Temporary Files Skill
When you need to create files to track progress, generate reports, or store temporary data, use the system's temporary directory instead of the repository root.
Directory Structure
Use this base path for all temporary files (aligns with Claude Code's existing task output convention):
/tmp/claude/{sanitized-cwd}/
Where {sanitized-cwd} is the current working directory path with / replaced by - (leading slash stripped first to avoid a leading dash).
Example: Working in /Users/bobby/workspace/pivot/llamafarm → /tmp/claude/Users-bobby-workspace-pivot-llamafarm/
Creating a Temp File
Step 1: Create the directory
SANITIZED_PATH=$(echo "$PWD" | sed 's|^/||' | tr '/' '-')
REPORT_DIR="/tmp/claude/${SANITIZED_PATH}/reviews"
mkdir -p "$REPORT_DIR"
Step 2: Generate a unique filename
Use this pattern: {descriptor}-{YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS}.{ext}
TIMESTAMP=$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)
FILENAME="code-review-${TIMESTAMP}.md"
FILEPATH="${REPORT_DIR}/${FILENAME}"
Step 3: Write the file
Use the Write tool with the full temp path.
Step 4: Inform the user
Always tell the user where the file was created:
Report saved to:
/tmp/claude/Users-bobby-workspace-pivot-llamafarm/reviews/code-review-20260108-143052.md
When to Use This Pattern
- Code review reports
- Analysis outputs
- Progress tracking files
- Test result summaries
- Any generated documentation not explicitly requested in a specific location
When NOT to Use This Pattern
- User explicitly specifies a file path
- Creating files that should be committed (e.g., README, config files)
- Editing existing files
Cleanup Note
Files in /tmp/ are cleared on system restart. If the user needs to preserve a file, suggest they copy it to a permanent location.