Stop copying files manually. Install AI agent skills like npm packages. Supports: Antigravity, Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot, Windsurf and others

The Problem

You've found the perfect skill for your AI coding assistant. Now what?

The old way:

git clone https://github.com/someone/skills
cp -r skills/amazing-skill ~/.claude/skills/
# Repeat for Cursor
cp -r skills/amazing-skill ~/.cursor/skills/
# Repeat for Copilot
cp -r skills/amazing-skill ~/.copilot/skills/
# Update? Do it all again.

The new way:

npx add-skill someone/skills
# Done. Works everywhere. Updates with one command.

How to Find the Best Agent Skills on agentskillsrepo.com

Start by browsing skills by category such as Frontend, Database, Cloud, or Context Engineering. Use search keywords to quickly find skills by technology, use case, or workflow. Each Agent Skill includes a clear description, usage guidance, and examples to help you decide if it fits your needs. Focus on skills with practical instructions and real-world use cases, and combine multiple skills to build, optimize, or debug production-ready agent systems efficiently.

agentskillsrepo.com.png

React agent skills search on agentskillsrepo.com.png

The Tools Landscape

There are several tools for managing Agent Skills, each with different strengths:

Tool Best For Install Command Key Features
add-skill Quick installs from GitHub npx add-skill Auto-detects agents, supports 4+ platforms
SkillPort Multi-project management via MCP uv tool install skillport MCP server, progressive loading, filtering
openskills Claude Code compatibility npx openskills AGENTS.md generation, sync command
skills (npm) Universal installer npx skills add 40K+ marketplace skills, 10+ platforms

Quick recommendation: Start with add-skill for simplicity. Upgrade to SkillPort if you need MCP or multi-project filtering.

Tool #1: add-skill (Vercel Labs)

The quick-start choice. Zero config, auto-detects your agents, one command to rule them all.

Installation

# No installation needed - use via npx
npx add-skill <source>

Key Features

βœ… Auto-detection - Finds which agents you have installed
βœ… Multi-source - GitHub URLs, local paths, direct repos
βœ… Multi-agent - Cursor, Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode
βœ… Selective install - Pick specific skills from a repo
βœ… Global & local - Install project-wide or user-wide

Quick Start

# Install from GitHub (simplest)
npx add-skill vercel-labs/agent-skills

# See what's available first
npx add-skill vercel-labs/agent-skills --list

# Install specific skills only
npx add-skill vercel-labs/agent-skills --skill frontend-design --skill skill-creator

# Install to specific agents
npx add-skill vercel-labs/agent-skills -a cursor -a claude-code

# Global installation (home directory)
npx add-skill vercel-labs/agent-skills --global

# Non-interactive mode (great for CI/CD)
npx add-skill vercel-labs/agent-skills -y

Supported Sources

# GitHub shorthand
npx add-skill vercel-labs/agent-skills

# Full GitHub URL
npx add-skill https://github.com/vercel-labs/agent-skills

# Specific skill in a repo
npx add-skill https://github.com/vercel-labs/agent-skills/tree/main/skills/frontend-design

# GitLab
npx add-skill https://gitlab.com/org/repo

# Any Git URL
npx add-skill [email protected]:vercel-labs/agent-skills.git

# Local directory
npx add-skill ./my-skills

Installation Paths

Project-level (default):

.
β”œβ”€β”€ .opencode/skill/<skill-name>/
β”œβ”€β”€ .claude/skills/<skill-name>/
β”œβ”€β”€ .codex/skills/<skill-name>/
└── .cursor/skills/<skill-name>/

Global (--global):

~/.config/opencode/skill/<skill-name>/
~/.claude/skills/<skill-name>/
~/.codex/skills/<skill-name>/
~/.cursor/skills/<skill-name>/

All Options

npx add-skill <source> [options]

Options:
  -g, --global              Install to user directory
  -a, --agent <agents...>   Target agents: opencode, claude-code, codex, cursor
  -s, --skill <skills...>   Install specific skills by name
  -l, --list                List available skills without installing
  -y, --yes                 Skip confirmation prompts
  -V, --version             Show version
  -h, --help                Show help

