Skills Management

Skills Manager

Quick Reference

Scopes

User scope takes precedence over project scope for skills with the same name.

Operations

List Skills

python3 scripts/list_skills.py              # All skills
python3 scripts/list_skills.py -s user      # User scope only
python3 scripts/list_skills.py -f json      # JSON output

Show Skill Details

python3 scripts/show_skill.py <name>           # Basic info
python3 scripts/show_skill.py <name> --files   # Include file listing
python3 scripts/show_skill.py <name> -f json   # JSON output

Review Skill

Audits a skill against best practices and suggests improvements:

python3 scripts/review_skill.py <name>         # Review with text output
python3 scripts/review_skill.py <name> -f json # JSON output for programmatic use

Checks performed:

• Name format (lowercase, hyphens, max 64 chars, gerund form)
• Description quality (triggers, third person, specificity)
• Body length (warns if >500 lines)
• Time-sensitive content
• Path format (no Windows backslashes)
• Reference depth (should be one level)
• Table of contents for long files

After reviewing: Read the skill's SKILL.md and apply the suggested fixes directly.

Delete Skill

CRITICAL: Always use AskUserQuestion to confirm before deleting: "Are you sure you want to delete the skill '[name]'? This cannot be undone."

python3 scripts/delete_skill.py <name>              # Claude Code only, with confirmation
python3 scripts/delete_skill.py <name> --force      # Skip confirmation prompt
python3 scripts/delete_skill.py <name> -s project   # Target specific scope
python3 scripts/delete_skill.py <name> -a cursor    # Delete from specific agent
python3 scripts/delete_skill.py <name> --all-agents --force  # Delete from all agents

Multi-agent deletion: Skills installed via npx skills add may exist in multiple agent directories. The default mode (no flags) deletes from Claude Code only and warns if copies remain in other agents. Use --all-agents to delete from every detected agent at once.

For ecosystem-installed skills, prefer npx skills remove <name> -g -y first. Use delete_skill.py --all-agents as fallback for manual cleanup.

Move Skill

python3 scripts/move_skill.py <name> user      # Project → User (personal)
python3 scripts/move_skill.py <name> project   # User → Project (share with team)
python3 scripts/move_skill.py <name> user -f   # Overwrite if exists

Modify Skill

1. Run python3 scripts/show_skill.py <name> to locate it
2. Edit SKILL.md directly at the returned path

Create New Skill

Use the /skill-creator skill for guided creation with proper structure.

Discover & Install Skills

Search and install skills from the open agent skills ecosystem via the Skills CLI (npx skills). Browse at skills.sh.

Find Skills

npx skills find [query]              # Interactive search
npx skills find react performance    # Keyword search
npx skills find pr review            # Search by task

Install from Ecosystem

npx skills add <owner/repo@skill> -g -y    # Install globally, skip prompts
npx skills add vercel-labs/agent-skills@vercel-react-best-practices -g -y

List Ecosystem Skills

npx skills list                      # List all installed ecosystem skills
npx skills ls                        # Alias
npx skills list -g                   # Global skills only
npx skills list -a cursor            # Skills for a specific agent

Remove Ecosystem Skills

Uninstalls skills installed via npx skills add. For locally-created skills, use python3 scripts/delete_skill.py instead.

CRITICAL: Always confirm with the user before removing.

npx skills remove <name> -g -y       # Remove a global skill, skip prompt
npx skills rm <name>                 # Alias, with confirmation prompt
npx skills remove <name> -a cursor   # Remove from specific agent
npx skills remove --all -g -y        # Remove all global ecosystem skills

Check & Update

npx skills check                     # Check for available updates
npx skills update                    # Update all installed skills

When the user asks to "update skills", "update all skills", "are my skills up to date?", or "check for updates":

1. Run npx skills check first to show what has updates available
2. If updates exist, confirm with user before running npx skills update
3. After updating, remind user to restart the agent for changes to take effect

When to Search

Use npx skills find when the user:

• Asks "how do I do X" where X is a common task
• Says "find a skill for X" or "is there a skill for X"
• Wants specialized capabilities (design, testing, deployment, etc.)

Common Search Categories

Review & Compare Results

Always suggest reviewing found skills after a search. After presenting search results, ask the user if they'd like you to review and compare the top candidates before installing.

When there are 2+ results, proactively offer to fetch and assess the top candidates. This is agent-driven — use WebFetch on https://skills.sh/<owner>/<repo>/<skill> pages and apply judgment.

Always offer review when:

• Any search returns results (ask: "Want me to review these skills before you install?")
• 3+ results returned — review is especially valuable
• Multiple results with similar names or overlapping descriptions
• User asks to compare, review, evaluate, or pick the best
• A result has suspicious metrics (niche topic with very high installs)

Process:

1. Present the search results summary first
2. Ask the user if they want you to review/compare the top candidates
3. If yes: fetch skills.sh pages for top 3-6 candidates
4. Evaluate quality signals: install count, agent distribution, age, description, relevance, overlap with installed skills
5. Assign verdict: Recommended / Consider / Skip
6. Present ranked summary with 1-2 sentence assessments

See references/remote-skill-assessment.md for the full assessment framework including red flags and scoring signals.

No Results

If no skills found: offer to help directly, then suggest npx skills init <name> to create a custom skill.

Multi-Agent Operations

Manage skills across 42 supported AI coding agents. Full registry at skills.sh.

Supported Agents

Detect Installed Agents

python3 scripts/detect_agents.py              # List detected agents
python3 scripts/detect_agents.py --all        # Show all supported agents
python3 scripts/detect_agents.py -f json      # JSON output

List Skills for Any Agent

python3 scripts/list_agent_skills.py --agent cursor           # Single agent
python3 scripts/list_agent_skills.py --agent goose -s global  # Specific scope
python3 scripts/list_agent_skills.py --all                    # All detected agents
python3 scripts/list_agent_skills.py --agent amp -f json      # JSON output

Install Skill to Agents

python3 scripts/install_skill.py /path/to/skill --agent cursor              # Single agent
python3 scripts/install_skill.py /path/to/skill --agent cursor --agent amp  # Multiple agents
python3 scripts/install_skill.py /path/to/skill --all                       # All detected
python3 scripts/install_skill.py /path/to/skill --agent goose -s global     # Global scope
python3 scripts/install_skill.py /path/to/skill --agent cursor --force      # Overwrite

Copy Skill Between Agents

python3 scripts/copy_skill.py my-skill --from claude-code --to cursor
python3 scripts/copy_skill.py my-skill --from claude-code --to cursor --to-scope global
python3 scripts/copy_skill.py my-skill --from claude-code --from-scope project --to amp
python3 scripts/copy_skill.py my-skill --from claude-code --to cursor --force

Move Skill Between Agents

python3 scripts/move_skill_agent.py my-skill --from claude-code --to cursor
python3 scripts/move_skill_agent.py my-skill --from claude-code --to goose --force

Important Notes

• Restart required: After adding, removing, or moving skills, restart the AI agent for changes to take effect
• Edits are immediate: Changes to existing skill content work without restart
• Agent detection: Uses config directory presence to detect installed agents
• Always update all agents: When updating a locally-developed skill, use install_skill.py --all -s global --force to push changes to every detected agent — not just Claude Code. A skill updated only in ~/.claude/skills/ will be stale in all other agents

References — The Complete Guide to Building Skills for Claude

Consult these when reviewing skills or advising on skill structure and best practices.

Acknowledgments

Multi-agent support is based on the Skills CLI (npx skills) by Vercel Labs. Browse the open agent skills ecosystem at skills.sh.