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how to install an agent skill

what you are installing

An agent skill is a folder. The important file in it is SKILL.md, a text file of instructions, and some skills add scripts or reference documents next to it. Installing a skill simply means putting that folder where your agent looks for skills, so it can read the instructions when a task calls for them. There is no installer involved, which is also why it is worth reading a skill before you copy it. The guide on how SKILL.md files work explains what is inside.

step 1: find the skill folder

Every skill page on SkillDirectory has a source and license box that links to the original repository. The skill is a folder inside that repository, and the install box on the page names the folder. You can clone the whole repository with git, or download just the folder from GitHub. Where a skill's license allows it, the page also offers a zip download.

step 2: put it where your agent loads skills

In Claude Code, skills you want everywhere live in a skills folder in your home directory's .claude folder, and skills for one project live in a .claude/skills folder inside that project. Each skill sits in its own subfolder, and SKILL.md must be directly inside that subfolder, not nested a level deeper. Other agents use different locations and some use their own rule files instead, so check your tool's documentation. Locations change as these tools evolve, so treat this guide as a starting point rather than the final word.

step 3: check that it loaded

Start a fresh session, because most agents read their skills at startup. Ask the agent which skills it has, or describe a task that matches the skill's description and see whether it picks the skill up. Agents choose skills by reading each description, so a skill with a vague description may never trigger.

a shortcut: ask your agent to do it

The install box on each skill page includes an agent prompt that points your agent at the repository and asks it to read the skill and set it up. This is quicker, but have the agent tell you what it changed, and review those changes before you rely on the skill.

if it does not work

SKILL.md is nested too deep. It must sit directly inside the skill's own folder.
The front matter is missing a name or description, so the agent cannot register the skill.
The skill needs setup first, such as an MCP server, an API key or an installed tool. Look for a prerequisites or setup section in the skill.
You did not restart the session after adding the folder.
Two skills with similar descriptions compete. Remove one while you test.