Cursor Skills
Cursor, the AI code editor, reads Agent Skills from its skills directory. SkillMD lists 396,271 safety-reviewed
skills (SKILL.md files) you can use in Cursor free: search by task, install with one command, or copy the file
into ./.cursor/skills.
Install a skill in Cursor
- CLI (recommended). Install the CLI once, then add any skill to Cursor by slug:
npm i -g skillmds@latest skillmd add <owner>/<name> -a cursor # project scope → ./.cursor/skills skillmd add <owner>/<name> -a cursor -g # global scope → ~/.cursor/skills - Manual copy. Open any skill on SkillMD, download its SKILL.md, and save it as
./.cursor/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md(or~/.cursor/skills/…for every project). - MCP server. If Cursor supports MCP servers, connect the SkillMD server and ask the agent to search and install skills for you. Setup details: MCP docs.
Machine-readable version of this guide: /agents/cursor.txt
Frequently asked questions
Where does Cursor look for skills?
Cursor loads Agent Skills from ./.cursor/skills inside a project and from ~/.cursor/skills globally. Each skill lives in its own folder as <skill-name>/SKILL.md; the agent reads the skill's description and applies it when a request matches.
How do I install a skill in Cursor?
Run npm i -g skillmds@latest once, then skillmd add <owner>/<name> -a cursor in your project (add -g for global scope). The CLI writes the SKILL.md into .cursor/skills for you. You can also copy the file by hand from any skill page on skillmd.com.
Do skills made for Claude Code work in Cursor?
Yes. SKILL.md is an open, agent-neutral format: the same file works across Claude Code, Cursor, Cursor, Codex, and 60+ other agents. Only the directory it lives in changes, and skillmd add -a cursor handles that for you.