garmin-dev

A Claude Code skill for building, running, and packaging Garmin Connect IQ apps — watch faces, data fields, widgets, device apps — on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Auto-detects Connect IQ SDK + JDK + project name + target device. No per-machine config.

What this is

A skill is a folder Claude Code loads to extend its capabilities for a specific domain. When you ask Claude "build the watch face" or "push to the sim", the garmin-dev skill dispatches the right script for your OS and points Claude at cached Connect IQ documentation.

You don't run anything directly. Claude does. Your workflow stays:

"please build and push to the sim" "diagnose why monkeydo says connection refused" "package the .iq for the store"

Prerequisites

Install

This repo is a Claude Code plugin — the SKILL.md lives at skills/garmin-dev/SKILL.md per the Anthropic plugin spec. Two install modes:

Option 1 — Plugin (recommended)

Clone the repo anywhere, then point Claude Code at it:

git clone https://github.com/athitupakan/garmin-dev-skills
claude --plugin-dir ./garmin-dev-skills

The skill loads under the namespace garmin-dev. Session-scoped — re-pass --plugin-dir next session, or pin it to a marketplace for persistent install.

Option 2 — Standalone skill (copy into your project)

If you don't want the plugin overhead, copy just the skill folder into your project:

# from your project root
git clone https://github.com/athitupakan/garmin-dev-skills /tmp/garmin-dev-repo
cp -r /tmp/garmin-dev-repo/skills/garmin-dev .claude/skills/

Claude Code auto-loads any skill at .claude/skills/<name>/SKILL.md. No namespacing — invoked simply by intent ("build the watch face").

Then in Claude Code: "build the watch face." Claude detects your OS, dispatches the right script, and proceeds.

Supported OS

If a script misbehaves on Mac or Linux, please open an issue with the failing command + error output.

What's inside

.claude-plugin/
  plugin.json             plugin manifest (name, version, author, license)
LICENSE
README.md                 this file
skills/
  garmin-dev/             the skill itself
    SKILL.md              what Claude reads — dispatch table, operating rules
    scripts/
      windows/            PowerShell — Windows
      posix/              Bash — macOS + Linux
    references/
      index.md            map: what's where, when to open it
      connect-iq-docs/    local mirror of developer.garmin.com/connect-iq
        reference/        sdk/api (version-pinned): api/ (Toybox) · monkey-c/ · reference-guides/
        portal/           program/policy/concept docs: basics, core-topics, ux, faq, store rules
      commands/           per-command behavior contract
      guides/             task workflows (custom fonts, simulator data injection)
      catalogs/           curated lookups (sensor catalog + walled-garden list)
      troubleshooting.md  known errors + fixes

For the full dispatch table and operating rules, see skills/garmin-dev/SKILL.md.

How auto-detection works

_env.ps1 (Windows) and _env.sh (POSIX) are dot-sourced by every script. They detect:

• JDK — uses JAVA_HOME if set + valid, else searches standard install locations per OS. Throws a clear error with install instructions if nothing found.
• SDK — picks the newest connectiq-sdk-<os>-* directory under Garmin's install root.
• Project name — defaults to your project folder name, lowercased. Becomes the .prg / .iq filename. Override at line 1 of _env if you want a different binary name.
• Device — parsed from the first <iq:product> entry in your manifest.xml.

Nothing is hardcoded per machine. The skill works the same on every contributor's setup.

Documentation cache

references/connect-iq-docs/ is a local mirror of <https://developer.garmin.com/connect-iq/> — API reference, Monkey C language docs, store submission rules. Cached because developer.garmin.com is a JS-rendered SPA that WebFetch can't read, and for offline access. See skills/garmin-dev/references/connect-iq-docs/index.md for the full sitemap and refresh procedure.

references/catalogs/sensors.md adds two things you can't get from Garmin docs:

• Wearer-priority tier grouping — what to surface on a watch face, organized by what matters to the person wearing it (Body → Activity → Device)
• Walled garden list — metrics Garmin tracks but does not expose to Connect IQ (HRV Status, Training Load, Sleep Score, etc.) with workarounds where they exist

License

MIT — see LICENSE.