// Guide for safely discovering and installing skills from external repositories. Use when a user asks for something where a specialized skill likely exists (browser testing, PDF processing, document generation, etc.) and you want to bootstrap your understanding rather than starting from scratch.
| name | acquiring-skills |
| description | Guide for safely discovering and installing skills from external repositories. Use when a user asks for something where a specialized skill likely exists (browser testing, PDF processing, document generation, etc.) and you want to bootstrap your understanding rather than starting from scratch. |
This skill teaches you how to safely discover and install skills from external sources.
Skills can contain:
https://github.com/letta-ai/skills - Letta's community skillshttps://github.com/anthropics/skills - Anthropic's official skillsFor ANY source other than letta-ai or anthropics:
Even for skills from trusted sources, ALWAYS:
DO use when:
DON'T use for:
If you recognize a task that might have an associated skill, ask the user first:
"This sounds like something where a community skill might help (e.g., webapp testing with Playwright). Would you like me to look for available skills in the Letta or Anthropic repositories? This might take a minute, or I can start coding right away if you prefer."
The user may prefer to start immediately rather than wait for skill discovery.
Only proceed with skill acquisition if the user agrees.
| Repository | Description |
|---|---|
| https://github.com/letta-ai/skills | Community skills for Letta agents |
| https://github.com/anthropics/skills | Anthropic's official Agent Skills |
Browse these repositories to discover available skills. Check the README for skill listings.
| Location | Path | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
| Agent-scoped | ~/.letta/agents/<agent-id>/memory/skills/<skill>/ | Skills for a single agent (default for agent-specific capabilities) |
| Global | ~/.letta/skills/<skill>/ | General-purpose skills useful across projects |
| Project | .skills/<skill>/ | Project-specific skills |
Rule: Default to agent-scoped for changes that should apply only to the current agent. Use project for repo-specific skills. Use global only if all agents should inherit the skill.
Skills are directories containing SKILL.md and optionally scripts/, references/, examples/.
# 1. Clone the repo (shallow)
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/anthropics/skills /tmp/skills-temp
# 2. Copy the skill to your skills directory
# For agent-scoped (recommended default):
cp -r /tmp/skills-temp/skills/webapp-testing ~/.letta/agents/<agent-id>/memory/skills/
# For global:
# cp -r /tmp/skills-temp/skills/webapp-testing ~/.letta/skills/
# For project:
# cp -r /tmp/skills-temp/skills/webapp-testing .skills/
# 3. Cleanup
rm -rf /tmp/skills-temp
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/anthropics/skills /tmp/skills-temp
rsync -av /tmp/skills-temp/skills/webapp-testing/ ~/.letta/agents/<agent-id>/memory/skills/webapp-testing/
rm -rf /tmp/skills-temp
After downloading a skill, it will be automatically discovered on the next message. Skills are discovered from ~/.letta/skills/, .skills/, and agent-scoped ~/.letta/agents/<agent-id>/memory/skills/ directories.
User asks: "Can you help me test my React app's UI?"
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/anthropics/skills /tmp/skills-temp
cp -r /tmp/skills-temp/skills/webapp-testing ~/.letta/agents/<agent-id>/memory/skills/
rm -rf /tmp/skills-temp
Skill(skill: "webapp-testing")Creates and edits trusted local Letta Code extensions, including extension tools, slash commands, lifecycle/turn events, scoped conversation helpers, panels, status values, and capability-gated behavior. Use when the user asks to make an extension, add a tool the agent can call, add a slash command, transform turns, react to app events, or add lightweight extension UI outside the dedicated /statusline flow.
Creates, edits, and enables Letta Code extension-provided slash commands. Use when the user asks to add a custom /command, slash command, command shortcut, scoped conversation-backed command, or command-driven panel behavior.
Creates, edits, and migrates Letta Code statusline extensions. Use when handling the /statusline command or continuing work started by /statusline.
Guides users through an interactive Letta Code onboarding/tutorial. Use when the user is new, unsure what to do, says "start", asks "what can you do?", "how does Letta work?", "help me get started", or needs a walkthrough of memory, skills, tools, search, subagents, or schedules.
Comprehensive guide for initializing or reorganizing agent memory. Load this skill when running /init, when the user asks you to set up your memory, or when you need guidance on creating effective memory files.
Configure deterministic Letta Code harness behavior, such as permission rules, lifecycle hooks, and model configuration.