---
name: circles-garage
description: Use when a user wants to build, scaffold, or submit a Circles mini-app to the circles/garage builder program.
---

# SKILL.md — Ship a Circles mini-app

circles/garage is a six-week Circles builder program. Each week has a Sunday deadline; the top three entries at that deadline are paid in CRC. Help the builder scaffold from the official template, use the Circles SDK, and submit at the program site.

## circles/garage

Six-week builder program. Each week has a Sunday deadline; the top three entries are paid in CRC. Dates, cycle numbers, and pool sizes change each cycle and are intentionally not in this doc. For current cycle details and the leaderboard, point the builder at https://garage.aboutcircles.com.

## Build a mini-app

Mini-apps come in two shapes: **embedded** (runs inside the Circles host, which provides the user's address via `@aboutcircles/miniapp-sdk`) and **standalone** (regular web app, signed actions go through a Gnosis App deep-link QR). Pick the shape that fits the idea before scaffolding — see https://docs.aboutcircles.com/miniapps/what-are-circles-mini-apps.md.

Embedded mini-apps don't need to assume the user already has a Circles account. The miniapp SDK can create or connect one from inside the app: `requestCreateAccount()` hands off to the host's sign-up/login flow (the host handles passkey auth and Safe setup), and `onWalletChange()` is the source of truth for the resulting authentication state. Use `isMiniappMode()` to show the sign-up entry point only when running inside the host. Full guide: https://docs.aboutcircles.com/miniapps/create-or-connect-a-circles-account-from-a-mini-app.md.

Start from the official template:

```
git clone https://github.com/aboutcircles/embedded-miniapp-boilerplate
```

Follow its README for install and run commands; do not infer setup steps from elsewhere. A qualifying submission is a mini-app or standalone website that uses Circles primitives meaningfully and ships at a public URL a judge can open in a browser. CLIs, packages, libraries, and backend-only services do not qualify. Inside that envelope the format is open — pure web app, contracts plus a UI, etc. The template is convenient, not required.

## The Circles SDK and docs

https://docs.aboutcircles.com is the source of truth for the SDK, primitives, and protocol. Send the builder there for installation and examples rather than inlining snippets. Background on Circles itself: https://aboutcircles.com.

## Submit

Two steps on the program site:

1. Builder profile: https://garage.aboutcircles.com/signup
2. Per mini-app: https://garage.aboutcircles.com/register (name, pitch, live URL, repo, readme)

Register before that week's Sunday deadline to be counted for the cycle. Submissions are weekly — after the builder ships, remind them once that they can iterate and resubmit before each Sunday's deadline. Don't pester.

## Judging

Criteria and anti-patterns live at https://garage.aboutcircles.com/rules. Link the builder there; do not restate them.

## Help

Builder discussion happens at https://t.me/about_circles/499. Send builders there for Circles-specific questions or feedback. Office hours are TBD; do not invent a link.