Use this skill to help users work with the open Agent Skills ecosystem through the
skills
CLI.
Overview
The
skills
CLI is the package manager for installable Agent Skills. Use it to discover skills, install them with the right flags, and manage them after installation.
Examples below use
bunx skills
, but
npx skills
is the same workflow if Bun is not available in the user's environment.
Always prefer the current CLI syntax:
bunx skills
add
<
source
--skill
<
name
Do not use older
owner/repo@skill-name
examples.
When to Use
Use this skill when the user:
asks "find a skill for X", "is there a skill for X", or "how do I do X" and X sounds like a reusable workflow
asks "can you do X" and X sounds like a specialized capability that may already exist as a skill
wants help with
bunx skills
,
npx skills
,
skills.sh
, skill package installation, or
skills-lock.json
wants to install a skill for a specific agent such as Codex or OpenCode
wants to list, check, update, remove, restore, sync, back up, or initialize installed skills
wants help searching for workflows, tools, templates, or domain-specific capabilities such as design, testing, deployment, documentation, or code review
Do not use this skill when the user already has a local skill and wants help writing or improving its contents. In that case, use a skill-authoring workflow instead.
Discovery Workflow
When a user needs a skill, follow this sequence:
Identify the domain and task.
Examples: React performance, PR review, changelog generation, PDF extraction.
Also judge whether the task is common enough that a reusable skill is likely to exist.
Check
skills.sh
first.
Prefer well-known, well-installed skills when the domain is already covered there.
If the leaderboard does not clearly answer the need, search with:
bunx skills
find
<
query
Verify quality before recommending anything:
install count: prefer skills with 1K+ installs and be cautious with anything under 100
source reputation: prefer official or well-established maintainers such as
openai
,
anthropics
,
microsoft
, or similarly trusted publishers
repository quality: check the source repository and treat skills from repos with fewer than 100 stars skeptically
Present the options clearly.
Include the skill name, what it helps with, the install count and source, why it looks trustworthy, the install command, and a link to learn more on
skills.sh
.
Offer installation help if the user wants to proceed.
If nothing fits, say so directly, help with the task using your general capabilities, and mention that the user can create their own package with
bunx skills init
.
Installation Quick Reference
Common sources
bunx skills
add
./my-local-skills
Common install patterns
List skills in a package without installing
bunx skills
add
<
source
--list
Install one skill
bunx skills
add
<
source
--skill
skills-cli
Install multiple skills
bunx skills
add
<
source
--skill
pr-review
--skill
commit
Install globally
bunx skills
add
<
source
--skill
skills-cli
-g
-y
Install to a specific agent
bunx skills
add
<
source
--skill
skills-cli
-a
codex
-y
Install all skills to all agents
bunx skills
add
<
source
--all
Install all skills to one agent
bunx skills
add
<
source
--skill
'*'
-a
codex
-y
Copy files instead of symlinking
bunx skills
add
<
source
--skill
skills-cli
-a
codex
--copy
-y
Installation methods
When the user is choosing how to install:
symlink is the default and usually the best choice because updates stay centralized
--copy
creates independent copies and is the fallback when symlinks are unsupported or inconvenient
If the user only asks to install a skill, prefer the default symlink workflow unless they mention CI packaging, portability, filesystem restrictions, or explicitly ask for copies.
Important flags
Flag
Use
--skill
install one or more named skills
-a, --agent
target specific agents such as
codex
-g, --global
install at user scope instead of project scope
-y, --yes
skip prompts
--list
list available skills in a package
--copy
copy instead of symlink
--all
shorthand for all skills to all agents
Managing Installed Skills
Use these commands for ongoing maintenance:
List installed skills
bunx skills
ls
bunx skills
ls
-g
bunx skills
ls
-a
codex
bunx skills
ls
--json
bunx skills experimental_sync
bunx skills experimental_sync
-a
codex
-y
When the user asks to initialize a skill, explain whether they want:
bunx skills init
to create
SKILL.md
in the current directory
bunx skills init
to create a new subdirectory containing
SKILL.md
Related Tool: Skills Vault
If the user wants declarative backup and restore of installed skills across machines or teams, use
Skills Vault
.
Skills Vault is a separate CLI companion for the
skills
ecosystem. It is not a
skills add
installable skill source. Use it when the user wants to snapshot installed skills into a manifest, preview restore commands, or reproduce the same setup elsewhere.
Common companion commands:
Back up installed skills into skvlt.yaml
bunx skvlt backup
Preview a restore
bunx skvlt restore --dry-run
Restore everything from the manifest
bunx skvlt restore
--all
Diagnose the local environment
bunx skvlt doctor
Prefer this tool over
skills experimental_*
when the user explicitly wants a portable manifest workflow, cross-machine backup and restore, or team-sharing of installed skill setups.
Recommendation Format
When recommending a skill, keep the answer concrete and installable.
Use a structure like this:
I found a skill that should fit.
Skill:
Why it matches:
Source:
Quality check:
Install:
bunx skills add --skill [optional flags]
Learn more: https://skills.sh///
If you want, I can install it for .
If the user mentions a target agent or scope, include it in the command. Examples:
bunx skills
add
<
source
--skill
<
skill-name
-a
codex
-y
bunx skills
add
<
source
--skill
<
skill-name
-g
-y
Example:
I found a skill that might help.
Skill: screenshot
Why it matches: it focuses on OS-level desktop and window screenshot capture.
Source: openai/skills
Quality check: high install volume, trusted publisher, and a widely used source repository.
Install:
bunx skills add openai/skills --skill screenshot
Learn more: https://skills.sh/openai/skills/screenshot
Common Skill Categories
When the user's wording is vague, map it to likely categories:
Category
Example queries
Web Development
react
,
nextjs
,
typescript
,
css
,
tailwind
Testing
testing
,
jest
,
playwright
,
e2e
DevOps
deploy
,
docker
,
kubernetes
,
ci-cd
Documentation
docs
,
readme
,
changelog
,
api-docs
Code Quality
review
,
lint
,
refactor
,
best-practices
Design
ui
,
ux
,
design-system
,
accessibility
Productivity
workflow
,
automation
,
git
Search Tips
Use specific keywords.
react testing
is better than just
testing
.
Try alternative terms. If
deploy
fails, try
deployment
or
ci-cd
.
Check popular sources first. Many strong skills come from established publishers.
If the first search is too broad, narrow by domain plus task.
Common Mistakes
Recommending a skill from search results without checking whether it looks established.
Forgetting to specify
-a
when the user asked for one particular agent.
Treating
bunx skills find --help
like a real help command. Use
bunx skills --help
for command help instead.
Assuming no skill exists after one weak search term. Try a more specific or adjacent query first.
Troubleshooting
If the user hits an error or confusing result:
"No skills found" - suggest a better query, check
skills.sh
, or help directly and mention
bunx skills init
interactive prompts in automation or CI - add
-y
wrong installation scope - switch between project install and
-g
symlink issues - retry with
--copy
uncertainty about available package contents - run
bunx skills add --list
uncertainty about installed state - run
bunx skills ls
or
bunx skills ls --json
portable backup or restore across machines - mention
Skills Vault
and its
backup
/
restore --dry-run
workflow
When you are unsure about exact flags, use:
bunx skills
--help