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numman-ali/openskills

10,130TypeScriptAudience · vibe coderComplexity · 2/5LicenseSetup · easy

TLDR

A command-line tool that installs and manages small instruction files (skills) so AI coding tools like Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, and Aider can load task-specific guidance on demand instead of loading everything at once.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((openskills))
    What it does
      Installs skill files
      Manages AGENTS.md
      Updates skill sources
    Supported tools
      Claude Code
      Cursor and Windsurf
      Aider and Codex
    Skill sources
      GitHub repos
      Local folders
      Private Git repos
    Key commands
      install
      sync
      read
      update
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Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Install pre-built skill packages so your AI coding assistant handles specific tasks like PDF workflows or Git conventions.

USE CASE 2

Share the same skill files across Claude Code, Cursor, and Aider simultaneously without duplicating instructions.

USE CASE 3

Write your own SKILL.md files and package them for your team or publish them for the community.

USE CASE 4

Keep your AI agent's working context lean by loading only the skills relevant to the current task.

Tech stack

TypeScriptNode.jsGit

Getting it running

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

Requires Node.js 20.6 or later and Git, install via npm and run a single command to add your first skill.

Use freely for any purpose, including commercial use, as long as you include the Apache 2.0 license notice.

In plain English

OpenSkills is a command-line tool that installs and manages "skills" for AI coding assistants. Skills, in this context, are small instruction files (called SKILL.md files) that tell an AI agent how to handle a specific task, like working with PDFs or following a particular Git workflow. Anthropic introduced this format for Claude Code, but OpenSkills extends the same idea so that other AI coding tools, such as Cursor, Windsurf, Aider, and Codex, can also use skills. The core idea is that AI agents load these skill instructions only when needed, rather than including everything in the conversation upfront. This keeps the agent's working context smaller and more focused. OpenSkills provides a command to install skill packages from GitHub repositories, local folders, or private Git repos, and then writes an AGENTS.md file that lists the available skills in a format any compatible agent can read. The tool is compatible with Claude Code's existing skill format, meaning you can install skills from Anthropic's own published collection and use them across multiple agent tools simultaneously. It stores skills in a .claude/skills/ folder by default, which is the same location Claude Code uses, or in a separate .agent/skills/ folder if you want to avoid any overlap between agents. The main commands are: install (to bring in skills from a source), sync (to update the AGENTS.md manifest file), list (to see what is installed), read (which agents call to load a specific skill's instructions), and update (to refresh installed skills from their sources). The read command is what an AI agent calls at runtime when it decides a skill applies to the current task. You can also create your own skills by writing a SKILL.md file following the same format. A skill can include additional reference documents and scripts in subfolders, and the skill's instructions can point agents to those files. The project is not affiliated with Anthropic and requires Node.js 20.6 or later and Git. It is licensed under Apache 2.0.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
I want to use OpenSkills to install skill packages for my AI coding assistant. Walk me through installing it and adding a skill from a GitHub repo.
Prompt 2
Help me write a SKILL.md file for handling database migrations in my project, following the OpenSkills format.
Prompt 3
I have Claude Code and Cursor installed. Using OpenSkills, how do I share the same skill files between both tools?
Prompt 4
Show me how to sync my AGENTS.md after installing multiple OpenSkills packages so all my AI tools can discover the skills.
Prompt 5
Help me create an OpenSkills-compatible skill package for a specific Git branching workflow I use on every project.
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