How do I install the Skill Updater skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add crawfordxx/skill-updater in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is Skill Updater safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Skill Updater?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Skill Updater free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Skill Updater?

crawfordxx (@crawfordxx) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Skill Updater by crawfordxx — Agent Skill

Name: Skill Updater
Author: crawfordxx

Skill Updater

Scan all installed Claude Code skills, check if they originate from open-source GitHub repos, and detect available updates. Use this skill when the user mentions updating skills, checking skill versions, auditing installed skills, skill freshness, or wants to know which skills are from GitHub and whether newer versions exist. Also trigger when the user says 'check my skills', 'update skills', 'skill status', or anything about skill maintenance.

crawfordxx bfab617 3 files · 10.5 KB Updated Sep 17, 2026

File contents

Skill Updater

Scan installed Claude Code skills, identify their GitHub origins, and check for available updates using gh CLI.

How It Works

Skills can come from two places:

GitHub repos — tracked in skills-lock.json with source, sourceType, and computedHash
Local/custom — created by the user, no upstream source

This skill scans both project-level (<project>/.claude/skills/) and global (~/.claude/skills/) skill directories, cross-references with skills-lock.json, and uses gh CLI to check if upstream repos have newer versions.

Usage

Run the scanner script:

python3 <skill-dir>/scripts/scan_skills.py [options]

Options

Flag	Description
`--project-dir PATH`	Project root (default: current working directory)
`--global-dir PATH`	Global skills dir (default: `~/.claude/skills`)
`--lock-file PATH`	Path to skills-lock.json (default: `<project-dir>/skills-lock.json`)
`--check-updates`	Actually query GitHub for updates (slower, requires `gh` CLI)
`--json`	Output as JSON instead of table
`--outdated-only`	Only show skills that have updates available

Examples

Quick overview — list all skills and their sources:

python3 scripts/scan_skills.py --project-dir /Users/crawford/workspace

Check for updates — compare local hashes against GitHub:

python3 scripts/scan_skills.py --project-dir /Users/crawford/workspace --check-updates

Show only outdated — filter to skills needing updates:

python3 scripts/scan_skills.py --project-dir /Users/crawford/workspace --check-updates --outdated-only

JSON output — for programmatic use:

python3 scripts/scan_skills.py --project-dir /Users/crawford/workspace --check-updates --json

Workflow

Run the script to get a status overview
Review which skills have updates available
For skills you want to update, the script prints the claude skill install command
For local skills, it checks if a matching GitHub repo exists (by searching skill name)

Interpreting Results

Status	Meaning
`up-to-date`	Local hash matches upstream — no action needed
`update-available`	Upstream has changed since last install
`local`	Not from GitHub, user-created skill
`unknown`	In lock file but couldn't check upstream
`not-tracked`	On disk but not in skills-lock.json

Requirements

gh CLI installed and authenticated (gh auth status)
Python 3.8+
skills-lock.json in the project root (created by claude skill install)

---name: skill-updaterdescription: Scan all installed Claude Code skills, check if they originate from open-source GitHub repos, and detect available updates. Use this skill when the user mentions updating skills, checking skill versions, auditing installed skills, skill freshness, or wants to know which skills are from GitHub and whether newer versions exist. Also trigger when the user says 'check my skills', 'update skills', 'skill status', or anything about skill maintenance.---# Skill UpdaterScan installed Claude Code skills, identify their GitHub origins, and check for available updates using `gh` CLI.## How It WorksSkills can come from two places:1. **GitHub repos** — tracked in `skills-lock.json` with `source`, `sourceType`, and `computedHash`2. **Local/custom** — created by the user, no upstream sourceThis skill scans both project-level (`<project>/.claude/skills/`) and global (`~/.claude/skills/`) skill directories, cross-references with `skills-lock.json`, and uses `gh` CLI to check if upstream repos have newer versions.## UsageRun the scanner script:```bashpython3 <skill-dir>/scripts/scan_skills.py [options]```### Options| Flag | Description ||------|-------------|| `--project-dir PATH` | Project root (default: current working directory) || `--global-dir PATH` | Global skills dir (default: `~/.claude/skills`) || `--lock-file PATH` | Path to skills-lock.json (default: `<project-dir>/skills-lock.json`) || `--check-updates` | Actually query GitHub for updates (slower, requires `gh` CLI) || `--json` | Output as JSON instead of table || `--outdated-only` | Only show skills that have updates available |### Examples**Quick overview** — list all skills and their sources:```bashpython3 scripts/scan_skills.py --project-dir /Users/crawford/workspace```**Check for updates** — compare local hashes against GitHub:```bashpython3 scripts/scan_skills.py --project-dir /Users/crawford/workspace --check-updates```**Show only outdated** — filter to skills needing updates:```bashpython3 scripts/scan_skills.py --project-dir /Users/crawford/workspace --check-updates --outdated-only```**JSON output** — for programmatic use:```bashpython3 scripts/scan_skills.py --project-dir /Users/crawford/workspace --check-updates --json```## Workflow1. Run the script to get a status overview2. Review which skills have updates available3. For skills you want to update, the script prints the `claude skill install` command4. For local skills, it checks if a matching GitHub repo exists (by searching skill name)## Interpreting Results| Status | Meaning ||--------|---------|| `up-to-date` | Local hash matches upstream — no action needed || `update-available` | Upstream has changed since last install || `local` | Not from GitHub, user-created skill || `unknown` | In lock file but couldn't check upstream || `not-tracked` | On disk but not in skills-lock.json |## Requirements- `gh` CLI installed and authenticated (`gh auth status`)- Python 3.8+- `skills-lock.json` in the project root (created by `claude skill install`)

Frequently asked questions

Skill Updater

File contents

Skill Updater

How It Works

Usage

Options

Examples

Workflow

Interpreting Results

Requirements

Related skills

Frequently asked questions

How do I install the Skill Updater skill?

What does the Skill Updater skill do?

Is Skill Updater safe to use?

Which AI agents work with Skill Updater?

Is Skill Updater free to use?

Who published Skill Updater?