Local Environment Doctor skill for Claude and Codex

Local Environment Doctor as an AI skill. It asks for What fails, Operating system, Project and tools and 3 more, then does the rest. Free to install in Claude…

Install it once and Claude or Codex runs it for you. When your request matches, your AI loads the skill, asks for anything it is missing, and works through the template itself. Prefer to fill it in by hand? See the full prompt template.

Download the skill (.zip) · View SKILL.md

When it is used

Use when a project that worked before now fails to build, install or start locally, and the cause is probably versions, paths, env vars or caches. Do not use for production outages or application logic bugs. Related topics: coding, devops.

What it will ask you for

• What fails (longer free text)
• Operating system (choose one: macOS, Linux, Windows, Windows with WSL)
• Project and tools (longer free text)
• What changed recently (longer free text)
• Works elsewhere (choose one: Works on another machine, Works in CI, Never worked, Not sure)
• Diagnostic output (longer free text)

How it works

1. Quote the decisive line of the error and note when it began, using the recent-changes list.
2. Rank the candidate causes from most to least likely, using whether it works on other machines or in CI.
3. Give one read-only check per candidate and explain what each outcome means.
4. Propose a fix only for the confirmed cause, choosing the least destructive option and warning before deletion or reinstalls.
5. Provide a command that proves the fix worked and one habit that prevents a recurrence.

What you get

A ranked list of likely causes, each with a read-only check, then the fix for the confirmed cause, a verification command and one prevention habit.

What it watches out for

• Deleting node_modules or the whole environment first, which erases the evidence and hides the real cause.
• Fixing the version in the shell while the editor or a script launches a different copy from another path.
• Pasting environment output that includes secret values into the conversation.

How to install

Claude.ai and the Claude desktop app

1. Download the skill .zip.
2. Open Settings, then Capabilities, and find Skills.
3. Choose Upload skill and select the .zip.
4. Ask Claude for help with the task. It loads the skill when your request matches.

Claude Code

1. Download the skill .zip.
2. Unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ (or .claude/skills/ inside a project).
3. Start a new session. Claude Code loads the skill when your request matches.

Codex

1. Download the skill .zip.
2. Unzip it into ~/.agents/skills/ (or .agents/skills/ inside a project).
3. Codex picks it up on its own. Type $ and the skill name to use it, or just ask for the task.

Cursor

1. Download the Cursor rule (.mdc).
2. Save it in .cursor/rules/ inside your project.
3. Cursor's agent applies the rule when your request matches its description.

AGENTS.md (Codex, Cursor, and other coding agents)

1. Copy the AGENTS.md section.
2. Paste it into AGENTS.md at the root of your repository, creating the file if needed.
3. Coding agents that read AGENTS.md follow it when your request fits.