How do I install the File Compress skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add dalehurley/file-compress 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 File Compress 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 File Compress?

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 File Compress free to use?

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

Who published File Compress?

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

File Compress by dalehurley — Agent Skill

Name: File Compress
Author: dalehurley

File contents

Skill: file-compress

When to Use

Use this skill when the user asks to:

Zip or compress files/folders
Unzip or extract an archive
Create a ZIP or tar.gz archive
List contents of an archive
Compress files for sharing or backup

Supported Formats

Format	Extensions	Notes
ZIP	`.zip`	Most common, cross-platform
Gzipped Tar	`.tar.gz`, `.tgz`	Unix standard, preserves permissions

Input Parameters

Parameter	Required	Description	Example
`action`	Yes	`create`, `extract`, or `list`	create
`archive_path`	Yes	Path to the archive file	./backup.zip
`files`	For create	Files/directories to include	file1.txt dir/
`target_dir`	For extract	Directory to extract to (default: current)	./output/
`format`	For create	`zip` (default) or `tar.gz`	zip

Procedure

Determine the action from the user's request

Run the bundled script:

# Create a ZIP archive
python3 skills/file-compress/scripts/archive.py create backup.zip file1.txt file2.txt mydir/

# Create a tar.gz archive
python3 skills/file-compress/scripts/archive.py create backup.tar.gz --format tar.gz file1.txt mydir/

# Extract an archive
python3 skills/file-compress/scripts/archive.py extract backup.zip --target ./output/

# List archive contents
python3 skills/file-compress/scripts/archive.py list backup.zip

Report the result to the user

Bundled Scripts

Script	Type	Description
`scripts/archive.py`	Python	Create, extract, and list ZIP/tar.gz archives

Script Usage

# Create ZIP from files and directories
python3 scripts/archive.py create output.zip file1.txt file2.txt mydir/

# Create tar.gz
python3 scripts/archive.py create output.tar.gz --format tar.gz src/ README.md

# Extract to current directory
python3 scripts/archive.py extract archive.zip

# Extract to specific directory
python3 scripts/archive.py extract archive.tar.gz --target /tmp/extracted/

# List contents
python3 scripts/archive.py list archive.zip

Example

zip up the src/ folder
create a tar.gz of these files
extract backup.zip to my desktop
what's inside archive.tar.gz
compress the project folder into a zip
unzip downloaded-file.zip

---name: file-compressdescription: Create and extract ZIP and tar.gz archives. Use this skill when the user asks to zip files, unzip an archive, compress a folder, extract a tar.gz, create an archive, or list archive contents.---# Skill: file-compress## When to UseUse this skill when the user asks to:- Zip or compress files/folders- Unzip or extract an archive- Create a ZIP or tar.gz archive- List contents of an archive- Compress files for sharing or backup## Supported Formats| Format | Extensions | Notes || ----------- | ----------------- | ------------------------------------ || ZIP | `.zip` | Most common, cross-platform || Gzipped Tar | `.tar.gz`, `.tgz` | Unix standard, preserves permissions |## Input Parameters| Parameter | Required | Description | Example || -------------- | ----------- | ------------------------------------------ | -------------- || `action` | Yes | `create`, `extract`, or `list` | create || `archive_path` | Yes | Path to the archive file | ./backup.zip || `files` | For create | Files/directories to include | file1.txt dir/ || `target_dir` | For extract | Directory to extract to (default: current) | ./output/ || `format` | For create | `zip` (default) or `tar.gz` | zip |## Procedure1. Determine the action from the user's request2. Run the bundled script: ```bash # Create a ZIP archive python3 skills/file-compress/scripts/archive.py create backup.zip file1.txt file2.txt mydir/ # Create a tar.gz archive python3 skills/file-compress/scripts/archive.py create backup.tar.gz --format tar.gz file1.txt mydir/ # Extract an archive python3 skills/file-compress/scripts/archive.py extract backup.zip --target ./output/ # List archive contents python3 skills/file-compress/scripts/archive.py list backup.zip ```3. Report the result to the user## Bundled Scripts| Script | Type | Description || -------------------- | ------ | --------------------------------------------- || `scripts/archive.py` | Python | Create, extract, and list ZIP/tar.gz archives |### Script Usage```bash# Create ZIP from files and directoriespython3 scripts/archive.py create output.zip file1.txt file2.txt mydir/# Create tar.gzpython3 scripts/archive.py create output.tar.gz --format tar.gz src/ README.md# Extract to current directorypython3 scripts/archive.py extract archive.zip# Extract to specific directorypython3 scripts/archive.py extract archive.tar.gz --target /tmp/extracted/# List contentspython3 scripts/archive.py list archive.zip```## Example```zip up the src/ foldercreate a tar.gz of these filesextract backup.zip to my desktopwhat's inside archive.tar.gzcompress the project folder into a zipunzip downloaded-file.zip```

Frequently asked questions

File Compress