserve frontmatter and copy sibling assets (#82, #83) #84, release notes, and CHANGELOG to state that --from-template now accepts a directory only, with an explicit BREAKING: migration note.

[devrimcavusoglu]

Closing — the directory-only behavior is intentional and is the corrected behavior, not a regression.

By design, a skill is a directory containing SKILL.md (plus any sibling assets — references/, templates/, VENDORED.md, etc.). The pre-v0.3.0 "read any file as raw body" path was the bug; it's what produced the broken outputs in #82 (frontmatter clobbered) and #83 (sibling assets silently dropped). v0.3.0 narrows --from-template to the only input that can faithfully represent a skill — a directory — and rejects bare files with a clear error pointing at the parent directory.

The breaking change is intentional and is documented as such in the v0.3.0 CHANGELOG:

skill create --from-template <path> now requires a skill directory. … Breaking: the previous behavior of treating a non-frontmatter markdown file as a raw body is removed — wrap such bodies in a directory with a SKILL.md instead.

— CHANGELOG.md, Unreleased → Changed

You're right that PR #84's description lists three accepted forms — that paragraph describes an interim implementation that was narrowed before release. The CHANGELOG (written at release-cut time in #89) reflects the actual shipped contract and is the authoritative reference. The struct comment in internal/cli/skill_create.go you cited (// The flag only accepts a skill directory containing a SKILL.md) matches the shipped behavior.

Migration for v0.2.x callers that were passing a SKILL.md file or raw markdown:

# Before (v0.2.x): file path
skern skill create my-skill --from-template /path/to/SKILL.md

# After (v0.3.0+): wrap in a directory
mkdir /tmp/my-template && cp /path/to/SKILL.md /tmp/my-template/SKILL.md
skern skill create my-skill --from-template /tmp/my-template

Thanks for the detailed report — the rigor on cross-referencing PR body, code comment, and release notes is appreciated, and the discrepancy between PR #84's description and the shipped behavior is a fair callout. Closing as not planned.