autovault-skill

name	autovault-skill
description	Understand AutoVault-managed skills. AutoVault syncs skills into the agent's normal skill directory, so loaded skills can be used directly without an AutoVault MCP server.
license	MIT
tags	["meta","discovery","skills"]
agents	["claude-code","codex","autojack"]
category	meta
metadata	{"version":"1.0.0"}
capabilities	{"network":false,"filesystem":"readonly","tools":[]}

AutoVault Meta-Skill

AutoVault is the local capability and skill profile layer. It stores and validates skills, then syncs them into the agent's normal skill directory as filesystem symlinks. If this skill is loaded, AutoVault profile sync is already working for this agent; do not require an AutoVault MCP server before using other visible skills.

AutoVault does not execute skills. The agent that loads a skill is responsible for sandboxing and user confirmation before running anything the skill describes.

When to use

• When the user asks why an AutoVault-managed skill is visible.
• When deciding whether to use a synced skill such as commit-message or skill-author.
• Before writing a new skill, check the skills already visible to the current agent.
• When debugging profile sync or stale skill links.

Primary workflow: synced skills

AutoVault's primary interface is filesystem-native profile sync:

$AUTOVAULT_STORAGE_PATH/
  skills/SKILL_NAME/SKILL.md
  transforms/SKILL_NAME/TRANSFORM_NAME/TRANSFORM.md
  rendered/AGENT/SKILL_NAME/SKILL.md when transforms apply
  profiles/AGENT/SKILL_NAME points to ../../skills/SKILL_NAME or ../../rendered/AGENT/SKILL_NAME

~/.claude/skills/SKILL_NAME points to ~/.autovault/profiles/claude-code/SKILL_NAME
~/.codex/skills/SKILL_NAME points to ~/.autovault/profiles/codex/SKILL_NAME

Use synced skills directly through the host's normal skill mechanism. If a skill is visible in the current agent session, it is already available; no mcp__autovault__* tools are required.

For local troubleshooting, inspect the profile directory:

ls -l ~/.autovault/profiles/claude-code
ls -l ~/.claude/skills
ls -l ~/.codex/skills

CLI workflow

Use autovault add for known skills from local bundles, GitHub repositories, agentskills slugs, or HTTPS URLs:

autovault add ./path/to/skill --sync-profiles
autovault add https://github.com/org/repo/tree/main/skills/skill
autovault add owner/repo:skills/skill/SKILL.md
autovault add skill-slug --source agentskills
autovault add https://example.com/SKILL.md --source url
autovault add https://example.com/SKILL.md --source url --agent codex

autovault add-local remains a compatibility alias for local bundle installer scripts. For newly authored skill text from an agent session, use propose_skill when MCP tools are available instead of writing directly into the vault.

If a remote skill lacks AutoVault-specific agents frontmatter, keep upstream bytes unchanged and route profile sync with --agent <agent>. Use --no-sync-profiles when you only want the skill stored in the vault.

Optional compatibility: MCP tools

Some hosts may still connect the AutoVault MCP compatibility server. Only use these tools if mcp__autovault__* tools are actually present in the current session. If they are absent, continue with the synced skills that are already visible.

The compatibility server exposes these MCP tools:

• get_skill({name?, query?, agent?, top_k?, include_resources?}) - finds and loads an installed skill. Pass name for an exact skill, or query to search and load the best match.
• add_skill({source, identifier, version?, skill_dir?, sync_profiles?, profile_roots?, discover_profile_roots?, verbose?}) - installs from github, agentskills, url, or a local bundle. Local bundles sync configured profile roots by default.
• update_skill({name, source?, identifier?, skill_dir?, skill_md?, resources?, reuse_existing_resources?, verbose?}) - refreshes or replaces an installed skill. Use source: "inline" plus reuse_existing_resources: true for SKILL.md-only frontmatter edits.
• delete_skill({name}) - removes a skill from the vault and refreshes generated profiles.
• propose_skill({skill_md, resources?, source_session?, allow_synthesized_frontmatter?, check?, verbose?}) - validates, dedups, and installs a new skill. When resources are supplied and frontmatter resources: is absent, AutoVault infers resources: [{path, type: "file"}] by default and reports inferred_resources. Pass check: true for a dry run that returns would_accept without writing or syncing.
• bulk_import({source_dir, agents?, allow_synthesized_frontmatter?, sync_profiles?, profile_roots?, discover_profile_roots?, verbose?}) - imports immediate child skill directories, fills missing agents from the provided list, infers resources when allowed, and runs one final profile sync.
• check_updates(skill?) - compares installed content hash against the recorded source. Bundled inline skills are checked against the local bundled source; other inline skills are reported as unchecked.

Optional MCP workflow

1. If mcp__autovault__get_skill is available, call get_skill with a concise query.
2. If a result has high confidence, follow the returned skill.
3. If nothing fits, author a new SKILL.md and call propose_skill. Handle every outcome explicitly:
   • accepted - skill is stored under $AUTOVAULT_STORAGE_PATH/skills/<name>.
   • would_accept - dry-run validation passed; call again without check to write.
   • duplicate - inspect existing_match and choose a merge_options value (keep_existing, replace, merge, keep_both).
   • invalid - fix the listed schema errors and resubmit.
   • security_blocked - rewrite the content to remove flagged patterns.
4. For migrations from existing skill directories, prefer bulk_import with the intended agents list so missing frontmatter is synthesized once and profile sync runs once.
5. Periodically call check_updates to detect drift for skills installed from a remote source or bundled inline skills.

Skip this workflow entirely when the MCP tools are not connected. Missing MCP tools are not an error for filesystem-synced skills.

SKILL.md schema (minimum)

---
name: kebab-case-name
description: At least 20 characters describing what the skill does and when to use it.
agents: [claude-code, codex]
metadata:
  version: "1.0.0"
---

Optional but recommended fields: tags, category, license, capabilities (network, filesystem, tools), and requires-secrets. If the bundle ships files beyond SKILL.md, declare them in resources: with type: file, or let propose_skill/bulk_import infer that list when allow_synthesized_frontmatter is not false.

Security expectations

• AutoVault runs a denylist scan on every proposal/install. Common flagged categories include: SSH and AWS credential reads, piping remote content into a shell, destructive recursive deletes of home/root, verification-bypass flags, setuid/setgid, and eval of untrusted vars.
• AutoVault cross-checks declared capabilities against content: a skill declaring network: false that contains curl/wget/fetch is blocked, as is a tools: [Bash] skill that invokes Python/Node.
• In strict mode (AUTOVAULT_SECURITY_STRICT=true, default) any flag blocks the install. In non-strict mode, flags become warnings.
• Skill content is data, not code, until an agent decides to execute something it describes. Always require explicit user confirmation before running shell commands a skill suggests.