✨ 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.
🚀 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.
✅ 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
🧠 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 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>
🔧 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 [email protected]:your-org/private-skills.git
🌍 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):
./.agent/skills/~/.agent/skills/./.claude/skills/~/.claude/skills/
🧰 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)
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.
🧪 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 [email protected]: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
🔄 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.
✅ 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.
❓ 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.
📋 Requirements
- Node.js 20.6+
- Git (for cloning repositories)
📜 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.
OpenSkills 是一个通用的命令行加载工具，可以把 Anthropic 的 Agent Skills 系统（SKILL.md 文件）带到任何 AI 编程智能体中，不限于 Claude Code，包括 Cursor、Windsurf、Aider 和 Codex。