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name: link-validator description: Validate markdown link portability in Claude Code skills and plugins. Use when checking links, validating portability, fixing broken links, absolute paths, relative paths, or before skill distribution. Ensures relative paths for cross-installation compatibility.

Link Validator

Validates markdown links in Claude Code skills for portability across installation locations.

The Problem

Skills with absolute repo paths break when installed elsewhere:

Path Type	Example	Works When Installed?
Absolute repo	/skills/foo/SKILL.md	No - path doesn't exist
Relative	./references/guide.md	Yes - always resolves
Relative parent	../sibling/SKILL.md	Yes - always resolves

When to Use This Skill

• Before distributing a skill/plugin
• After creating new markdown links in skills
• When CI reports link validation failures
• To audit existing skills for portability issues

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TodoWrite Task Templates

Template A: Validate Single Skill

1. Identify skill path to validate
2. Run: uv run scripts/validate_links.py <skill-path>
3. Review violation report (if any)
4. For each violation, apply suggested fix
5. Re-run validator to confirm all fixed

Template B: Validate Plugin (Multiple Skills)

1. Identify plugin root directory
2. Run: uv run scripts/validate_links.py <plugin-path>
3. Review grouped violations by skill
4. Fix violations skill-by-skill
5. Re-validate entire plugin

Template C: Fix Violations

1. Read violation report output
2. Locate file and line number
3. Review suggested relative path
4. Apply fix using Edit tool
5. Re-run validator on file

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Post-Change Checklist

After modifying this skill:

1. Script remains in sync with latest patterns
2. References updated if new patterns added
3. Tested on real skill with violations

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Quick Start

# Validate a single skill
uv run scripts/validate_links.py ~/.claude/skills/my-skill/

# Validate a plugin with multiple skills
uv run scripts/validate_links.py ~/.claude/plugins/my-plugin/

# Dry-run in current directory
uv run scripts/validate_links.py .

Exit Codes

Code	Meaning
0	All links valid (relative paths)
1	Violations found (absolute repo paths)
2	Error (invalid path, no markdown files)

What Gets Checked

Flagged as Violations:

• /skills/foo/SKILL.md - Absolute repo path
• /docs/guide.md - Absolute repo path

Allowed (Pass):

• ./references/guide.md - Relative same directory
• ../sibling/SKILL.md - Relative parent
• https://example.com - External URL
• #section - Anchor link

Reference Documentation

• Link Patterns Reference - Detailed pattern explanations and fix strategies