How do I install the Shaders skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add vchelaru/shaders 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.

What does the Shaders skill do?

Custom shaders in FlatRedBall2. Use when adding .fx shader files or troubleshooting shader compilation errors (libmojoshader, Wine). It is listed under Coding & Dev Tools on SkillMD.

Is Shaders 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 Shaders?

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 Shaders free to use?

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

Who published Shaders?

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

Shaders by vchelaru — Agent Skill

Name: Shaders
Author: vchelaru

File contents

Shaders in FlatRedBall2

Apos.Shapes

FlatRedBall2's built-in shape rendering (ShapesBatch) uses Apos.Shapes, whose shader is embedded directly in the package assembly (0.7.2+) — no content pipeline, no .xnb, no Wine dependency. The version is centralized in $(AposShapesVersion) in the repo's Directory.Packages.props; sample and template projects inherit it transitively and must not pin it themselves (see issue #495).

Custom Shaders

Adding your own .fx files to a project requires the MonoGame/KNI content pipeline to compile them at build time.

Windows

Install the Visual C++ 2013 Redistributable (x64) — the content pipeline's libmojoshader_64.dll depends on it:

winget install Microsoft.VCRedist.2013.x64

Or download from https://www.microsoft.com/download/details.aspx?id=40784.

Without it, builds fail with:

Unable to load DLL 'libmojoshader_64.dll' or one of its dependencies.

macOS and Linux

The MonoGame content pipeline uses Windows-only tools for shader compilation. Wine must be installed.

Follow the MonoGame setup guide: https://docs.monogame.net/articles/tutorials/building_2d_games/02_getting_started/index.html?tabs=macos#setup-wine-for-effect-compilation-macos-and-linux-only

For OpenGL/WebGL/DirectX targets, ShadowDusk compiles cross-platform without Wine — see the shadowdusk skill. Metal still requires the Wine path above.

KNI Backend

Shader compilation is not supported on macOS or Linux with the KNI backend. KNI projects must have their shaders compiled on Windows.

Frequently asked questions

Shaders