level — the 10 levels of Claude Code
Most people using Claude Code have no idea how much of it they're actually using. This skill scores you 0-10 on a ladder calibrated to the 4 systems this quickstart teaches — Context · Skills · Integrations · Orchestration — benchmarked against a fully-built setup + the latest Anthropic features, then hands you a focused roadmap and a shareable card.
It's the quickstart's mastery skill: the 8 research skills build your marketing OS; /level tells you how far along the Claude Code curve you are and what to build next. Level 0 is "just installed it." Level 10 is genuinely rare — the documented ceiling in references/benchmark.md.
Pick a front door → Score it → Show the roadmap → Render output → Build first step
↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓
quiz or scan 0-10 + 4 pillars next level only html / ascii optional
Re-run it whenever you want — the score updates as you level up.
Modes and flags
| Flag | Effect |
|---|
--mode beginner (default) | "Knowledgeable friend" voice — explain why each thing matters, define jargon. Default front door = quiz. |
--mode internal | Terser, for auditing your own / your team's setup. Default front door = scan. |
--brand-kit <path> | Brand the HTML dashboard from a brand kit (a DESIGN.md with token frontmatter). Default = your marketing/brand/brand-kit.md once populated, else plain dark. --brand-kit none forces plain dark. |
--format html (default) | ascii | both | Output shape. html = branded dashboard. ascii = paste-anywhere card (Slack / LinkedIn / a code block). both = each. |
--quiz / --assess | Force the quiz, or the silent scan (then stop after the assessment). |
--build | Skip assessment; jump to building the next step. |
No flag → --mode beginner, and offer both front doors ("Want the quick quiz, or should I scan your repo?").
Phase 1 — pick a front door, then score
Both doors converge on the same result: a level (0-10) + a 0-4 sub-score per pillar. references/levels.md is the source of truth — the ladder, the 4-pillar mapping, the scan checklist, and the scoring rule.
Quiz (default in beginner mode)
Read references/quiz.md. Ask the ~8 questions in one AskUserQuestion call (clean clickable options — fun and fast). Map each answer to its pillar + level band, then reconcile to a level + 4 pillar sub-scores per the rule in quiz.md. Needs nothing on disk, so it works before you've built anything — and the result is screenshot-shareable.
Scan (default in internal mode)
Silently inspect the repo using the scan checklist in levels.md — CLAUDE.md, .claude/skills, .mcp.json + plugins, memory / rules, hooks + agents, headless / browser signals, worktrees, scheduled tasks. Then ask the 3 context questions (what you use Claude for / biggest friction / one thing you'd automate). Determine the level. Quantity ≠ level — 50 trivial skills is still Level 3; integration + complexity move the rungs.
Present the assessment
Anchor the ceiling with references/benchmark.md. Present, in the mode's voice: the level + its fun name + vibe; the dual lens (which pillars are strong, which is the gap); a bottom-to-top walk of the rungs cleared, then the first rung that stops you and why it matters (plain language). Most marketers land 1-4; 5 is strong; 7+ is rare. If --assess, stop here.
Phase 2 — the roadmap (next level only)
Show ONLY the next-level transition — focus is everything. Read the matching section in references/roadmaps.md for the assessed level and present its 3-4 steps with time estimates.
Generate the output
Always produce output after Phase 1 (+ Phase 2 unless --assess). Pick the shape from --format (default html). For sharing, offer the ASCII card.
HTML dashboard (--format html, default — or both)
- Read
references/dashboard-template.html.
- Resolve the brand:
--brand-kit <path> if given; else your marketing/brand/brand-kit.md (once populated); else --brand-kit none / the template's dark defaults.
- Map brand-kit tokens → dashboard tokens per the template's comment:
colors.accent→{{ACCENT}} (primary), colors.tertiary/success→{{DONE}}, colors.background/surface→{{BG}}/{{SURFACE}}, colors.on-background*→text tokens, typography.*.fontFamily→{{FONT}} (+ its web <link> as {{FONT_LINK}}), name/domain→{{BRAND_NAME}}/{{BRAND_URL}}. Use the kit's exact hex — never approximate.
- Replace every
{{TOKEN}} with real assessment data — per-pillar bars + the shareable result card.
- Write to
~/Desktop/claude-code-level.html, open it (open macOS / xdg-open Linux / start Windows), tell the user the path + the brand applied.
ASCII card (--format ascii — or both)
A fixed-width, paste-anywhere card. Build a JSON payload and pipe it to the generator (it asserts every line is identical width, so the box never misaligns):
echo '{"level":N,"name":"<level name>","vibe":"<vibe>",
"pillars":{"Context":c,"Skills":s,"Integrations":i,"Orchestration":o},
"takeaway":["short line 1 (≤48 chars)","line 2"],
"brand_name":"<your brand>","brand_url":"<your domain>"}' \
| python3 references/ascii-card.py
It prints the card and saves ~/Desktop/claude-code-level.txt. Also paste the card inline in a fenced code block so the user can copy it from chat. brand_name/brand_url come from your brand kit's name + domain.
Phase 3 — build it now (optional)
Ask: "Want me to build the first step of your roadmap right now?" If yes, execute the matching step in references/build-steps.md. Adapt to the person — don't paste templates verbatim. If they score 0-2, point them at the quickstart's 15-minute tour and the 8 research skills to build context fast.
Self-roast (run before delivering)
- Is the level honest, or inflated? Quantity ≠ maturity — did I check integration + complexity?
- Did I anchor Level 10 to
benchmark.md?
- Beginner mode: did I explain why each gap matters and define jargon?
- Did I show only the NEXT level's roadmap, not all 10?
- Did the output actually render (dashboard opened, or ASCII card pasted inline)?