Examples

# List skills in a repo
npx add-skill anthropics/skills --list

# Install multiple skills to multiple agents
npx add-skill anthropics/skills \
  --skill pdf --skill docx \
  -a cursor -a claude-code

# Global install, non-interactive (for dotfiles)
npx add-skill vercel-labs/agent-skills -g -y

# Install everything from a repo
npx add-skill anthropics/skills -y

When to Use add-skill

βœ… You want the simplest possible experience
βœ… You're installing from GitHub repos
βœ… You use 1-4 different agents
βœ… You don't need advanced filtering or MCP
βœ… You want zero configuration


Tool #2: SkillPort (GotaLab)

The enterprise choice. MCP server, progressive loading, multi-client filtering, and advanced management.

Installation

# Install the CLI
uv tool install skillport
# or
pip install skillport

# Update
uv tool upgrade skillport

Key Features

βœ… MCP Server - Serve skills to any MCP-compatible agent
βœ… Progressive Loading - Skills load on-demand, not upfront
βœ… Smart Filtering - Show different skills to different clients
βœ… Category & Tags - Organize 100+ skills easily
βœ… CLI Management - Add, update, remove, search, validate
βœ… BM25 Search - Find skills by semantic similarity

Two Modes: MCP vs CLI

MCP Mode (Recommended)
- One skills directory serves all agents
- Progressive loading via search_skills() and load_skill()
- Per-client filtering
- Best for: Multi-project setups

CLI Mode
- Skills documented in AGENTS.md
- Load via skillport show <id>
- No MCP configuration needed
- Best for: Single project, quick setup

Quick Start (MCP Mode)

# 1. Add skills
skillport add hello-world
skillport add https://github.com/anthropics/skills/tree/main/skills

# 2. Add to your MCP client
# Cursor (one-click):
# Click the "Install MCP Server" button at https://github.com/gotalab/skillport

# Or add manually to your MCP config:
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "skillport": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["skillport"],
      "env": {
        "SKILLPORT_SKILLS_DIR": "~/.skillport/skills"
      }
    }
  }
}

# 3. Use it
# In your agent: "Search for hello-world and run it"

Quick Start (CLI Mode)

# 1. Initialize your project
skillport init
# β†’ Select skills directory interactively
# β†’ Generates AGENTS.md with skills table

# 2. Add skills (uses directory from .skillportrc)
skillport add hello-world
skillport add anthropics/skills

# 3. Your agent reads AGENTS.md, then runs:
# skillport show <skill-id>

CLI Commands

Project Setup:

skillport init              # Initialize project (.skillportrc, AGENTS.md)
skillport doc               # Update AGENTS.md when skills change
skillport doc --all         # Update all instruction files in .skillportrc

Skill Management:

skillport add <source>      # Install from GitHub, local, zip, or built-in
skillport add anthropics/skills
skillport add https://github.com/anthropics/skills/tree/main/skills
skillport add ./my-skills
skillport add skill.zip

skillport update [id]       # Update skills from original sources
skillport list              # See installed skills
skillport remove <id>       # Uninstall a skill
skillport lint [id]         # Validate SKILL.md files

Discovery:

skillport search <query>    # Find skills by description
skillport search "pdf extraction"

skillport show <id>         # View full skill details and instructions
skillport show pdf-processor

Path Overrides:

# Override skills directory per command
skillport --skills-dir ./custom-skills add hello-world

# Or use environment variable
export SKILLPORT_SKILLS_DIR=./custom-skills
skillport add hello-world

Advanced: Per-Client Filtering

Serve different skills to different AI agents:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "skillport-dev": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["skillport"],
      "env": {
        "SKILLPORT_SKILLS_DIR": "~/.skillport/skills",
        "SKILLPORT_ENABLED_CATEGORIES": "development,testing"
      }
    },
    "skillport-writing": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["skillport"],
      "env": {
        "SKILLPORT_SKILLS_DIR": "~/.skillport/skills",
        "SKILLPORT_ENABLED_CATEGORIES": "writing,research"
      }
    }
  }
}

