Universal skills loader for AI coding agents

One CLI. Every agent. Same format as Claude Code.

Quick Start · How It Works · Commands · Create Skills · FAQ

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✨ What Is OpenSkills?

OpenSkills brings Anthropic's skills system to every AI coding agent — Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, Aider, Codex, and anything that can read AGENTS.md.

Think of it as the universal installer for SKILL.md.

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🚀 Quick Start

npx openskills install anthropics/skills
npx openskills sync

By default, installs are project-local (./.claude/skills, or ./.agent/skills with --universal). Use --global for ~/.claude/skills.

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✅ Why OpenSkills

• Exact Claude Code compatibility — same prompt format, same marketplace, same folder structure
• Universal — works with Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, Aider, Codex, and more
• Progressive disclosure — load skills only when needed (keeps context clean)
• Repo-friendly — skills live in your project and can be versioned
• Private friendly — install from local paths or private git repos

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🧠 How It Works

Claude Code System Prompt (Skills)

Claude Code ships skills as SKILL.md files and exposes them inside a <available_skills> block. When the user asks for a task, Claude dynamically loads the matching skill.

<available_skills>
<skill>
<name>pdf</name>
<description>Comprehensive PDF manipulation toolkit for extracting text and tables...</description>
<location>plugin</location>
</skill>
</available_skills>

OpenSkills: Same Format, Universal Loader

OpenSkills generates the exact same <available_skills> XML in your AGENTS.md and loads skills via:

npx openskills read <skill-name>

So any agent that can read AGENTS.md can use Claude Code skills without needing Claude Code itself.

Side-by-Side

Aspect	Claude Code	OpenSkills
Prompt Format	<available_skills> XML	Same XML
Skill Storage	.claude/skills/	.claude/skills/ (default)
Invocation	Skill("name") tool	npx openskills read <name>
Marketplace	Anthropic marketplace	GitHub (anthropics/skills)
Progressive Disclosure	✅	✅

Show the exact AGENTS.md format OpenSkills writes

<skills_system priority="1">

## Available Skills

<!-- SKILLS_TABLE_START -->
<usage>
When users ask you to perform tasks, check if any of the available skills below can help complete the task more effectively.

How to use skills:
- Invoke: `npx openskills read <skill-name>` (run in your shell)
- The skill content will load with detailed instructions
- Base directory provided in output for resolving bundled resources

Usage notes:
- Only use skills listed in <available_skills> below
- Do not invoke a skill that is already loaded in your context
</usage>

<available_skills>

<skill>
<name>pdf</name>
<description>Comprehensive PDF manipulation toolkit for extracting text and tables, creating new PDFs, merging/splitting documents, and handling forms...</description>
<location>project</location>
</skill>

</available_skills>
<!-- SKILLS_TABLE_END -->

</skills_system>

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🔧 Install Skills

From Anthropic Marketplace

npx openskills install anthropics/skills

From Any GitHub Repo

npx openskills install your-org/your-skills

From a Local Path

npx openskills install ./local-skills/my-skill

From Private Git Repos

npx openskills install git@github.com:your-org/private-skills.git

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🌍 Universal Mode (Multi-Agent Setups)

If you use Claude Code and other agents with one AGENTS.md, install to .agent/skills/ to avoid conflicts with Claude's plugin marketplace:

npx openskills install anthropics/skills --universal

Priority order (highest wins):

1. ./.agent/skills/
2. ~/.agent/skills/
3. ./.claude/skills/
4. ~/.claude/skills/

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🧰 Commands

npx openskills install <source> [options]  # Install from GitHub, local path, or private repo
npx openskills sync [-y] [-o <path>]       # Update AGENTS.md (or custom output)
npx openskills list                        # Show installed skills
npx openskills read <name>                 # Load skill (for agents)
npx openskills update [name...]            # Update installed skills (default: all)
npx openskills manage                      # Remove skills (interactive)
npx openskills remove <name>               # Remove specific skill

Flags

• --global — Install globally to ~/.claude/skills (default: project install)
• --universal — Install to .agent/skills/ instead of .claude/skills/
• -y, --yes — Skip prompts (useful for CI)
• -o, --output <path> — Output file for sync (default: AGENTS.md)

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🧬 The SKILL.md Format

OpenSkills uses Anthropic's exact format:

---
name: pdf
description: Comprehensive PDF manipulation toolkit for extracting text and tables, creating new PDFs, merging/splitting documents, and handling forms.
---

# PDF Skill Instructions

When the user asks you to work with PDFs, follow these steps:
1. Install dependencies: `pip install pypdf2`
2. Extract text using scripts/extract_text.py
3. Use references/api-docs.md for details

Skills are loaded on demand, keeping your agent's context clean and focused.

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🧪 Creating Your Own Skills

Minimal Structure

my-skill/
└── SKILL.md

With Resources

my-skill/
├── SKILL.md
├── references/
├── scripts/
└── assets/

Install your own skill:

npx openskills install ./my-skill

Local Development with Symlinks

git clone git@github.com:your-org/my-skills.git ~/dev/my-skills
mkdir -p .claude/skills
ln -s ~/dev/my-skills/my-skill .claude/skills/my-skill

Authoring Guide

npx openskills install anthropics/skills
npx openskills read skill-creator

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🔄 Updating Skills

If you installed skills from a git repo, you can refresh them anytime:

npx openskills update

To update specific skills, pass a comma-separated list:

npx openskills update git-workflow,check-branch-first

If a skill was installed before updates were tracked, re-install it once to record its source.

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✅ Tips

• You can always run OpenSkills via npx; a global install is optional.
• For multiple reads, prefer comma-separated names: npx openskills read foo,bar.

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❓ FAQ

Why CLI instead of MCP?

MCP is for dynamic tools. Skills are static instructions + resources.

• Skills are just files → no server required
• Works with every agent → no MCP support needed
• Matches Anthropic's design → SKILL.md is the spec

MCP and skills solve different problems. OpenSkills keeps skills lightweight and universal.

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📋 Requirements

• Node.js 20.6+
• Git (for cloning repositories)

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📜 License

Apache 2.0

Attribution

Implements Anthropic's Agent Skills specification.

Not affiliated with Anthropic. Claude, Claude Code, and Agent Skills are trademarks of Anthropic, PBC.