migrate-skills-between-libraries

name	migrate-skills-between-libraries
description	Use when moving skills between library workspaces or upgrading from a personal library to a team library. Export from one workspace, import into another.
category	workflow
version	4.1.0

Migrate Skills Between Libraries

Goal

Move skills from one library workspace to another without losing metadata, breaking dependencies, or duplicating entries.

Guardrails

• Always use --dry-run before any mutating command in the target workspace.
• Always use --list to inspect the source library before importing.
• Always use --format json for structured output when scripting migrations.
• Never import skills without checking for name collisions in the target workspace first.
• Always run build-docs in the target workspace after migration.

Workflow

Export: Identify skills to migrate from the source library

1. List all skills in the source workspace.

cd /path/to/source-library
npx ai-agent-skills list --format json --fields name,tier,workArea,collections

2. For house copies, note the skill folder paths. For upstream picks, note the installSource.

Import: Add skills to the target workspace

3. For house copies, use vendor to copy the skill folder into the target:

cd /path/to/target-library
npx ai-agent-skills vendor /path/to/source-library --skill <name> --area <workArea> --branch <branch> --why "Migrated from source library." --dry-run
npx ai-agent-skills vendor /path/to/source-library --skill <name> --area <workArea> --branch <branch> --why "Migrated from source library."

4. For upstream picks, use catalog to re-catalog from the original source:

npx ai-agent-skills catalog <owner>/<repo> --skill <name> --area <workArea> --branch <branch> --why "Migrated from source library." --dry-run
npx ai-agent-skills catalog <owner>/<repo> --skill <name> --area <workArea> --branch <branch> --why "Migrated from source library."

5. Rebuild docs in the target workspace.

npx ai-agent-skills build-docs

6. Validate the target workspace.

npx ai-agent-skills validate

Gotchas

• Skill names must be unique per workspace. Check for collisions before importing.
• House copies are full folder copies — the source and target are independent after migration.
• Upstream picks re-catalog from the original upstream source, not the intermediate library.
• Dependencies (requires field) must also be migrated. Check info --format json for each skill's dependency graph.
• Collection membership does not transfer automatically. Use curate --collection <id> to add migrated skills to target collections.