Claude Code Skill

VMark provides a comprehensive skill for Claude Code that teaches the AI how to effectively use VMark's 76 MCP tools for writing assistance.

What is a Skill?

A skill is a set of instructions and reference materials that help Claude Code understand how to work with specific tools. The VMark skill includes:

• Core principles — Read-before-write, suggestion mode, revision management
• Intent mapping — "I want to X" → use these tools
• Workflows — Step-by-step patterns for common tasks
• Examples — Real tool calls with parameters and responses

Installation

Option 1: From VMark Repository (Recommended)

Add VMark as a marketplace source and install directly:

# Add VMark as a marketplace
claude marketplace add github:xiaolai/vmark

# Install the skill
claude plugins install vmark-mcp@vmark-marketplace

Option 2: From Every Marketplace

If the plugin has been accepted into every-marketplace:

# Install from every-marketplace
claude plugins install vmark-mcp@every-marketplace

Verify Installation

Check that the skill is installed:

claude plugins list

You should see vmark-mcp in the list.

Usage

Once installed, the skill is automatically available. Claude Code will use it when you ask for help with VMark documents.

Example Prompts

Continue writing:

"Continue this paragraph in VMark"

Improve content:

"Make the introduction in my VMark document more concise"

Reorganize:

"Move the Conclusion section before Methods in VMark"

Find and replace:

"Replace all instances of 'machine learning' with 'ML' in my document"

Format content:

"Convert these bullet points to a numbered list"

What the Skill Teaches

Core Principles

Principle	Description
Read before write	Always understand the document before modifying
Suggest, don't force	Use suggestion mode for content changes
Respect revisions	Handle conflicts when document changes
Work with structure	Target nodes by ID, not character positions

Workflows Included

1. AI Writing Partner — Continue/expand at cursor
2. Improve a Section — Refine existing content
3. Reorganize Document — Move sections around
4. Find and Replace — Pattern-based changes
5. Convert Notes to Prose — Transform bullet points
6. Multi-Document Reference — Work across tabs
7. Format Cleanup — Batch formatting
8. Handling Conflicts — Recover from revision errors
9. Creating Tables — Table workflows

Tool Categories

The skill covers all 76 MCP tools organized by intent:

Intent	Key Tools
Understand document	get_document_digest, get_document_ast
Make edits	batch_edit, apply_diff
Work with sections	get_section, update_section, move_section
Format text	format_toggle, block_set_type
Manage lists/tables	list_modify, table_modify
Handle suggestions	suggestion_list, suggestion_accept

Suggestion Mode

The skill emphasizes suggestion mode for all content changes. When Claude makes edits:

1. Changes appear as highlighted suggestions in VMark
2. You review and accept (Enter) or reject (Escape) each suggestion
3. Your undo history is preserved

This gives you full control over AI-generated content.

Limitations

The skill is honest about what MCP can and cannot do:

Capability	Status
Insert/edit content	✅ Supported
Read document structure	✅ Supported
Format text	✅ Supported
Real-time co-writing	❌ Not supported
Show multiple alternatives	❌ Not supported
Watch for errors as you type	❌ Not supported

Updating the Skill

When VMark releases updates, the skill is automatically synced to the marketplace. To get the latest version:

claude plugins update vmark-mcp

Troubleshooting

Skill not found

Make sure you've added the marketplace:

claude marketplace add github:xiaolai/vmark

Tools not working

1. Ensure VMark is running with MCP enabled
2. Check MCP server status in VMark's status bar
3. Restart Claude Code after configuration changes

Suggestions not appearing

1. Verify auto-approve is disabled in VMark settings
2. Check that the document has focus in VMark
3. Look for the suggestion highlight in the editor

Related Plugins

init-workspace

If you use multiple AI tools (Claude Code, Codex CLI, Gemini CLI), the init-workspace plugin helps set up a unified workspace:

claude plugins install init-workspace@init-workspace-marketplace

What it does:

• Creates AGENTS.md as single source of truth for AI instructions
• Sets up shared configuration across all AI tools
• Includes /doc command for creating documentation (which you can edit in VMark)

Useful for:

• Writers managing documentation projects
• Developers using multiple AI assistants
• Teams wanting consistent AI behavior

Source Code

The skill source is available in the VMark repository:

• plugins/vmark-mcp/skills/vmark-mcp/

Contributions welcome!

Next Steps

• MCP Setup — Configure VMark's MCP server
• MCP Tools Reference — Full tool documentation
• Features — Other VMark capabilities