The Kit in Claude Code

The kit's rigor ships as Agent Skills, a format Claude Code reads natively. Copy the skills in, run the framework, and use the CLI for the deterministic operations so the math stays exact.

The rigor, as portable skills

The methodology is authored as Agent Skills, plain Markdown that Claude Code reads natively. Copy the skill folders into your skills directory and they appear in your agent.

Install the skills

git clone https://github.com/hobocode-ofc/thought-layer-kit
cp -r thought-layer-kit/skills/* ~/.claude/skills/

What works here, and what is Pi only

The skills run anywhere that reads the format, including Claude Code. The deterministic tools are registered by the Pi extension, so in Claude Code you reach the same exact scoring, projection, scaffold, and deploy through the tl CLI instead. The math stays exact, never hand scored.

Capability	Claude Code	Pi
The 12 skills (framework, panel, grill, prd, build, deploy, and more)	Native	Native
Exact scoring and projection (tl_score, tl_project)	Via the CLI	Native tool
The portable state file (tl_state)	Via the CLI (tl)	Native tool
Scaffold and deploy (tl_scaffold, deploy)	Via the CLI (tl scaffold, tl deploy)	Native tool
Sync sessions to a private repo (tl_sync)	Via the CLI (tl sync)	Native tool

The CLI works in any shell

The tl CLI is the portable floor for the deterministic operations and the state file. No install needed; npx fetches the published package.

npx -y @hobocode/thought-layer tl read

Commands

Command	What it does
tl read [path]	Where the run stands. Add --json for the full details.
tl list [dir]	List the state files under .thought-layer/ when you juggle several ideas.
tl answer <qId> <value>	Record an answer against a question id.
tl feedback --data '<json>'	Record a panel verdict.
tl artifact <key> --data '<json>'	Store an artifact (prd, grill, bizModel, naming, brand, and so on).
tl cursor --data '<json>'	Save the resume position.
tl park <key> <note>	Stash a panel note with no web app question.
tl scaffold [--domain x.com] [--founder "Name"]	Write a deployable branded static site from the spec and brand.
tl deploy [--dry-run] [--anonymous] [--site id]	Take build.json's publish directory live to a user-owned URL.
tl sync <init|save|list|open|pull|push|status>	Store and version your sessions in your own private GitHub repo over git. No token paste.
tl export [path]	Report the current file for a handoff.

Scaffold and deploy

From a state file with a spec and brand, scaffold an instant site, preview the deploy plan, then go live.

npx -y @hobocode/thought-layer tl scaffold --domain https://acme.com
npx -y @hobocode/thought-layer tl deploy --dry-run
npx -y @hobocode/thought-layer tl deploy

Sync sessions across machines and collaborators

Keep your sessions in your own private GitHub repo so you can move between machines and work with others. The kit syncs over git, using your gh login or git credential helper, so no token is pasted into the CLI.

tl sync init --repo your-name/tl-sessions   # gh creates the private repo if needed
tl sync save --name photobooth              # snapshot the session, commit, push
tl sync open --name photobooth              # pull and resume a session

# or with no install:
npx -y @hobocode/thought-layer tl sync list

Environment variables

Variable	Used for
THOUGHT_LAYER_STATE	The default state file path for a session.
THOUGHT_LAYER_DOMAIN_KEY (or RAPIDAPI_KEY)	Your RapidAPI key for live domain checks.
NETLIFY_AUTH_TOKEN	Your Netlify token for tl deploy. Read from the environment only.