| name | find-skills |
| description | Discover and install agent skills from the skills.sh ecosystem and local installed skills. Use when the user asks 'how do I do X', 'find a skill for X', 'is there a skill for...', 'can you do X' (where X is a specialized capability), or expresses interest in extending agent capabilities. Also use when the user wants to search for tools, workflows, or domain-specific help that might exist as an installable skill. |
Find Skills
Discover skills from installed local skills and the open skills.sh ecosystem. Local-first: check what's already installed before searching externally.
Workflow
Step 1: Understand the Need
Identify from the user's request:
- The domain (e.g., marketing, document processing, frontend, testing)
- The specific task (e.g., writing copy, creating PDFs, optimizing conversions)
- Whether this is common enough that a skill likely exists
Step 2: Check Installed Skills
List what's already available locally:
npx skills ls -g
Also check project-level skills:
npx skills ls
If an installed skill matches, tell the user it's already available and how to use it. Done.
Step 3: Search Curated Sources
If no local match, consult references/curated-sources.md for trusted repositories organized by domain. Recommend from curated sources first — these have been vetted.
To list skills from a specific source:
npx skills add <source> -l
Example:
npx skills add anthropics/skills -l
npx skills add coreyhaines31/marketingskills -l
Step 4: Search the Ecosystem
If curated sources don't have a match, search the broader ecosystem:
npx skills find <query>
Tips:
- Use specific keywords: "react testing" > "testing"
- Try alternative terms: "deploy", "deployment", "ci-cd"
- Browse at https://skills.sh/ for category discovery
Step 5: Present Options
When presenting a skill to the user, include:
- Skill name and what it does
- Source repository
- Install command
- Link to skills.sh page
Example:
Found "seo-audit" from coreyhaines31/marketingskills — audits SEO issues on pages.
Install: npx skills add coreyhaines31/marketingskills --skill seo-audit -g
More info: https://skills.sh/coreyhaines31/marketingskills/seo-audit
Always ask the user before installing. Never auto-install.
Step 6: Install (After User Confirms)
npx skills add <source> --skill <skill-name> -g -y
-g installs globally (user-level)-y skips confirmation (only use after user has already confirmed)- Use
--skill <name> to install a specific skill from a multi-skill repo
When Nothing is Found
- Acknowledge no skill was found
- Offer to help directly with general capabilities
- Suggest creating a custom skill:
npx skills init <name> (reference the skill-creator skill)
