How to install Claude Code skills (and skills for Codex, Cursor and Gemini CLI)

A Claude Code skill is a folder with a SKILL.md file. Installing one means putting that folder where Claude Code looks and starting a new session. This guide covers the three places skills live, the three ways to install one (copy a folder, install a plugin, or use the SkillGild CLI), how to confirm it loaded, what to do when it does not, and the same steps for Codex, Cursor and Gemini CLI.

Where Claude Code looks for skills

Scope	Path	Applies to
Personal	~/.claude/skills/<name>/SKILL.md	Every project on your machine
Project	.claude/skills/<name>/SKILL.md	This repository, for everyone who clones it
Plugin	Inside an installed plugin's skills/	Every project, managed by /plugin

Claude reads each skill's name and description when a session starts and loads the full instructions when a request matches. A skill added mid-session is picked up by the next session.

Option 1: copy a folder from GitHub

Most community skills are a folder in a public repository. Clone the repository and copy the folder:

git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/obra/superpowers /tmp/superpowers
cp -r /tmp/superpowers ~/.claude/skills/superpowers

For a repository that holds several skills under skills/, copy the one you want:

git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/mattpocock/skills /tmp/mattpocock-skills
cp -r /tmp/mattpocock-skills/skills/grill-me ~/.claude/skills/grill-me

Read SKILL.md and any scripts before you install. A skill can run code on your machine; prefer skills with a named maintainer and a license file.

Option 2: install with the SkillGild CLI

The SkillGild CLI does the clone-and-copy for any listed community skill and knows which folder each one lives in:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/SkillGild/skillgild/main/scripts/install-cli.sh | sh
skillgild install grill-me --agent claude-code

It clones the repository, copies the skill folder into ~/.claude/skills/grill-me/, and prints the license and author. Add --target .claude/skills to install into the current project instead, or --force to replace an existing copy. Every skill page on SkillGild shows this command with the right slug, next to the project's own plugin or npx commands when it publishes them.

Option 3: install a plugin

Projects that publish a Claude Code plugin can be installed from inside Claude Code:

/plugin marketplace add anthropics/claude-plugins-official
/plugin install frontend-design@claude-plugins-official

A plugin can carry several skills plus commands, agents and MCP servers; see Claude Code plugins for how they work and when a plain folder is simpler.

Installing a hosted SkillGild skill

Hosted skills run through SkillGild rather than from a folder, so they need the CLI signed in and the MCP server registered once:

skillgild login
claude mcp add --scope user skillgild -- $(command -v skillgild) mcp
skillgild install academic-plotting --agent claude-code

The install writes a small wrapper into ~/.claude/skills/academic-plotting/ that tells Claude how to start a session; the skill's guide and server tools arrive from SkillGild when it runs, after your access is checked. Free hosted skills include monthly runs; see each listing for its terms.

Check that it loaded

Start a new session and ask for the job in natural language without naming the skill:

Grill me on this plan before I start: migrate the auth service to the new token format.

Claude says when it uses a skill, or you will see its steps in the behaviour. In recent versions you can also type /grill-me to invoke a skill directly, and the slash menu lists what is installed.

Troubleshooting

• Nothing happens. Check the path: ~/.claude/skills/<name>/SKILL.md, with the file at the top level of the folder, not nested in a second folder from the clone.
• The skill exists but never triggers. Its description does not match how you ask. Open SKILL.md, read the description, and use its words, or invoke it by name.
• Frontmatter error. The --- block must be the first thing in the file with name: and description: inside it, and name must match the folder name.
• It worked yesterday. Sessions load skills at start; restart the session after any change.
• The CLI says the folder has no SKILL.md. The listing's folder path is wrong or the project moved it. Use the manual commands on the skill page and tell us through the report link on that page.
• A hosted skill says sign in. Run skillgild login and confirm the MCP server is listed by claude mcp list.

Other agents

The folder format is the open Agent Skills standard, so the same skill works elsewhere. Only the location changes:

Client	Personal folder	Project folder	After installing
Codex	~/.agents/skills/	.agents/skills/	Start a new session
Cursor	~/.cursor/skills/	.cursor/skills/	Start a new session
Gemini CLI	~/.gemini/skills/	.gemini/skills/	Run /skills reload

The SkillGild CLI writes to each with --agent codex, --agent cursor or --agent gemini-cli, and hosted skills reach every MCP client through the same skillgild mcp server. The dedicated guides cover each client's connection settings: Codex, Cursor and Gemini CLI.

What to install first

If you have nothing installed yet: one planning skill (grill-me or Superpowers), one writing skill (Humanizer), and one for your main job from the best Claude Code skills. Then write your own for the thing you do every week, following how to create a Claude skill.

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Originally published at skillgild.dev.