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An AI skill is a note your agent reads before it does a job.

A short text file: what the job is, how you want it done. The agent keeps it and uses it whenever that job comes up.

01

It's just a file.

One Markdown file, SKILL.md. The top says when to use it. The rest says how. Plain English, no code.

--- name: review-my-pr description: Review a pull request the way our team does. --- when to use it how to do it
02

You ask. The agent picks the skill.

No need to name it. The agent reads each skill's description, picks the one that fits your request, and follows it.

YOU “Review this PR” AGENT make-a-deck review-my-pr extract-pdf-tables RESULT Reviewed, your way matches the description, loads the skill
03

Explain it once.

Without a skill, you retype the same instructions every session and the results drift. With one, every run follows the same steps. Share the file with your team, fix it when it's wrong.

WITHOUT A SKILL typed again and again WITH A SKILL SKILL.md saved once, used forever RESULTS different each time the same every time
04

What can AI skills do?

Anything you can write down. A few of the 372,009 skills on SkillMD:

  • Review pull requeststhe same checklist every time
  • Build slide decksfrom a memo, in your template
  • Extract tables from PDFsinto clean spreadsheets
  • Write commit messagesin your team's style
  • Set up a Dockerfileoptimized and cached properly
  • Draft release notesfrom merged changes
  • Audit accessibilityagainst WCAG, with fixes
  • Design database migrationssafe, reversible, tested
05

One skill. Every agent.

The format is open. The same file works in Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, and 60+ other agents. Switch tools, keep your skills.

SKILL.md Claude Code Cursor Codex Gemini CLI 60+ more
06

Reviewed before you see it.

An agent will do what a skill says, so read it first. Every public skill on SkillMD passes an automated safety review, and its page shows what it can touch: scripts, network, secrets.

review-my-pr Safety review: passed docs only no scripts no network no secrets what this skill can touch

Try one.

Pick a skill, run one command.

npx skillmds add anthropic/pdf

Browse skills Read the guide

Questions

What are AI skills?

An Agent Skill is a reusable instruction file that teaches an AI agent to do one task well, such as reviewing code or extracting PDF tables. It ships as a SKILL.md file: YAML frontmatter plus Markdown instructions. The agent loads it automatically when a request matches, and the same file works across Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, and 60+ other agents.

What is the difference between an AI skill and a prompt?

A prompt is typed once and gone. A skill is saved, and the agent loads it by itself whenever the task comes up.

Do AI skills work with my agent?

Yes, if it reads SKILL.md. That covers Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, and 60+ others. One file works in all of them.

Are AI skills safe to install?

Every public skill on SkillMD passes an automated safety review before listing. Its page shows the verdict and whether it runs scripts, makes network calls, or reads secrets. Read a skill before installing it.

How do I install an AI skill?

Run npx skillmds add owner/name. The CLI finds your agents and puts the file where each one looks. You can also copy SKILL.md by hand or use the MCP server.

Are AI skills free?

Yes. Search, save, install, and publish for free. Each skill keeps its author's license.

Technical version: What is an Agent Skill? and the SKILL.md format.