Skills Directory / Guides

How to install Claude Code skills

Four ways, from easiest to most manual. All of them end with a folder containing a SKILL.md file sitting where your agent can see it.

0. The shortcut: let your agent do it

Every skill in our directory has a Copy install prompt button. Paste that prompt into Claude Code (or any agent with shell access) and it performs the steps below itself — clone, copy, verify. This is the fastest path and works for non-Claude agents too.

1. Plugin marketplaces (Claude Code)

/plugin marketplace add anthropics/skills
/plugin   # browse and install

Marketplaces are git repos that list installable plugins, which can bundle skills. Official examples: anthropics/skills, Superpowers, the official plugin directory. Plugins update through the marketplace, so this is the best option for collections you want to keep current.

2. Clone and copy (any agent)

git clone https://github.com/obra/superpowers
cp -r superpowers/skills/test-driven-development ~/.claude/skills/

Works for every skill repo, marketplace or not. You take exactly the skills you want and nothing else.

3. Personal vs project scope

• ~/.claude/skills/ — personal: loads in every project on your machine ("install globally").
• .claude/skills/ in a repo — project: loads only there; commit it so your whole team gets the skill.

Rule of thumb: personal for your workflow preferences (TDD enforcement, commit style), project for domain knowledge (this codebase's conventions).

4. Other agents (Codex, Cursor, Gemini CLI…)

The SKILL.md format is an open standard (agentskills.io). Most compatible agents follow the same pattern — a skills directory of folders with SKILL.md files — check your agent's docs for its path. The skill content itself needs no changes.

Verify it loaded

Start a new session and ask: "list your available skills." If the new skill is missing, check that the folder contains a SKILL.md (not nested one level deeper) and that its frontmatter has both name and description.

FAQ

How do I install Claude Code skills from GitHub?

Clone the repository, then copy the skill folder (the one containing SKILL.md) into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal scope or .claude/skills/ inside a project for project scope. If the repo is a plugin marketplace, you can instead run /plugin marketplace add owner/repo and install through the /plugin menu.

How do I install a Claude Code skill globally?

Put it in ~/.claude/skills/ in your home directory. Skills there load in every project. Skills in a project's .claude/skills/ folder only load in that project and can be committed to git to share with your team.

Where does Claude Code look for skills?

Two places: ~/.claude/skills/ (personal, all projects) and .claude/skills/ in the current project. Each skill is a subfolder containing a SKILL.md file. Plugins installed from marketplaces can also carry skills.

Do I need to restart Claude Code after adding a skill?

Start a new session to be sure the skill registry is refreshed. The skill's frontmatter description is what the agent sees at startup, so make sure it is present and specific.

Next: browse the directory, learn how to write your own skill, or untangle skills vs plugins vs MCP.