Publishing guide

A practical guide to publishing your first package — and making it good enough that buyers actually trust it.

The minimum viable publish

To get a package through the audit at 60+, you need:

• A valid ark.json with all required fields
• A CLAUDE.md with actual content (not just a template header)
• A working bin/install.sh (bash -n must pass)
• No secrets or credentials anywhere in the package
• Score ≥ 60 on static audit

Tips for a high score

1. Write a real README

The README appears on your marketplace page. It's the first thing buyers read. It should cover: what the package does, who it's for, how to use it after install, and any requirements or limitations.

A README with at least 3 sections and 200+ words typically adds 4–5 points to D4 Completeness.

2. Add the verify script

A missing bin/verify.sh costs you 4 points in D5. It takes 5 minutes to write and is one of the easiest wins:

#!/usr/bin/env bash
set -euo pipefail

# Check your key file is in place
if [[ ! -f "$HOME/.claude/skills/my-skill.md" ]]; then
  echo "✗ Installation incomplete"; exit 1
fi
echo "✓ Verified"; exit 0

3. Make the installer idempotent

An idempotent installer can run multiple times without breaking anything. This adds 4 points to D5. The key pattern: always use mkdir -p and cp -f or check before creating.

# Good — safe to run multiple times
mkdir -p "$HOME/.claude/skills"
cp -f CLAUDE.md "$HOME/.claude/skills/my-skill.md"

# Bad — will fail if directory exists
mkdir "$HOME/.claude/skills"
cp CLAUDE.md "$HOME/.claude/skills/my-skill.md"

4. Use set -euo pipefail

Every bash script in your package should start with this line. It exits on error, treats unset variables as errors, and catches pipeline failures. 3 points in D3, and it prevents bugs.

5. Run the full audit before submitting

Static audit excludes D6. If you're close to a tier boundary (e.g., 78/90 normalized to ~87), running the full audit might push you into the 90+ Gold tier. The cost is a few cents in Claude tokens.

$ ark audit --full --save

The review process

After ark publish:

• Your package enters pending_review status
• Ark team reviews within 24-48h (usually same day for simple skills)
• If approved: you receive an email, package goes live, available via ark install
• If rejected: email with specific reasons and what to fix
• You can re-submit immediately after fixing issues

Common rejection reasons

• → 6 dimensions — what each score measures
• → Pricing tiers — commission structure