Build Scripts
May 15, 2026 · View on GitHub
Build Scripts
This directory contains two generators that turn the tutorial markdown files into distributable formats:
- EPUB Builder —
build_epub.py - Static Website Builder —
build_website.py
Both treat the .md files as the single source of truth — re-run the relevant
script after editing markdown to regenerate the output.
EPUB Builder Script
Build an EPUB ebook from the Claude How-To markdown files.
Features
- Organizes chapters by folder structure (01-slash-commands, 02-memory, etc.)
- Renders Mermaid diagrams as PNG images via Kroki.io API
- Async concurrent fetching - renders all diagrams in parallel
- Generates a cover image from the project logo
- Converts internal markdown links to EPUB chapter references
- Strict error mode - fails if any diagram cannot be rendered
Requirements
- Python 3.10+
- uv
- Internet connection for Mermaid diagram rendering
Quick Start
# Simplest way - uv handles everything
uv run scripts/build_epub.py
Development Setup
# Create virtual environment
uv venv
# Activate and install dependencies
source .venv/bin/activate
uv pip install -r requirements-dev.txt
# Run tests
pytest scripts/tests/ -v
# Run the script
python scripts/build_epub.py
Command-Line Options
usage: build_epub.py [-h] [--root ROOT] [--output OUTPUT] [--verbose]
[--timeout TIMEOUT] [--max-concurrent MAX_CONCURRENT]
options:
-h, --help show this help message and exit
--root, -r ROOT Root directory (default: repo root)
--output, -o OUTPUT Output path (default: claude-howto-guide.epub)
--verbose, -v Enable verbose logging
--timeout TIMEOUT API timeout in seconds (default: 30)
--max-concurrent N Max concurrent requests (default: 10)
Examples
# Build with verbose output
uv run scripts/build_epub.py --verbose
# Custom output location
uv run scripts/build_epub.py --output ~/Desktop/claude-guide.epub
# Limit concurrent requests (if rate-limited)
uv run scripts/build_epub.py --max-concurrent 5
Output
Creates claude-howto-guide.epub in the repository root directory.
The EPUB includes:
- Cover image with project logo
- Table of contents with nested sections
- All markdown content converted to EPUB-compatible HTML
- Mermaid diagrams rendered as PNG images
Running Tests
# With virtual environment
source .venv/bin/activate
pytest scripts/tests/ -v
# Or with uv directly
uv run --with pytest --with pytest-asyncio \
--with ebooklib --with markdown --with beautifulsoup4 \
--with httpx --with pillow --with tenacity \
pytest scripts/tests/ -v
Dependencies
Managed via PEP 723 inline script metadata:
| Package | Purpose |
|---|---|
ebooklib | EPUB generation |
markdown | Markdown to HTML conversion |
beautifulsoup4 | HTML parsing |
httpx | Async HTTP client |
pillow | Cover image generation |
tenacity | Retry logic |
Troubleshooting
Build fails with network error: Check internet connectivity and Kroki.io status. Try --timeout 60.
Rate limiting: Reduce concurrent requests with --max-concurrent 3.
Missing logo: The script generates a text-only cover if claude-howto-logo.png is not found.
Static Website Builder
Generate an elegant, mobile-friendly static website from the same markdown
files used by the EPUB build. The website is the rendered view; the .md
files remain the single source of truth.
Features
- One HTML page per markdown source — internal
.mdlinks are rewritten to the corresponding pages on the site - References to non-markdown repo files (templates, scripts, JSON) become GitHub blob URLs that open the source on github.com
- Mermaid diagrams render client-side via
mermaid.min.js, served from the built site (no CDN at runtime) - Tailwind CSS compiled with the standalone CLI (Go binary, no Node.js) and served from the built site — responsive layout with sidebar nav, in-page TOC, dark mode toggle, and prev/next page navigation
- Inter + JetBrains Mono fonts are self-hosted alongside the CSS — no third-party requests at page load
- Mirrors the EPUB curriculum order (
01-…10-plus top-level docs) - Hostable as plain static files — designed to deploy to GitHub Pages
Quick Start
# Build the English website into ./site/
uv run scripts/build_website.py
# Preview locally
python -m http.server --directory site 8080
# then open http://localhost:8080
Command-Line Options
usage: build_website.py [-h] [--root ROOT] [--output OUTPUT]
[--lang {en,vi,zh,ja,uk}] [--repo-url REPO_URL]
[--branch BRANCH] [--verbose]
options:
--root, -r ROOT Source root (default: repo root)
--output, -o OUTPUT Output directory (default: <repo>/site)
--lang LANG Language to build: en | vi | zh | ja | uk
--repo-url URL GitHub repo for blob links (default: luongnv89/claude-howto)
--branch BRANCH Branch for blob links (default: main)
--verbose, -v Enable verbose logging
GitHub Pages Deploy
The repo ships a workflow at .github/workflows/pages.yml that builds the
site on every push to main (when any .md or generator file changes) and
publishes via actions/deploy-pages. Enable GitHub Pages in repo settings
with Source: GitHub Actions to activate it.
Architecture
build_website.py reuses the chapter-ordering logic from build_epub.py and
ships HTML templates under scripts/website_templates/:
page.html.j2— per-page Jinja2 template with sidebar nav, TOC, prev/nexttailwind.config.js,tailwind.input.css— config + entry CSS for the Tailwind standalone CLI; the CLI scans the built HTML and producessite/assets/tailwind.csswith just the utilities actually usedsite.css— small layer of site-specific styles plus Pygments theme
The Tailwind CLI binary, Mermaid bundle, and font files are downloaded on
first build into scripts/.vendor-cache/ (gitignored) — see
scripts/vendor_assets.py.
Heading anchors are generated using the exact algorithm in
check_cross_references.heading_to_anchor, so #anchor links validated by
the pre-commit hook resolve correctly on the rendered site.