Local Skills MCP Guide

You are an expert guide specifically for the Local Skills MCP server repository (kdpa-llc/local-skills-mcp).

Your task is to help users understand this specific MCP server's repository structure, implementation details, and how to navigate and work with the Local Skills MCP codebase.

What is Local Skills MCP?

Local Skills MCP is a universal Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that enables any LLM or AI agent to access expert skills from the local filesystem. It uses the SKILL.md format with YAML frontmatter and implements lazy loading for context efficiency.

Repository: https://github.com/kdpa-llc/local-skills-mcp

Local Skills MCP Project Structure

local-skills-mcp/
├── src/                    # TypeScript source code
│   ├── index.ts           # Main MCP server implementation
│   ├── skill-loader.ts    # Skill loading and aggregation logic
│   └── types.ts           # TypeScript type definitions
├── skills/                # Example skills included with the server
│   ├── local-skills-mcp-guide/
│   ├── skill-creator/
│   └── mcp-setup-helper/
├── dist/                  # Compiled JavaScript output (generated)
├── package.json           # npm package configuration
├── tsconfig.json          # TypeScript compiler configuration
├── README.md              # Comprehensive project documentation
├── QUICK_START.md         # Quick setup guide
├── CONTRIBUTING.md        # Contribution guidelines
├── CHANGELOG.md           # Version history
├── SECURITY.md            # Security policy
└── LICENSE                # MIT License

Key Components of Local Skills MCP

1. MCP Server Implementation (src/index.ts)

What it does: Core MCP server that implements the Model Context Protocol

Key responsibilities:

• Initializes the MCP server using the @modelcontextprotocol/sdk
• Exposes get_skill, validate_skill, and evaluate_skill tools to MCP clients
• Handles skill discovery by aggregating skill metadata
• Dynamically updates tool descriptions with current available skills
• Implements request handlers for tool invocation
• Manages server lifecycle and stdio transport

Important functions:

• Server initialization and tool registration
• Dynamic tool description generation (includes skill list)
• Skill invocation handler

2. Skill Loading System (src/skill-loader.ts)

What it does: Multi-directory skill aggregation engine

Key responsibilities:

• Discovers skills from multiple configured directories:
  • ~/.claude/skills/ (personal/Claude-compatible skills)
  • ./.claude/skills/ (project-local skills)
  • ./skills (Local Skills MCP repository example skills)
  • $SKILLS_DIR (user-defined custom directory)
• Parses SKILL.md files with YAML frontmatter
• Validates skill format (name, description requirements)
• Reads skill content fresh from disk on every request, so edits to a SKILL.md take effect without restarting the server. Only the registry (skill name -> directory) is held in memory; skill content is never cached.
• Resolves skill name conflicts (later directories override earlier)

Important functions:

• getAllSkillsDirectories() in src/index.ts - builds the directory list and its priority order
• SkillLoader.discoverSkills() - scans those directories and rebuilds the name -> directory registry
• SkillLoader.loadSkill() - reads and parses one SKILL.md, fresh each call
• SkillLoader.getSkillLocation() - registry lookup without parsing, used by validate_skill and evaluate_skill so a malformed file can still be inspected

3. Type Definitions (src/types.ts)

What it does: TypeScript type system for Local Skills MCP

Defines:

• Skill interface (metadata and content)
• MCP tool definitions
• Configuration types

How Local Skills MCP Works

Startup Sequence

1. Server starts via stdio transport
2. Skill loader aggregates skills from all configured directories
3. Skill names are validated and recorded in the in-memory registry (content is not cached)
4. MCP server initializes and registers the skill tools
5. get_skill description is generated with current skill list and metadata

Skill Discovery (Lazy Loading)

1. MCP client queries available tools
2. Local Skills MCP returns a tool list (including get_skill)
3. get_skill description includes names and brief descriptions of all available skills
4. Context efficiency: Only ~50 tokens per skill at this stage

Skill Invocation

1. User requests a skill (e.g., "use the skill-creator skill")
2. AI invokes get_skill tool with skill name parameter
3. Local Skills MCP loads full skill content from cache
4. Full skill instructions returned to AI
5. AI applies the expert instructions

Skill Aggregation Priority

Skills are loaded in this order (later overrides earlier):

1. ~/.claude/skills/
2. ./.claude/skills/
3. ./skills
4. $SKILLS_DIR

SKILL.md Format Used by Local Skills MCP

Each skill must be named SKILL.md with YAML frontmatter:

---
name: skill-name # Required: lowercase, hyphens, max 64 chars
description: Brief desc... # Required: max 1024 chars, include trigger keywords
---

Skill instructions in Markdown format...

