capability new

Create a new capability with all template files.

Usage

omnidev capability new <id>

The capability ID must be lowercase kebab-case (e.g., my-capability, api-client, tasks).

Options

--path

Specify a custom output path:

omnidev capability new my-cap --path ./custom/location

Or interactively choose the path when prompted.

--programmatic

Create a TypeScript capability with CLI commands:

omnidev capability new my-cap --programmatic

This adds the following files for building a programmatic capability:

• package.json - Node.js package with build script
• index.ts - TypeScript entry point with CLI command template
• .gitignore - Ignores capability-local .env, plus dist/ and node_modules/

Generated files

Standard capability

capabilities/my-capability/
├── capability.toml               # Capability metadata
├── .gitignore                    # Git ignore for capability-local .env
├── skills/
│   └── getting-started/
│       └── SKILL.md              # Skill template
├── rules/
│   └── coding-standards.md       # Rule template
└── hooks/
    ├── hooks.toml                # Hook configuration
    └── example-hook.sh           # Example hook script

Programmatic capability (with --programmatic)

capabilities/my-capability/
├── capability.toml               # Capability metadata
├── package.json                  # Node.js package config
├── index.ts                      # TypeScript entry point with CLI commands
├── .gitignore                    # Git ignore for .env, dist/, and node_modules/
├── skills/
│   └── getting-started/
│       └── SKILL.md              # Skill template
├── rules/
│   └── coding-standards.md       # Rule template
└── hooks/
    ├── hooks.toml                # Hook configuration
    └── example-hook.sh           # Example hook script

Delete any files you don’t need after creation.

Example

Standard capability

omnidev capability new api-client

Output:

✓ Created capability: Api Client
  Location: capabilities/api-client

  Files created:
    - capability.toml
    - skills/getting-started/SKILL.md
    - rules/coding-standards.md
    - hooks/hooks.toml
    - hooks/example-hook.sh
    - .gitignore

💡 To add this capability as a local source, run:
   omnidev add cap --local ./capabilities/api-client

Programmatic capability

omnidev capability new my-cli --programmatic

Output:

✓ Created capability: My Cli
  Location: capabilities/my-cli

  Files created:
    - capability.toml
    - skills/getting-started/SKILL.md
    - rules/coding-standards.md
    - hooks/hooks.toml
    - hooks/example-hook.sh
    - package.json
    - index.ts
    - .gitignore

💡 To build and use this capability:
   cd capabilities/my-cli
   npm install && npm run build
   cd -
   omnidev add cap --local ./capabilities/my-cli

Workflow

Standard capability

1. Create a new capability:

   omnidev capability new my-cap

2. Add it as a local source:

   omnidev add cap --local ./capabilities/my-cap

3. The capability is now tracked in omni.toml and synced to your agents.

Programmatic capability

1. Create a new programmatic capability:

   omnidev capability new my-cli --programmatic

2. Install dependencies and build:

   cd capabilities/my-cli
   npm install && npm run build
   cd -

3. Add it as a local source:

   omnidev add cap --local ./capabilities/my-cli

4. Run omnidev sync to make the CLI commands available:

   omnidev sync
   omnidev my-cli  # Run your new command!

Standalone CLI

You can also use the @omnidev-ai/capability package directly to create capabilities anywhere (not just in OmniDev projects):

npx @omnidev-ai/capability new my-cap --programmatic

And build them with:

cd my-cap
npm install
npx @omnidev-ai/capability build

---

For a complete guide on capability development, see Creating Capabilities.