Generate README skill counts from catalog

Author: KSemenenko

AGENTS.md

@@ -438,6 +438,7 @@ This repository should behave like a maintainable documentation-and-automation s
 - Public site copy should frame Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, Gemini, and Codex as supported platforms with recognizable brand-style presentation, not as "AI agents".
 - Public landing page spacing should feel deliberate and compact; excessive whitespace between cards, sections, and step content is a regression.
 - Skill catalog cards on the public site must keep category badges and install commands on stable separate rows; badges must never collide with or visually break the command line.
+- Public README skill counts must be generated from the catalog source of truth; do not leave hand-maintained exact numbers in badges or intro copy where merges can make them stale.
 
 ### Dislikes
 
@@ -451,6 +452,7 @@ This repository should behave like a maintainable documentation-and-automation s
 - Misleading public site wording that calls the supported platforms "AI agents" instead of showing them as platforms that use the skill catalog.
 - Bloated spacing on the public landing page, especially in Quick Start shells, step stacks, and sidebar cards.
 - Broken skill-card footers where category badges and install commands overlap, wrap awkwardly, or compete for the same horizontal space.
+- Stale exact skill counts in the public README after new skills merge, especially when the catalog source already knows the real count.
 
 ## Anti-Patterns
 

README.md

@@ -2,14 +2,14 @@
 
 [![NuGet](https://img.shields.io/nuget/v/dotnet-skills?logo=nuget&label=nuget)](https://www.nuget.org/packages/dotnet-skills)
 [![License: MIT](https://img.shields.io/badge/License-MIT-green.svg)](LICENSE)
-[![Skills](https://img.shields.io/badge/skills-62-blue)](#catalog)
+[![Skills](https://img.shields.io/badge/skills-63-blue)](#catalog)
 [![.NET](https://img.shields.io/badge/.NET-10+-512BD4?logo=dotnet)](https://dotnet.microsoft.com/)
 
 **Stop explaining .NET to your AI. Start building.**
 
 We've all been there: asking Claude to use Entity Framework, only to get EF6 patterns in a .NET 8 project. Explaining to Copilot that Blazor Server and Blazor WebAssembly aren't the same thing. Watching Codex generate `Startup.cs` for a Minimal API project.
 
-This catalog fixes that. **62 skills** covering the entire .NET ecosystem—from ASP.NET Core to Orleans, from MAUI to Semantic Kernel. Install them once, and your AI agent actually knows modern .NET.
+This catalog fixes that. **63 skills** covering the entire .NET ecosystem—from ASP.NET Core to Orleans, from MAUI to Semantic Kernel. Install them once, and your AI agent actually knows modern .NET.
 
 ## Why This Matters
 

catalog/skills.json

@@ -180,6 +180,15 @@
       "compatibility": "Requires classic ASP.NET on .NET Framework.",
       "path": "skills/dotnet-legacy-aspnet/"
     },
+    {
+      "name": "dotnet-libvlc",
+      "title": "LibVLC Skill",
+      "version": "1.0.0",
+      "category": "Desktop",
+      "description": "Expert knowledge of the libvlc C API (3.x and 4.x), the multimedia framework behind VLC media player. Use when helping with LibVLC or LibVLCSharp for media playback, streaming, or transcoding.",
+      "compatibility": ".NET 6+, .NET Standard 2.0+, .NET Framework 4.6.1+",
+      "path": "skills/dotnet-libvlc/"
+    },
     {
       "name": "dotnet-managedcode-communication",
       "title": "ManagedCode.Communication",

scripts/generate_catalog.py

@@ -15,6 +15,12 @@
 
 BEGIN_MARKER = "<!-- BEGIN GENERATED CATALOG -->"
 END_MARKER = "<!-- END GENERATED CATALOG -->"
+README_SKILLS_BADGE_PATTERN = re.compile(
+    r"(\[!\[Skills\]\(https://img\.shields\.io/badge/skills-)([^-)]+)(-blue\)\]\(#catalog\))"
+)
+README_SKILLS_INTRO_PATTERN = re.compile(
+    r"(This catalog fixes that\. \*\*)([^*]+)(\*\* covering the entire \.NET ecosystem)"
+)
 
 CATEGORY_ORDER = [
     "Core",
@@ -141,31 +147,49 @@ def render_catalog(skills: list[dict[str, str]]) -> str:
     return "\n".join(lines)
 
 
-def update_readme(rendered_catalog: str) -> bool:
-    readme = README_PATH.read_text()
+def apply_readme_count_metadata(readme: str, skill_count: int) -> str:
+    badge_updated, badge_replacements = README_SKILLS_BADGE_PATTERN.subn(
+        lambda match: f"{match.group(1)}{skill_count}{match.group(3)}",
+        readme,
+        count=1,
+    )
+    if badge_replacements != 1:
+        raise ValueError("README.md is missing the generated skills badge pattern")
+
+    intro_updated, intro_replacements = README_SKILLS_INTRO_PATTERN.subn(
+        lambda match: f"{match.group(1)}{skill_count} skills{match.group(3)}",
+        badge_updated,
+        count=1,
+    )
+    if intro_replacements != 1:
+        raise ValueError("README.md is missing the generated intro skill count pattern")
+
+    return intro_updated
+
+
+def render_readme(readme: str, rendered_catalog: str, skill_count: int) -> str:
+    updated = apply_readme_count_metadata(readme, skill_count)
     pattern = re.compile(
         rf"{re.escape(BEGIN_MARKER)}.*?{re.escape(END_MARKER)}",
         flags=re.DOTALL,
     )
-    if not pattern.search(readme):
+    if not pattern.search(updated):
         raise ValueError("README.md is missing generated catalog markers")
 
-    updated = pattern.sub(rendered_catalog, readme)
+    return pattern.sub(rendered_catalog, updated)
+
+
+def update_readme(rendered_catalog: str, skill_count: int) -> bool:
+    readme = README_PATH.read_text()
+    updated = render_readme(readme, rendered_catalog, skill_count)
     changed = updated != readme
     README_PATH.write_text(updated)
     return changed
 
 
-def check_readme(rendered_catalog: str) -> bool:
+def check_readme(rendered_catalog: str, skill_count: int) -> bool:
     readme = README_PATH.read_text()
-    pattern = re.compile(
-        rf"{re.escape(BEGIN_MARKER)}.*?{re.escape(END_MARKER)}",
-        flags=re.DOTALL,
-    )
-    match = pattern.search(readme)
-    if not match:
-        raise ValueError("README.md is missing generated catalog markers")
-    return match.group(0) == rendered_catalog
+    return render_readme(readme, rendered_catalog, skill_count) == readme
 
 
 def write_manifest(skills: list[dict[str, str]]) -> None:
@@ -219,7 +243,7 @@ def main() -> int:
         return 0
 
     if args.check:
-        readme_ok = check_readme(rendered_catalog)
+        readme_ok = check_readme(rendered_catalog, len(skills))
         manifest_ok = check_manifest(skills)
         if not readme_ok or not manifest_ok:
             if not readme_ok:
@@ -230,7 +254,7 @@ def main() -> int:
         print("Catalog is up to date.")
         return 0
 
-    update_readme(rendered_catalog)
+    update_readme(rendered_catalog, len(skills))
     write_manifest(skills)
     print(f"Generated catalog for {len(skills)} skills.")
     return 0