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char-index-skill

Character-level index-based string manipulation as a Claude Code Skill

Open source Open in the app JSON README (API)

About

Character-level index-based string manipulation as a Claude Code Skill

Details

Kind
Plugins
Topic
No topic detected
Publisher
agent-hanju
Origin
marketplace
Category
ferramentas
Last push
2026-04-08T02:38:58Z
Repository state
ativo
Language
Python
License
MIT
Added
2026-08-30 01:48:58
Updated
2026-08-30 01:48:58
Origin id
agent-hanju/char-index-skill/char-index-skill

README

# char-index-skill

**Character-level index-based string manipulation** as a Claude Code Skill.

LLMs generate text token-by-token and struggle with exact character counting. This skill provides precise index-based tools for test code generation, string parsing, and position-critical tasks.

[![License: MIT](https://img.shields.io/badge/License-MIT-yellow.svg)](https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT)

> Evolved from [char-index-mcp](https://github.com/agent-hanju/char-index-mcp). The MCP server is still supported — see [MCP Server](#mcp-server-legacy) section.

## Installation

Clone the repository:

```bash
git clone https://github.com/agent-hanju/char-index-skill.git
```

Copy `skills/char-index-skill/` into your project's `.claude/skills/` directory, or use it directly from the cloned repo.

### Usage

Claude will automatically invoke the skill when you need character-level string operations. You can also call it explicitly with `/char-index-skill`.

All operations are available via:

```bash
python ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/char_ops.py <command> [options]
```

See [SKILL.md](skills/char-index-skill/SKILL.md) for the full command reference.

## Features (12 Operations)

### Finding (4)
- `find-nth-char` - Find nth occurrence of a character
- `find-all-chars` - Find all indices of a character
- `find-nth-substring` - Find nth occurrence of a substring
- `find-all-substrings` - Find all occurrences of a substring

### Splitting & Extraction (4)
- `split-at` - Split string at multiple positions
- `extract` - Extract substring by range
- `extract-between` - Extract text between two markers
- `extract-batch` - Extract multiple substrings by index ranges

### Modification (3)
- `insert` - Insert text at specific position
- `delete` - Delete characters in range
- `replace` - Replace range with new text

### Utilities (1)
- `count` - Character statistics (total, letters, digits, etc.)

## Quick Examples

```bash
# Find 3rd 'l'
python ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/char_ops.py find-nth-char \
  --text "hello world" --char "l" --n 3
# {"index": 9}

# Split at positions
python ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/char_ops.py split-at \
  --text "hello world" --indices "2,5,8"
# {"parts": ["he", "llo", " wo", "rld"]}

# Extract between markers
python ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/char_ops.py extract-between \
  --text "<tag>content</tag>" --start-marker "<tag>" --end-marker "</tag>"
# {"content": "content", ...}

# Count characters
python ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/char_ops.py count --text "Hello World!"
# {"total": 12, "letters": 10, "digits": 0, "spaces": 1, "special": 1}
```

See [examples.md](skills/char-index-skill/examples.md) for more practical examples.

## Key Points

- **0-indexed**: All positions start from 0
- **1-based occurrence**: `find-nth-*` uses `--n 1` for first occurrence
- **Negative indices**: `-1` = last char, `-5` = 5th from end
- **Range format**: `[start, end)` - start inclusive, end exclusive
- **Unicode safe**: Each Unicode character = 1 position
- **JSON output**: All operations return JSON for easy parsing

## Use Cases

1. **Test Code Generation** - Generate strings with exact character counts
2. **Data Processing** - Split/extract data at precise positions
3. **Text Formatting** - Insert/delete/replace at specific indices
4. **LLM Response Parsing** - Extract content between XML tags by position

## Project Structure

```
char-index-skill/
├── skills/
│   └── char-index-skill/
│       ├── SKILL.md               # Skill definition
│       ├── examples.md            # Usage examples
│       └── scripts/char_ops.py    # Implementation (12 operations)
├── char_index_mcp/                # MCP server (legacy)
│   ├── server.py
│   ├── char_ops.py                # Synced copy
│   └── tests/
├── pyproject.toml                 # MCP package config
├── README.md
└── LICENSE
```

## Development

```bash
git clone https://github.com/agent-hanju/char-index-skill.git
cd char-index-skill

python -m venv .venv
.venv/Scripts/activate  # or source .venv/bin/activate

pip install -e .
pytest char_index_mcp/tests/ -v
ruff check .
mypy char_index_mcp/
```

## MCP Server (Legacy)

The `char-index-mcp` package provides the same 12 operations as an MCP server for integration with Claude Desktop, Cursor, and other MCP clients. This is maintained for backward compatibility but the Claude Code Skill is the recommended approach.

```bash
# Install
pip install char-index-mcp

# Or run directly
uvx char-index-mcp
```

Configuration for Claude Desktop (`claude_desktop_config.json`):

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "char-index": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["char-index-mcp"]
    }
  }
}
```

[![PyPI](https://img.shields.io/pypi/v/char-index-mcp)](https://pypi.org/project/char-index-mcp/)
[![Python](https://img.shields.io/pypi/pyversions/char-index-mcp)](https://pypi.org/project/char-index-mcp/)

## License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details

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