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browse-templates is a skill from the Summer skill library: a guide your AI agent reads when the task matches, so it builds the good version on the first try. List Summer Engine project templates, present the choices, and create a project from the chosen one.

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When your agent uses it

  • The user wants to see available Summer Engine project templates, start from an existing template, or asks what templates exist
  • Picking a starting point and unsure which starter templates already exist

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Install

summer setup installs every skill for your agent. To add only this one:
Swap claude-code for your agent, such as codex or cursor. See Skills for every option.

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The skill

Summer’s templates are the pin manifests in library/templates/<slug>/resource.yaml, compiled into registry/generated/templates-registry.json: 3d-third-person-controller, 2d-platformer, and so on. Each pinned template names a repo, an exact commit, and a tree digest; the two built-ins (empty, 3d-basic) are generated locally. They’re working starter projects — open in Summer Engine and play immediately.

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When to use this skill

  • User asks “what templates do you have?” / “what starter projects exist?”
  • User says “start from a template” / “use the X template” / “is there a Y starter?”
  • User describes a game shape that maps to a known template (third-person 3D, multiplayer, 2D platformer)
  • User asks for a specific known template by name

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When NOT to use this skill

  • User says “blank project” / “empty project” / “from scratch” → use new-project.
  • User wants to make a new template (contribute one) → that’s not this skill; point them at the README’s contributing section.

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Steps

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1. Fetch the live list

That prints the template registry — built-ins and pinned templates with status, systems, and preview notes. It reads the registry only; it does not query GitHub. Always run this first — never recommend a template from memory. The list evolves; what you remember may be stale, retired, or renamed. If the command errors out, tell the user and offer the built-ins (empty, 3d-basic), which need no network.

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2. Help the user pick

If the user has a specific game shape in mind, narrow before showing all options:
“Looking for a third-person 3D template — 3d-third-person-controller looks right. Want me to create it as my-game?”
If they’re undecided, show 3–5 options grouped by genre, with a one-line description each. Don’t dump the full list. A long menu freezes decisions.

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3. Confirm the project name

Default is the template slug (so 3d-third-person-controller → directory 3d-third-person-controller). Almost always wrong. Always ask:
“What do you want to call your project? (default: 3d-third-person-controller)“

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4. Create

Example:
This:
  • Fetches the exact commit pinned in the registry entry — never a default branch — and refuses if the tree digest does not match
  • Drops the .git directory so the user starts with their own history
  • Records the template pin into the project’s .summer/project.json and prints the source for transparency
Pass --keep-git if the user wants the upstream history (rare).

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5. Open it in the engine

Confirm it opens. Then invoke play to verify the template runs as expected before doing any custom work on top.

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Anti-patterns

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Edge cases

  • git not installed → summer create errors with a clear message. Tell the user to install git, or fall back to a built-in template.
  • Template retired or renamed → it leaves the registry (renames leave an alias). If a user names one explicitly that’s gone, the create command lists what’s currently available.
  • Network down → pinned templates cannot be fetched; fall back to empty or 3d-basic, which are generated locally.

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After the user is in

Once the project is created and running, hand off cleanly. The next skill that fires depends on the template:
  • Third-person controller → likely scene-composition or gdscript-patterns next.
  • Multiplayer starter → multiplayer (it routes to multiplayer-project).
  • 2D platformer → design-mechanic for the platforming feel, then design-level.
Don’t auto-fire the next skill — wait for the user to say what they want to change first.

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From a shell

No Summer MCP tools in this session? Run each one as a command; when summer --version is missing or below 4.0, use npx -y summer-engine@latest in place of summer. Fields are flags in kebab-case (--scene-path res://main.tscn) or one --input '<json>', and summer ops describe <op> prints the exact input. The summer-cli skill has the rest.
Source: library/skills/browse-templates/SKILL.md, rendered from summer-engine@4.3.0 on npm.