Use Remote Skill

use-remote-skill

Fetch a remote skill and execute it in the current session without installing it permanently. The skill is loaded, run, and discarded.

Step 1: Parse arguments

The user's input after /use-remote-skill is flexible. Detect the format:

Format 1 — Direct SKILL.md URL: Input ends with SKILL.md. Example: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/owner/repo/main/skills/foo/SKILL.md → You have the final URL. Go to Step 3.

Format 2 — Full GitHub repo URL (± skill name): Starts with https://github.com/. Example: https://github.com/owner/repo skill-name → Extract owner/repo from URL. If a skill name follows, go to Step 2a. Otherwise go to Step 2b.

Format 3 — GitHub shorthand (owner/repo + skill name): First arg contains exactly one / and does NOT start with http. Example: anthropics/skills frontend-design → Treat as owner/repo. Next argument is the skill name. Go to Step 2a.

Format 4 — Skill name only (skills.sh search): First arg has no / and doesn't start with http. Example: frontend-design → Go to Step 2c.

Special — skills.sh package URL: If input matches https://skills.sh/package/github/{owner}/{repo}/{skill-name}, extract owner, repo, and skill-name. Go to Step 2a.

In all formats, everything after -- is the task to pass to the fetched skill.

Step 2: Resolve the SKILL.md URL

2a. Resolve from owner/repo + skill-name

Try these URLs in order using WebFetch. Stop at the first successful (HTTP 200) response:

1. https://raw.githubusercontent.com/{owner}/{repo}/main/skills/{skill-name}/SKILL.md
2. https://raw.githubusercontent.com/{owner}/{repo}/main/{skill-name}/SKILL.md
3. https://raw.githubusercontent.com/{owner}/{repo}/master/skills/{skill-name}/SKILL.md
4. https://raw.githubusercontent.com/{owner}/{repo}/master/{skill-name}/SKILL.md

If all fail, tell the user: "Could not find skill '{skill-name}' in {owner}/{repo}. Check the skill name and repo."

2b. List skills in a repo (no skill name given)

Fetch the repo's skills directory listing:

https://api.github.com/repos/{owner}/{repo}/contents/skills

Use WebFetch with header Accept: application/vnd.github.v3+json. Parse the JSON response for entries with "type": "dir". Present them as a numbered list:

Available skills in {owner}/{repo}:
  1. skill-a
  2. skill-b
  3. skill-c
Which one? (enter number or name)

Wait for the user to pick, then go to Step 2a with the chosen skill name.

If skills/ doesn't exist (404), try the repo root (/repos/{owner}/{repo}/contents) and look for directories containing a SKILL.md.

2c. Search skills.sh by name

Fetch: https://skills.sh/api/search?q={skill-name} using WebFetch.

Single result → extract source (owner/repo) and skillId (skill name), go to Step 2a.

Multiple results with a clear winner (exact name match AND 3x+ more installs than runner-up) → use it automatically, go to Step 2a.

Multiple results, no clear winner → present options sorted by installs:

Found skills matching "{skill-name}":
  1. anthropics/skills/frontend-design (45,000 installs)
  2. pbakaus/impeccable/frontend-design (12,000 installs)
Which one? (enter number)

Wait for user to pick, extract source and skillId, go to Step 2a.

No results → tell the user: "No skills found matching '{skill-name}' on skills.sh. Try a different name or provide a GitHub URL directly."

Step 3: Fetch the skill content

Use WebFetch to fetch the resolved SKILL.md URL. On failure:

• 404: "Skill not found at {url}. Check the skill name and repo."
• 403: "GitHub rate limit hit. Try again later or provide a direct raw URL."
• Other error: Show the HTTP status and URL.

Step 4: Execute the fetched skill

1. Show status:

   Fetched "{skill-name}" from {source}. Running...
   

2. Follow the fetched SKILL.md instructions exactly as if it were a locally installed skill. Use the tools it specifies, produce the outputs it defines, follow its workflow step by step.

3. Pass through arguments. If the user provided text after --, treat it as the task/prompt for the fetched skill.

4. Handle dependency files. If the skill's instructions reference files at relative paths (e.g., scripts/cli.mjs, references/foo.md), construct the full raw GitHub URL using the same base path where SKILL.md was found and fetch them with WebFetch. If a referenced file can't be fetched, inform the user and continue — SKILL.md instructions are usually self-contained enough to be useful on their own.

5. Do NOT persist the skill. Don't write it to disk or add it to the user's installed skills. At the end, suggest:

   To install this skill permanently: npx skills add {owner}/{repo} --skill {skill-name}