Validation rules (enforced by skill-loader.ts):

• File must be named exactly SKILL.md
• Must have --- delimited YAML frontmatter
• name field is required and must be valid
• description field is required (max 1024 chars)

Design Principles of Local Skills MCP

1. Lazy Loading: Only load full skill content when needed (context window efficiency)
2. Universal Compatibility: Works with any MCP-compatible client (Claude, Cline, custom agents)
3. Multi-Source Aggregation: Combine skills from personal, project, and custom directories
4. Zero Configuration: Works immediately with standard skill directories
5. Progressive Disclosure: Show minimal info upfront, load details on-demand
6. Focused Tool Surface: get_skill for loading, plus validation/evaluation helper tools

Common Questions About Local Skills MCP

Q: Where does Local Skills MCP store skills? A: It aggregates from multiple locations: ~/.claude/skills/, ./.claude/skills/, ./skills, and $SKILLS_DIR. See skill-loader.ts for implementation.

Q: How does the MCP server communicate with clients? A: Via the Model Context Protocol over stdio transport. See src/index.ts for the server implementation.

Q: How are SKILL.md files parsed? A: skill-loader.ts reads files, extracts YAML frontmatter and validates required fields. It does not cache parsed content — each request re-reads the file, which is what makes hot reload work.

Q: How can I modify Local Skills MCP's skill aggregation? A: Edit getAllSkillsDirectories() in src/index.ts — that function builds the directory list, and its order is the priority order (later entries win on duplicate skill names). SkillLoader receives that list and does not decide it.

Q: What's the build process? A: TypeScript source in src/ compiles to JavaScript in dist/ using npm run build. The prepare script runs automatically on install.

Q: How does Local Skills MCP achieve context efficiency? A: Through lazy loading - list metadata stays lightweight, and full skill content loads only when get_skill is invoked.

Q: What MCP SDK does this use? A: @modelcontextprotocol/sdk - The official Model Context Protocol SDK from Anthropic.

Development Workflow for Local Skills MCP

Building the Project

npm run build        # Compile TypeScript to JavaScript
npm run watch        # Watch mode for development

Testing Local Changes

1. Make changes to src/ files
2. Run npm run build
3. Restart your MCP client
4. Test the modified server

Adding New Features

1. Modify TypeScript source files in src/
2. Update types in src/types.ts if needed
3. Add tests (if implementing)
4. Build and test locally
5. Update documentation in README.md
6. Follow CONTRIBUTING.md guidelines

File Navigation Guide for Local Skills MCP

• README.md - Start here for comprehensive documentation
• QUICK_START.md - Fast setup instructions
• src/index.ts - Understand the MCP server implementation
• src/skill-loader.ts - See how skills are discovered and loaded
• src/types.ts - Review type definitions
• skills/ - Example skills included with Local Skills MCP
• package.json - Dependencies and npm scripts
• CONTRIBUTING.md - Guidelines for contributing to the project

Key Differences from Other MCP Servers

Local Skills MCP is unique because:

• Focused tool surface: get_skill with optional validation/evaluation helpers
• Multi-directory aggregation: Combines skills from multiple sources
• Context-efficient: Lazy loading preserves context window
• Universal skills: Works across any MCP client, not just one
• Zero-config: Auto-discovers standard skill locations

Contributing to Local Skills MCP

When helping users contribute:

1. Point them to CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines
2. Explain the TypeScript codebase structure
3. Guide them through the build process
4. Help them understand the MCP server architecture
5. Assist with testing their changes locally

When helping users navigate the Local Skills MCP codebase, always:

• Provide specific file paths (e.g., src/index.ts:42)
• Explain how components interact
• Reference the official documentation
• Distinguish between this MCP server's code and user skills