Configuration Variables

Variable Description Default
SKILLPORT_SKILLS_DIR Skills directory ~/.skillport/skills
SKILLPORT_ENABLED_CATEGORIES Filter by category (comma-separated) all
SKILLPORT_ENABLED_SKILLS Filter by skill ID (comma-separated) all
SKILLPORT_ENABLED_NAMESPACES Filter by namespace (comma-separated) all
SKILLPORT_CORE_SKILLS_MODE Core skills behavior (auto/explicit/none) auto
SKILLPORT_CORE_SKILLS Core skill IDs for explicit mode none

Organizing Skills with Metadata

Add to your SKILL.md frontmatter:

---
name: my-skill
description: What this skill does
metadata:
  skillport:
    category: development      # For filtering
    tags: [testing, quality]   # For search
    alwaysApply: true          # Core skill - always available
---

When to Use SkillPort

βœ… You manage 10+ projects with different skill needs
βœ… You want MCP integration
βœ… You need per-client skill filtering
βœ… You have 50+ skills and need organization
βœ… You want progressive loading (skills loaded on-demand)
βœ… You need search and discovery features


Tool #3: openskills

The Claude Code compatibility choice. Same format, same structure, AGENTS.md generation.

Installation

# No installation needed
npx openskills <command>

# Or install globally
npm install -g openskills

Key Features

βœ… Claude Code Compatible - Exact same format and structure
βœ… AGENTS.md Generation - Works with any agent that reads AGENTS.md
βœ… Progressive Disclosure - Load skills on-demand
βœ… Repository Friendly - Skills live in your project
βœ… Private Repos - Install from private Git repos

Quick Start

# Install skills
npx openskills install anthropics/skills

# Generate AGENTS.md
npx openskills sync

# Read a skill (load full instructions)
npx openskills read skill-name

# Update installed skills
npx openskills update

Commands

openskills install <source>   # Install skills from GitHub/local
openskills sync               # Generate AGENTS.md
openskills read <name>        # Load skill instructions
openskills update [name]      # Update skills from source
openskills list               # Show installed skills
openskills remove <name>      # Uninstall a skill

Installation Paths

Default (Project-local):

npx openskills install anthropics/skills
# β†’ Installs to ./.claude/skills/

Universal (.agent/skills):

npx openskills install anthropics/skills --universal
# β†’ Installs to ./.agent/skills/
# Compatible with more agents, avoids conflicts with Claude's marketplace

Global (Home directory):

npx openskills install anthropics/skills --global
# β†’ Installs to ~/.claude/skills/

How It Works

  1. Install skills to .claude/skills/ or .agent/skills/
  2. Sync generates AGENTS.md with skills table
  3. Agent reads table, sees available skills
  4. Agent runs npx openskills read <skill> to load full instructions

Example AGENTS.md Output

<skills_system>
<usage>
How to use skills:
- Invoke: `npx openskills read <skill-name>`
- The skill content will load with detailed instructions
- Base directory provided for resolving resources
</usage>

<available_skills>
<skill>
<n>pdf</n>
<description>Comprehensive PDF manipulation toolkit...</description>
<location>project</location>
</skill>

<skill>
<n>frontend-design</n>
<description>Review UI code for web best practices...</description>
<location>project</location>
</skill>
</available_skills>
</skills_system>

When to Use openskills

βœ… You use Claude Code and want same format everywhere
βœ… You want skills in your Git repository
βœ… You need AGENTS.md for agents without MCP
βœ… You work with private Git repos
βœ… You want progressive disclosure without MCP


Tool #4: skills (npm package)

The marketplace choice. Access to 40,000+ skills from the SkillsMP marketplace.

