CLI Reference

Complete reference for all Skills CLI commands and options

Installation

The Skills CLI can be run directly with npx (no installation required) or installed globally:

Run with npx (recommended)

npx skills <command>

Global installation

npm install -g skills

Commands

skills add <source> [sources...]

Install one or more skills to your project.

Arguments

source - GitHub repo (owner/repo), full URL, or local path

Options

--skill <name> - Install a specific sub-skill from a multi-skill repo
--branch <name> - Use a specific branch (default: main)
--force - Overwrite existing skill if already installed

Examples

# Install from GitHub shorthand
npx skills add supabase/agent-skills

# Install from full URL
npx skills add https://github.com/vercel/agent-skills

# Install specific sub-skill
npx skills add vercel/agent-skills --skill nextjs-best-practices

# Install multiple skills
npx skills add supabase/agent-skills stripe/agent-skills

# Install from local directory
npx skills add ./my-custom-skill

# Install specific branch
npx skills add owner/repo --branch develop

skills remove <name> [names...]

Remove one or more installed skills.

Arguments

name - Skill name (owner/repo format)

Examples

# Remove a skill
npx skills remove supabase/agent-skills

# Remove multiple skills
npx skills remove supabase/agent-skills stripe/agent-skills

skills list

List all installed skills in the current project.

Options

--json - Output as JSON

Example output

Installed skills:
  supabase/agent-skills (v2.1.0)
    └── Database, auth, and realtime patterns
  stripe/agent-skills (v1.5.0)
    └── Payment processing best practices

skills update [name]

Update installed skills to their latest versions.

Arguments

name - (optional) Specific skill to update. If omitted, updates all.

Examples

# Update all skills
npx skills update

# Update specific skill
npx skills update supabase/agent-skills

skills search <query>

Search for skills in the registry.

Arguments

query - Search term (matches skill names, descriptions, and tags)

Options

--limit <n> - Maximum results (default: 10)
--json - Output as JSON

Example

npx skills search database

skills info <name>

Show detailed information about a skill.

Arguments

name - Skill name (owner/repo format)

Example

npx skills info supabase/agent-skills

skills recommend

Get AI-powered skill recommendations based on your project's dependencies.

Options

--json - Output as JSON

How it works

The CLI analyzes your package.json and other config files to detect your tech stack, then suggests relevant skills.

skills init

Initialize the skills directory in your project. This is run automatically when you first add a skill, but can be run manually if needed.

What it creates

.skills/ - Directory for installed skills
.skills/skills.json - Manifest tracking installed skills

Configuration

The CLI stores configuration in .skills/skills.json:

{
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "skills": {
    "supabase/agent-skills": {
      "version": "2.1.0",
      "installedAt": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z",
      "source": "github:supabase/agent-skills"
    },
    "stripe/agent-skills": {
      "version": "1.5.0",
      "installedAt": "2024-01-16T14:20:00Z",
      "source": "github:stripe/agent-skills"
    }
  }
}