Shell Discipline
Apply shell-command discipline for agent invocations — one command per call (no &&, ;, or inline cd dir && cmd chains), no inline env vars (VAR=value cmd), and gh auth login or gh auth switch for GitHub auth (never prefix with GH_TOKEN=...). Use when invoking Bash commands as part of an agent workflow, writing shell snippets in a procedure, or reviewing how an agent issues shell commands. Prerequisites: a POSIX shell (bash or zsh); for the GitHub-auth rule the gh CLI must be installed and authenticated. Failure modes covered: gh auth login fails (re-run interactively, then gh auth status to verify), commands that need elevated privileges (set up the privilege separately rather than prefixing with sudo inline). Improves readability, atomicity, and permission auditability since each command becomes one auditable tool call instead of an opaque chain. Composes with every workflow skill that issues shell commands.
Security AStatic scan found no risk patternsHow grading works ›
What this skill does
Shell Discipline is a community-contributed Claude Code skill in the tools-misc sub-category. It ships as a SKILL.md file that Claude Code auto-discovers under ~/.claude/skills/shell-discipline/ and loads when your prompt matches the skill's trigger.
When to invoke it: Use when invoking Bash commands as part of an agent workflow, writing shell snippets in a procedure, or reviewing how an agent issues shell commands. Prerequisites: a POSIX shell (bash or zsh); for the GitHub-auth rule the gh CLI must be installed and authenticated.
Who uses this skill
The Shell Discipline Claude Code skill is built for developers, power users, and teams automating repetitive workflows and improving developer experience. It's part of ClaudSkills (also referred to as Claude Skills or Claude Code Skills) — the open community-curated registry of 188,000+ SKILL.md files for Anthropic's Claude Code agent and the wider Claude ecosystem (Claude API, Claude Agent SDK).
How to install
Free
Manual install (2 steps)
mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills/shell-discipline
curl -L https://claudskills.com/skills/shell-discipline/SKILL.md \
-o ~/.claude/skills/shell-discipline/SKILL.md
Or just download SKILL.md directly and drop it into ~/.claude/skills/shell-discipline/. Claude Code auto-discovers it on next session.
Skills live at ~/.claude/skills/shell-discipline/SKILL.md on macOS/Linux, or %USERPROFILE%\.claude\skills\shell-discipline\SKILL.md on Windows. See the full install guide for step-by-step instructions.
Telegram
📱 Install from your phone or desktop Telegram
Open @claudskills_bot on Telegram, tap Open Desktop App, and the desktop app installs this skill for you. Or share the bot link with a colleague — they get the same one-tap install. Learn more →
Pro
One-click install via the desktop app
The ClaudSkills desktop app installs any skill directly into ~/.claude/skills/ with one click — no terminal required. Pro starts at $9/mo or $149 lifetime.
Pro
For the full experience including quality scoring and one-click install features for each skill — upgrade to Pro.
Frequently asked questions
How do I install the Shell Discipline Claude Code skill?
Install via the ClaudSkills desktop app (one click) or copy
SKILL.md from the source repository to
~/.claude/skills/shell-discipline/SKILL.md and restart Claude Code. Both flows are detailed at
claudskills.com/install/.
What does the Shell Discipline skill do?
Apply shell-command discipline for agent invocations — one command per call (no &&, ;, or inline cd dir && cmd chains), no inline env vars (VAR=value cmd), and gh auth login or gh auth switch for GitHub auth (never prefix with GH_TOKEN=...). Use when invoking Bash commands as part of an agent workflow, writing shell snippets in a procedure, or reviewing how an agent issues shell commands. Prerequisites: a POSIX shell (bash or zsh); for the GitHub-auth rule the gh CLI must be installed and authenticated. Failure modes covered: gh auth login fails (re-run interactively, then gh auth status to verify), commands that need elevated privileges (set up the privilege separately rather than prefixing with sudo inline). Improves readability, atomicity, and permission auditability since each command becomes one auditable tool call instead of an opaque chain. Composes with every workflow skill that issues shell commands.
Is this skill free to install?
Yes. ClaudSkills is an open registry — every skill keeps its source repository's license, and manual install via copy is free. ClaudSkills Pro ($9/mo, $79/yr, or $149 one-time) adds one-click install via the desktop app and a multi-signal Quality Score.
When should I use the Shell Discipline skill?
Use Shell Discipline when your Claude Code task falls under the Dev Tools category — specifically in the tools misc area. Claude Code auto-discovers installed skills and invokes the right one based on the task description, so you can also ask Claude directly (e.g. "use Shell Discipline" or describe the task and let Claude pick). Browse related skills at
/category/tools/.
What is a Claude Code skill and how does the Shell Discipline skill fit in?
A Claude Code skill is a
SKILL.md file that lives under
~/.claude/skills/<name>/ and tells the Claude Code CLI agent how to perform a specific task (instructions, prompts, allowed tools). Skills are auto-discovered at session start. Shell Discipline is one of 67,000+ skills indexed in the open ClaudSkills catalog, classified under the Dev Tools category. Learn more at
/learn/what-is-a-claude-skill/.
Attribution & license
Cite this skill
If you reference this skill in a blog post, paper, or documentation, you can cite it as:
APA
swell-agents. (2026). Shell Discipline [Claude Code skill]. ClaudSkills. https://claudskills.com/skills/shell-discipline/
BibTeX
@misc{shell-discipline-2026,
author = {swell-agents},
title = {Shell Discipline [Claude Code skill]},
year = {2026},
publisher = {ClaudSkills},
url = {https://claudskills.com/skills/shell-discipline/}
}
Embed this skill
Promote, attribute, or link this skill from your own README, blog post, or documentation. All three snippets are free to use — no sign-up, no API key. More distribution surfaces →
Badge
[](https://claudskills.com/skills/shell-discipline/?utm_source=badge&utm_medium=readme&utm_campaign=skill_badge)
<script>
<script src="https://claudskills.com/embed/shell-discipline.js" async></script>
<iframe>
<iframe src="https://claudskills.com/embed/shell-discipline.html" width="100%" height="160" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" title="ClaudSkills: Shell Discipline"></iframe>
Security scan
Grade A · scanned 2026-08-20 — free static scan against the OWASP Agentic Skills Top 10.
No risk patterns were found in any of the ten OWASP-aligned categories. How grading works ›
- ✓ Prompt injection
- ✓ Data exfiltration
- ✓ Supply chain
- ✓ Reverse shell
- ✓ Credentials
- ✓ Execution
- ✓ Filesystem
- ✓ Persistence
- ✓ Obfuscation
- ✓ Network
Show this grade on your repo (click to copy):
[](https://claudskills.com/skills/shell-discipline/#security)
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