Installation

# No installation needed
npx skills <command>

# Or install globally
npm install -g skills

Key Features

βœ… 40K+ Skills - Access to SkillsMP marketplace
βœ… 10+ Platforms - Claude, Cursor, Copilot, Codex, Antigravity, and more
βœ… Interactive Search - Find skills by keyword
βœ… Auto-detection - Finds installed agents automatically
βœ… Batch Install - Install to all platforms at once

Quick Start

# Search and install interactively
npx skills search python

# Install a skill (auto-detects platforms)
npx skills install xlsx

# Install to specific platforms
npx skills install @anthropic/pdf -t claude,cursor

# Install globally
npx skills install pdf -g -t claude

# Install to all platforms
npx skills install docx --all

Commands

skills install <name>         # Install skill (auto-detect platforms)
skills install <name> -g      # Install globally
skills install <name> -t <agents>  # Target specific agents
skills install <name> --all   # Install to all 10 platforms
skills install <name> --list  # Show details without installing

skills add <repo>             # Install from Git repo
skills add owner/repo --list  # List skills in a repo

skills search <query>         # Interactive search
skills search <query> --json  # JSON output (non-interactive)

skills init <name>            # Create new skill from template
skills validate <path>        # Validate SKILL.md
skills export                 # Export skills to agents
skills sync                   # Sync to Antigravity workflows
skills info                   # Show installation status

Supported Platforms

The tool supports 10+ coding agents:
- Claude Code
- Cursor
- GitHub Copilot
- OpenAI Codex
- Antigravity
- OpenCode
- Windsurf
- Cline
- Roo Code
- Goose

Installation Paths

Project-level (default):

.claude/skills/<name>/
.cursor/skills/<name>/
.copilot/skills/<name>/
.codex/skills/<name>/
.antigravity/skills/<name>/
# ... and 5+ more

Global (-g):

~/.claude/skills/<name>/
~/.cursor/skills/<name>/
~/.copilot/skills/<name>/
# ... etc

Examples

# Install to specific platforms
npx skills install xlsx -t claude,cursor

# Install from GitHub
npx skills add vercel-labs/agent-skills

# List skills in a repo
npx skills add anthropics/skills --list

# Search with JSON output
npx skills search react --json

# Create new skill
npx skills init my-awesome-skill

When to Use skills (npm)

βœ… You want access to 40K+ marketplace skills
βœ… You use many different coding agents (5+)
βœ… You want interactive search
βœ… You need one tool that works everywhere
βœ… You want to discover new skills easily


Comparison Table

Feature add-skill SkillPort openskills skills (npm)
Simplicity ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐
MCP Support ❌ βœ… ❌ ❌
Platforms 4 All (via MCP) All (via AGENTS.md) 10+
Marketplace ❌ Limited ❌ 40K+ skills
Filtering Basic Advanced Basic Basic
Search ❌ BM25 ❌ Interactive
Progressive Loading ❌ βœ… βœ… ❌
Zero Config βœ… ❌ βœ… βœ…
Multi-Project ❌ βœ… ❌ ❌
Best For Quick start Enterprise Claude Code Discovery

Official & Curated

Repository Skills Focus Command
Anthropic Official 10+ Documents, design, MCP npx add-skill anthropics/skills
Vercel Agent Skills 5+ React/Next.js performance npx add-skill vercel-labs/agent-skills
Awesome Claude Skills 100+ Curated collection Manual browsing

Specialized

Repository Skills Focus Command
Hugging Face 20+ ML/AI, datasets, training npx add-skill huggingface/skills
Scientific Skills 128+ Biology, chemistry, ML npx add-skill K-Dense-AI/claude-scientific-skills
ClaudeKit 30+ Auth, multimodal, frameworks npx add-skill mrgoonie/claudekit-skills
Superpowers 15+ TDD, debugging, reviews npx add-skill obra/superpowers
Kubernetes Ops 10+ K8s, DevOps, SRE npx add-skill wshobson/agents/tree/main/plugins/kubernetes-operations

Decision Tree: Which Tool Should I Use?

Start Here: What's your main goal?

