What are Claude Code skills?
Claude Code skills are modular instruction packages that extend your AI assistant's capabilities for specific tasks. A skill is a SKILL.md file (plus optional scripts and references) that Claude loads when a task matches its description, or when you call it by name with a slash command like /frontend-design or /webapp-testing.
Skills live in the open skills.sh ecosystem and are distributed via GitHub. Anyone can publish a skill; the community installs and rates them. skillsforai.pro reviews and lists the ones worth installing.
Skills work across the full Claude Code ecosystem: the CLI, the Mac and Windows desktop apps, VS Code and JetBrains extensions, and other agents that support the open Agent Skills format, such as Cursor and Windsurf (see below for where each one looks).
Prerequisites
Before installing skills, you need:
- Node.js 18+ — The Skills CLI runs on Node. Check with node -v.
- Claude Code installed — Either the CLI, desktop app, or an IDE extension.
- A terminal — macOS Terminal, iTerm2, Windows Terminal, or the integrated terminal in your editor.
You do not need to create an account on skills.sh to install skills.
Install with the Skills CLI (recommended)
The skills CLI (npx skills, open source, maintained by Vercel) is the most common way to install skills from GitHub. It handles discovery, installation, updates and removal, and installs into the right folder for Claude Code and 75+ other agents.
Some skill collections also ship as Claude Code plugins. Then you can install them from inside Claude Code with /plugin (or claude plugin install name@marketplace in your shell), and they update themselves. Pick one method per collection; installing both gives you every skill twice.
Find a skill to install
Browse the curated directory at skillsforai.pro/directory, or search directly from your terminal:
# Search for skills by keyword
npx skills find "frontend design"
npx skills find "testing"
npx skills find "deploy"
Install a skill
Once you know the skill you want, install it with:
npx skills add owner/repo@skill-name
# Examples from the skillsforai directory:
npx skills add anthropics/skills@frontend-design
npx skills add anthropics/skills@webapp-testing
npx skills add coreyhaines31/marketingskills@cro
Add flags to skip prompts or install globally:
# -g install globally (available in all projects)
# -y skip confirmation prompts
npx skills add anthropics/skills@frontend-design -g -y
Global vs. project-level install
Skills can be installed at two scopes:
Available everywhere
Stored in ~/.claude/skills/. Available in every project and every Claude session on your machine. Use the -g flag.
npx skills add anthropics/skills@webapp-testing -g -y
Scoped to one repo
Stored in .claude/skills/ inside your project. Only available when Claude is running in that directory. Good for team-shared skills committed to the repo.
# Run inside your project directory, without -g
npx skills add anthropics/skills@webapp-testing -y
Install in popular AI tools
The npx skills add command installs skills for all Claude-compatible agents at once. Here's how skills surface in each tool:
Terminal / Command line
Install Claude Code with the native installer (curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash on macOS/Linux; see the setup docs for Windows and Homebrew), then add skills. Claude uses a skill on its own when your request matches its description, or you can call it with its slash command:
# In any Claude Code session
/frontend-design build a dark landing page
/webapp-testing check the login flow on localhost:3000
Claude Code Extension
Install the Claude Code extension from the VS Code Marketplace. Global skills installed via the CLI are automatically available in the extension's chat panel — no extra configuration needed.
Slash commands work in the extension's chat exactly as in the terminal.
Agent Skills support
Cursor reads skills from ~/.cursor/skills/ and ~/.agents/skills/, and for compatibility also from ~/.claude/skills/, so skills you installed for Claude Code show up too. The agent uses them when relevant, or type / in Agent chat and pick the skill.
Now Devin Desktop
Windsurf's Cascade reads ~/.codeium/windsurf/skills/ and ~/.agents/skills/. It reads ~/.claude/skills/ only if Claude Code config reading is enabled. Install with npx skills add … -g -a windsurf; Cascade uses skills automatically, or type @skill-name.
Google's AI terminal
The Skills CLI also installs skills for Gemini CLI. Run the same npx skills add command — it automatically detects installed agents and configures them all in one pass.
Other Claude-compatible agents
The skills CLI supports 75+ agents. The CLI symlinks or copies skill files to the right config location for each one. Check the install summary printed after npx skills add to see which agents were configured.
Verify your installation
After installing, confirm the skill is available:
# List all installed skills
npx skills list
# List global skills only
npx skills list -g
In Claude Code, type / in a session to see the slash command autocomplete. Installed skills appear in the list with their name and description.
Update and remove skills
# Update all installed skills
npx skills update
# Remove a specific skill
npx skills remove skill-name
# Or delete manually
# Global: ~/.claude/skills/skill-name/
# Project: .claude/skills/skill-name/
FAQ
How do I install a Claude Code skill?
Run npx skills add owner/repo --skill skill-name in your terminal. Add -g to install it for every project and -a claude-code to target Claude Code only. If the skill ships as a plugin, install it inside Claude Code with /plugin install name@marketplace instead.
Where are Claude Code skills stored?
Personal skills live in ~/.claude/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md and are available in all your projects. Project skills live in .claude/skills/ inside the repository, so you can commit them for your team. Plugin skills live inside the plugin.
Do Claude Code skills work in VS Code and Cursor?
In VS Code and JetBrains, the Claude Code extension uses the same skills as the CLI. Cursor reads its own folders (~/.cursor/skills/, ~/.agents/skills/) and, for compatibility, ~/.claude/skills/. Windsurf (Devin Desktop) reads ~/.codeium/windsurf/skills/ and ~/.agents/skills/; it reads ~/.claude/skills/ only if Claude Code config reading is enabled. The skills CLI installs to the right folder for each agent.
Can I install skills without Node.js?
Yes. Copy the skill folder (the one containing SKILL.md) from GitHub into ~/.claude/skills/. The npx skills CLI only automates that, plus updates.
How do I find the best skills to install?
Browse skillsforai.pro/directory: every entry links to its source, with install commands and trust signals.