Ark

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Package types

Ark packages come in five types. The type determines the structure, price range, and what the audit expects to find.

Overview

TypeWhat it isSale modelPrice range
skillA single slash commandOne-time$5 – $29
agentAn autonomous AI agentOne-time$19 – $79
bundleA curated set of related skills or agentsOne-time$29 – $149
systemA full workflow with agents, skills, and scriptsOne-time or subscription$99 – $499
osA complete cognitive operating systemOne-time or subscription$299 – $999+

Skill

A skill adds one slash command to Claude Code. It's the simplest unit in Ark — a CLAUDE.md file that defines what /your-command does, with an installer that copies it into place.

When to use: a focused, reusable action. Summarize text, format a file, generate a specific output.

Typical skill structure
my-skill/
├── ark.json
├── CLAUDE.md          ← defines /my-command
├── README.md
└── bin/
    ├── install.sh
    └── verify.sh

Agent

An agent is a more complex, autonomous entity. It can handle multi-step tasks, maintain state between sessions, and coordinate with external tools or APIs.

When to use: tasks requiring reasoning, decision-making, or multiple sequential actions. Research agents, writing agents, monitoring agents.

Typical agent structure
my-agent/
├── ark.json
├── CLAUDE.md          ← agent persona and capabilities
├── README.md
├── config/
│   └── defaults.json
├── prompts/
│   └── system.md
└── bin/
    ├── install.sh
    └── verify.sh

Bundle

A bundle groups related skills and agents that work better together. Buyers get a cohesive toolkit at a discount versus buying individually.

When to use: complementary tools with shared context. A writing bundle with /draft, /edit, /tone-check, and a voice-consistency agent.

System

A system is an end-to-end workflow: multiple agents, supporting skills, automation scripts, and configuration. It might integrate external services, manage files, and run on a schedule.

When to use: complete domain solutions. A business reporting system, a content pipeline, a personal productivity OS.

Systems can use the subscription sale model for recurring value delivery (regular updates, evolving workflows).

OS (Cognitive Operating System)

An OS is the largest package type. It's a full cognitive infrastructure: a CLAUDE.md that defines an agent ecosystem with dozens of specialized sub-agents, skills, automated sessions, and a structured daily workflow.

Example: NOESIS (Gino's cognitive OS) — published on Ark as the first OS-type package.

Free packages are valid for all types. Set "model": "free" in the sale object. Free packages still require an audit score of 60+ and go through review. They're great for acquisition — drive installs, then offer a paid upgrade.