1. Just want to try skills quickly?
β†’ Use add-skill

npx add-skill vercel-labs/agent-skills

2. Managing multiple projects with different skill sets?
β†’ Use SkillPort with MCP

uv tool install skillport
skillport add anthropics/skills
# Add to MCP config

3. Need exact Claude Code compatibility?
β†’ Use openskills

npx openskills install anthropics/skills
npx openskills sync

4. Want to discover skills from a marketplace?
β†’ Use skills (npm)

npx skills search react
npx skills install <skill-name>

5. Building a team setup with different skill needs per developer?
β†’ Use SkillPort with filtering

# Developer A gets development skills
# Developer B gets writing skills
# Configure via SKILLPORT_ENABLED_CATEGORIES

Common Workflows

Workflow 1: Quick Start (5 minutes)

# 1. Install a skill collection
npx add-skill anthropics/skills

# 2. Try it with your agent
# In Cursor/Claude: "Use the pdf skill to extract text from this document"

# 3. Add more as needed
npx add-skill vercel-labs/agent-skills

Workflow 2: Team Setup (15 minutes)

# 1. Choose a shared directory structure
cd my-project
mkdir -p .agent/skills

# 2. Install skills for the team
npx add-skill anthropics/skills --skill pdf --skill docx
npx add-skill vercel-labs/agent-skills --skill frontend-design

# 3. Commit to Git
git add .agent/
git commit -m "Add agent skills for the team"

# 4. Team members pull and it just works

Workflow 3: Multi-Project with MCP (30 minutes)

# 1. Install SkillPort
uv tool install skillport

# 2. Create skill collections
skillport add anthropics/skills
skillport add vercel-labs/agent-skills
skillport add huggingface/skills

# 3. Configure different MCP servers for different projects
# In project A: only development skills
# In project B: only ML/AI skills
# In project C: everything

# 4. All skills managed in one place
skillport list
skillport update

Workflow 4: Discovery & Experimentation

# 1. Search for skills interactively
npx skills search "pdf processing"

# 2. Preview before installing
npx add-skill anthropics/skills --list

# 3. Install to try it
npx skills install pdf

# 4. If it works, make it permanent
# Add to your dotfiles or team setup

Installation Best Practices

1. Choose Your Scope Wisely

Project-local (default):
- βœ… Skills versioned with your code
- βœ… Team shares same skills
- βœ… No global pollution
- ❌ Duplicate skills across projects

Global (--global or -g):
- βœ… Install once, use everywhere
- βœ… No duplication
- ❌ Not versioned with code
- ❌ Team might have different skills

Recommendation: Start project-local, go global for personal utilities.

2. Organize by Use Case

# Development skills
.agent/skills/dev/
β”œβ”€β”€ git-commit-formatter/
β”œβ”€β”€ code-reviewer/
└── test-generator/

# Documentation skills
.agent/skills/docs/
β”œβ”€β”€ pdf-extractor/
β”œβ”€β”€ markdown-formatter/
└── api-doc-generator/

# Team-specific skills
.agent/skills/company/
β”œβ”€β”€ deployment-pipeline/
β”œβ”€β”€ security-checker/
└── company-standards/

3. Update Regularly

# With add-skill: re-run the command
npx add-skill anthropics/skills

# With SkillPort: built-in update
skillport update

# With openskills: built-in update
npx openskills update

4. Version Control

Do commit:
- .agent/skills/ or .claude/skills/ (project-local skills)
- .skillportrc (SkillPort config)
- AGENTS.md (skill documentation)

Don't commit:
- ~/.skillport/ (global skills)
- ~/.claude/ (personal skills)

5. Documentation

Add to your README:

## AI Agent Skills

This project uses Agent Skills for AI coding assistants.

### Installation

```bash
# Option 1: add-skill
npx add-skill anthropics/skills

# Option 2: SkillPort
uv tool install skillport
skillport --skills-dir .agent/skills add anthropics/skills

Available Skills

  • pdf - PDF extraction and processing
  • frontend-design - UI best practices review
  • git-workflow - Git commit formatting

Usage

Ask your AI agent: "Use the pdf skill to extract text from document.pdf"

---

## Troubleshooting

### Skills Not Loading

**Problem:** Agent doesn't see installed skills

**Solutions:**

1. **Check installation path**
```bash
# For Cursor
ls ~/.cursor/skills/  # Global
ls .cursor/skills/    # Project

