Skip to main content

​
Usage

skills add <source> [options]

​
Description

The add command installs skills from various sources including GitHub repositories, Git URLs, direct URLs, or local paths. Skills can be installed globally (available across all projects) or locally (scoped to the current project).

​
Arguments

​
source
string
required
Source identifier for the skill repository. Supports:
  • GitHub shorthand: owner/repo
  • Full GitHub URL: https://github.com/owner/repo
  • Direct path to skill: https://github.com/owner/repo/tree/main/skills/skill-name
  • Git URL: [email protected]:owner/repo.git
  • GitLab URL: https://gitlab.com/org/repo
  • Local path: ./my-local-skills
  • Skill filter syntax: owner/repo@skill-name

​
Options

​
-g, --global
boolean
Install skills globally to the user directory (~/<agent>/skills/) instead of the current project directory (./<agent>/skills/).Default: false (project-scoped)
​
-a, --agent
string[]
Target specific agents for installation. Accepts multiple agent names or '*' for all agents.Examples:
  • -a claude-code -a cursor
  • --agent '*' (all agents)
Valid agent names: claude-code, opencode, cursor, codex, cline, etc.
​
-s, --skill
string[]
Install only specific skills by name. Accepts multiple skill names or '*' for all skills.Examples:
  • -s frontend-design -s skill-creator
  • --skill '*' (all skills)
  • --skill "Convex Best Practices" (skill names with spaces must be quoted)
​
-l, --list
boolean
List all available skills in the repository without installing them.Default: false
​
--copy
boolean
Copy files instead of creating symlinks to agent directories. Use when symlinks aren’t supported.Default: false (uses symlinks)
​
-y, --yes
boolean
Skip all confirmation prompts. Automatically accepts all defaults.Default: false
​
--all
boolean
Shorthand for --skill '*' --agent '*' -y. Installs all skills to all agents without prompts.Default: false
​
--full-depth
boolean
Search all subdirectories for skills, even when a root SKILL.md exists.Default: false

​
Examples

# Install from GitHub (shorthand)
skills add vercel-labs/agent-skills

# Install from full GitHub URL
skills add https://github.com/vercel-labs/agent-skills

​
Installation Scope

1

Project-Scoped (Default)

Skills are installed to ./<agent>/skills/ in your current directory. These skills are:
  • Committed with your project
  • Shared with your team
  • Only available in this project
skills add vercel-labs/agent-skills
2

Global Installation

Skills are installed to ~/<agent>/skills/ in your home directory. These skills are:
  • Available across all projects
  • User-specific (not committed)
  • Persistent after project deletion
skills add vercel-labs/agent-skills -g

​
Installation Methods

Creates a canonical copy in .agents/skills/ and symlinks from each agent directory. Advantages:
  • Single source of truth
  • Easy updates
  • Saves disk space
Example: 
.agents/skills/frontend-design/  (canonical)
.claude/skills/frontend-design   → symlink to .agents/skills/frontend-design
.cursor/skills/frontend-design   → symlink to .agents/skills/frontend-design

​
Copy

Creates independent copies in each agent directory. Advantages:
  • Works on Windows without Developer Mode
  • Works in environments where symlinks aren’t supported
Disadvantages:
  • Uses more disk space
  • Updates require reinstallation
Example: 
.claude/skills/frontend-design/  (copy 1)
.cursor/skills/frontend-design/  (copy 2)

​
Aliases

The following aliases are available:
  • skills a → skills add
  • skills install → skills add
  • skills i → skills add

​
Interactive Mode

When run without the -y flag, the CLI will prompt you to:
  1. Select skills (if multiple skills are found)
  2. Select agents (if no agents specified with -a)
  3. Choose scope (project vs global)
  4. Choose method (symlink vs copy)
  5. Confirm installation (review summary before proceeding)

​
Output Example

$ skills add vercel-labs/agent-skills -s frontend-design -a claude-code

███████╗██╗  ██╗██╗██╗     ██╗     ███████╗
██╔════╝██║ ██╔╝██║██║     ██║     ██╔════╝
███████╗█████╔╝ ██║██║     ██║     ███████╗
╚════██║██╔═██╗ ██║██║     ██║     ╚════██║
███████║██║  ██╗██║███████╗███████╗███████║
╚══════╝╚═╝  ╚═╝╚═╝╚══════╝╚══════╝╚══════╝

◆  Source: vercel-labs/agent-skills
◇  Found 1 skill
◆  Skill: frontend-design
   Comprehensive guidelines for modern web design

┌  Installation Summary
│
│  .agents/skills/frontend-design
│    universal: OpenCode, Claude Code, Codex
│
└

◆  Proceed with installation? … yes
◇  Installation complete

┌  Installed 1 skill
│
│  ✓ .agents/skills/frontend-design
│    universal: OpenCode, Claude Code, Codex
│
└

◆  Done!  Review skills before use; they run with full agent permissions.

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get started for freeTalk to us