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Using Skills

Learn how to install and use skills with your AI assistant.

Installing a Skill​

  1. Navigate to the Skills page
  2. Find the skill you want to use
  3. Click the Use button

This opens the "Use Skill" dialog with two installation options.

Install via CLI​

Install the skill directly onto your coding agent using the Skills CLI.

  1. Select an Agent (optional) - Choose a specific agent like Cursor, or leave as default for all supported agents
  2. Optionally check Install globally to install at user-level instead of project-level
  3. Copy and run the command in your terminal:
npx @mcp-s/skills add https://<org>.mcp-s.com/skills/<skill-slug>.zip -a cursor

The -a flag specifies the target agent (e.g., cursor).

Download​

Download the skill as a zip file to manually install or modify.

Click Download Skill to get the zip file containing the complete skill package.

Skill Package Structure​

Skills follow the Agent Skills specification. A downloaded skill contains:

skill-name/
├── SKILL.md          # Instructions + metadata (required)
├── scripts/          # Executable scripts
├── references/       # Documentation
└── assets/           # Templates, resources

SKILL.md​

The main file containing:

  • YAML frontmatter - Name, description, and metadata
  • Markdown body - Instructions for the agent

scripts/​

Contains executable code that agents can run. Scripts should be self-contained and include helpful error messages.

references/​

Additional documentation that agents can read when needed. Keep individual files focused - agents load these on demand.

assets/​

Static resources like templates, images, data files, and schemas.

How Skills Work​

When a skill is installed:

  1. Discovery - The agent reads the skill's name and description
  2. Activation - When relevant, the agent loads the full SKILL.md instructions
  3. Resources - The agent loads scripts, references, and assets only when needed

This progressive disclosure approach keeps context usage efficient.

Project-Level vs Global Installation​

  • Project-level (default) - Skill is available only in the current project
  • Global (user-level) - Skill is available across all your projects

Use global installation for skills you want everywhere, like coding standards or common workflows.