# For Claude Code
ls ~/.claude/skills/  # Global
ls .claude/skills/    # Project
  1. Verify SKILL.md format
# With SkillPort
skillport lint skill-name

# Manual check
cat .agent/skills/skill-name/SKILL.md
# Must have YAML frontmatter with name and description
  1. Restart your agent
  2. Quit and reopen your IDE
  3. Reload window (Cmd/Ctrl + R)

Conflicts Between Tools

Problem: Installed with multiple tools, now skills are duplicated

Solutions:

  1. Choose one tool and stick with it
# Remove duplicates
rm -rf .claude/skills/*
rm -rf .agent/skills/*

# Reinstall with chosen tool
npx add-skill anthropics/skills
  1. Use different directories per tool
# add-skill β†’ .claude/skills/
# openskills β†’ .agent/skills/ (with --universal)
# SkillPort β†’ custom directory

Update Issues

Problem: Skills won't update

Solutions:

  1. With add-skill: Re-run the install command
npx add-skill anthropics/skills
# Overwrites existing skills
  1. With SkillPort: Use update command
skillport update skill-name
# Or update all:
skillport update
  1. Nuclear option: Remove and reinstall
rm -rf .agent/skills/skill-name
npx add-skill anthropics/skills --skill skill-name

MCP Not Working (SkillPort)

Problem: Agent can't find SkillPort MCP server

Solutions:

  1. Verify installation
which skillport
# Should output: /Users/you/.local/bin/skillport (or similar)
  1. Check MCP config
# Cursor
cat ~/.cursor/mcp_config.json

# Should include:
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "skillport": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["skillport"],
      "env": { "SKILLPORT_SKILLS_DIR": "~/.skillport/skills" }
    }
  }
}
  1. Test manually
uvx skillport serve
# Should start the MCP server without errors
  1. Restart agent completely
  2. Quit IDE
  3. Kill any running processes
  4. Reopen IDE

Advanced Topics

Creating Skills That Work With All Tools

All tools follow the Agent Skills specification. Create once, use everywhere:

---
name: my-skill
description: What this skill does and when to use it
metadata:
  author: your-name
  version: "1.0"
  skillport:
    category: development
    tags: [utility, automation]
---

# My Skill

Instructions for the AI agent...

## When to Use

- Scenario 1
- Scenario 2

## Examples

[Show concrete examples]

Publishing Skills as npm Packages

Make skills installable like any npm package:

{
  "name": "@yourorg/git-skills",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "description": "Git workflow skills for AI agents",
  "main": "index.js",
  "scripts": {
    "postinstall": "node scripts/install.js"
  },
  "agents": {
    "skills": [
      {
        "name": "git-commit-formatter",
        "path": "./skills/git-commit-formatter"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Then users install with:

npm install -g @yourorg/git-skills

See agent-skill-npm-boilerplate for a complete template.

Building a Private Skill Marketplace

For enterprises with private skills:

  1. Host skills in private GitHub repo
  2. Use add-skill with auth
GH_TOKEN=your_token npx add-skill github.com/company/private-skills
  1. Or use SkillPort with private paths
skillport add ~/company-skills/
  1. Share via internal npm registry
npm publish --registry=https://npm.company.com

Resources

Official Documentation

Tool Documentation

Skill Collections

Community


Quick Reference Card

add-skill Cheat Sheet

npx add-skill repo/name              # Install from GitHub
npx add-skill repo/name --list       # Preview skills
npx add-skill repo/name -a cursor    # Target specific agent
npx add-skill repo/name -g           # Global install
npx add-skill repo/name -y           # Skip prompts

SkillPort Cheat Sheet

skillport add source                 # Install skill
skillport list                       # Show installed
skillport search query               # Find skills
skillport show id                    # View details
skillport update [id]                # Update skills
skillport lint [id]                  # Validate
skillport init                       # Initialize project
skillport doc                        # Update AGENTS.md

openskills Cheat Sheet

```bash
npx openskills install source # Install skills
npx openskills sync # Generate AGENTS.md
npx openskills read name # Load skill
npx openskills update [name

Read original source β†’
×