| name | skill-installer |
| description | Install or update Agent Skills (skill folders with SKILL.md) across agent harnesses. Use when the user says install a skill, add this skill to my machine or repo, update a skill, move a skill between harnesses, or update a skill from a URL. |
| license | MIT |
Skill installer
Usage
Use this skill when the user asks to install, update, or migrate a skill so that it is discoverable by a specific agent harness.
Typical requests:
- "Install this skill from a URL"
- "Add this skill to my machine"
- "Add this skill to this repo"
- "Update this skill from this URL"
Requirements
- File system access to the destination directories
- Network access if installing from a URL
git if installing from a git repository URL- A tool for fetching URLs (
curl, wget, or a built-in web fetch tool)
What it does
This skill helps you do three things safely:
- Decide whether a skill is repo-specific or machine-specific.
- Install the full skill folder into one or more harness-specific locations.
- Update an existing installed skill while keeping a backup.
How it works
Clarify scope and targets
Ask these questions if the user has not already specified the answers:
-
Is this skill repo-specific or machine-specific?
-
Which harnesses should be able to discover it?
-
What is the source of truth?
- local folder path
- git repo URL
- zip URL
- raw
SKILL.md URL
If the user is unsure about repo versus machine scope, use this heuristic:
- Repo-specific: only useful in one repo, depends on that repo’s structure or conventions.
- Machine-specific: reusable across many repos.
Choose destinations
Use references/harness-locations.md to map harness and scope to install paths.
Install
- Confirm the skill directory name matches
name in frontmatter.
- Confirm
SKILL.md contains valid frontmatter (name, description).
- Copy the entire skill folder into each destination.
Update
When updating an already installed skill:
- Create a timestamped backup of the existing installed folder.
- Replace the installed folder with the new version.
- Confirm the harness can discover the updated skill.
Do not delete user files unless they explicitly ask.
Notes on distribution
Some ecosystems distribute a packaged .skill file, which is a zip container. Treat that as a distribution artifact, not the canonical source.
