X-Ways X-Tension Builder Skill

A Claude Code skill and knowledge base for authoring X-Ways Forensics X-Tensions — the xways-<name>.dll plugins that extend X-Ways (wrap external forensic tools, parse artifacts natively, drive the Events Viewer / Directory Browser).

It gives Claude the X-Ways-specific how: pick a template, scaffold + rename + set identity, wire in the project conventions (helper-exe verification, Ctrl-to-save, output directory, subprocess stdio, manager compatibility), and verify every XWF_* API call against distilled, citable reference notes so generated code never invents API.

Unofficial / community project. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or supported by X-Ways Software Technology AG. Provided as-is under the MIT License. "X-Ways", "X-Ways Forensics", and "WinHex" are trademarks of X-Ways AG.

What's inside

Path	What's there
.claude/skills/xways-xtension-authoring/	The skill — SKILL.md flow router, reference guides, and PowerShell scaffold/build/hygiene scripts
.claude/commands/xtension.md	The /xtension slash command
templates/x-tensions/	Starter templates: cpp, cpp-xtmgr-compatible, python, and a rich CLI-wrapper wrapper template
docs/	Distilled X-Tension API reference notes + the convention library
CHANGELOG.md	Release history + known issues queued for the next release

Install (as a Claude Code plugin)

/plugin marketplace add kev365/xways-xtension-builder-skill
/plugin install xways-xtension-authoring@xways-xtension-builder

Then ask Claude to "scaffold a new X-Tension", "wrap <tool> in an X-Tension", or run /xtension new <name>. The skill also auto-triggers on those phrases.

Two ways to use it:

• Installed as a plugin (above) — you get the skill's guidance and the /xtension command in any project. Best for "wrap this tool" / "audit my X-Tension" conversations.
• Cloned and opened in Claude Code — the skill auto-loads from .claude/skills/, and the scaffold/build scripts run against the cloned working copy (they create x-tensions/<name>/ in the clone and build there). This is the path for actually authoring an X-Tension with the bundled scripts and templates.

Quickstart

After installing, scaffold and build your first X-Tension — conversationally, or drive the scripts directly:

• Conversationally: ask Claude "scaffold a new X-Tension that wraps <tool>", or run /xtension new myscanner.

• Scripts (when you've cloned the repo), from the repo root in PowerShell:

  # Scaffold from the CLI-wrapper template (dry-run first to preview the plan)
  .claude/skills/xways-xtension-authoring/scripts/new-xtension.ps1 -Name myscanner -Template wrapper -DryRun
  .claude/skills/xways-xtension-authoring/scripts/new-xtension.ps1 -Name myscanner -Template wrapper
  
  # Fill in your tool's command + result parsing (see the // TODO markers in
  # x-tensions/xways-myscanner/), then build + deploy into your X-Ways install:
  .claude/skills/xways-xtension-authoring/scripts/build-xtension.ps1 -Name xways-myscanner -DeployRoot "<your X-Ways install>"

See Prerequisites for the build toolchain and SDK.

Prerequisites

• X-Ways Forensics 21.x+ (Windows x64) to run the X-Tensions you build.
• MSVC (x64) — the "x64 Native Tools Command Prompt for VS 2022" (VS 2019 Build Tools also work; build.bat auto-bootstraps either) — to compile.
• The X-Ways X-Tension SDK (the X-Tension.h header) to build C++ X-Tensions. This repo does not ship the SDK — it is copyright X-Ways AG. See docs/getting-the-sdk.md to acquire your own copy.

Usage

# Scaffold (dry-run first to review the planned copies / renames / edits)
.claude/skills/xways-xtension-authoring/scripts/new-xtension.ps1 -Name <name> -Template wrapper -DryRun

# Build (close X-Ways first — the DLL is locked while it runs; no hot reload)
.claude/skills/xways-xtension-authoring/scripts/build-xtension.ps1 -Name xways-<name>

See the knowledge base, the convention library, and the API guardrail.

Contributing, sharing & feedback

This is a community project and feedback is genuinely wanted:

• Built an X-Tension with this skill? Share it. The canonical home for community X-Tensions is X-Ways' own third-party X-Tensions list — contact X-Ways to get yours listed (their X-Tension page has the submission details). You're also welcome to link your repo in an issue so it can join docs/exemplars.md and feed patterns back into the templates.
• Ideas to improve the skill, templates, or docs? Open an issue. Corrections to the API notes are especially valuable.

See CONTRIBUTING.md and SECURITY.md.

License & attribution

MIT — see LICENSE. The API reference notes are distilled, paraphrased, or empirically derived; the X-Ways SDK, manuals, and user-forum content are not redistributed here. Credits to X-Ways AG, xwf-api-rs, and community X-Tension authors are in NOTICE.

A note on how this was made

This skill and knowledge base were generated with the help of an AI agent (Claude), drawn from notes, experiments, and conventions collected while building X-Tensions for X-Ways Forensics. The material has been reviewed, but mistakes and out-of-date details are inevitable — corrections, clarifications, and better information are very welcome. Please open an issue or PR.