An open directory of “skills” for AI agents, provided by Vercel. A skill is a reusable instruction file (in the SKILL.md format) that teaches an agent a specific workflow or set of code conventions, and Skills.sh lets you search and compare them, then install them into your own agent from the CLI. It launched in January 2026, and the CLI itself is developed on GitHub as open source under the MIT license. It supports many agents including Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, GitHub Copilot, Windsurf, and Gemini, and its defining trait is that a single skill can be distributed to several agents at once.
Key Features
- Skill search and rankings: Browse skills by category (React, Next.js, databases, testing, and more) or by popularity. The rankings aggregate anonymous install counts sent by the CLI, so you can see which skills are actually being used. An official skills list is also available
- Multi-agent installation from the CLI: Install from a GitHub repository with
npx skills add <owner>/<repo>. The CLI automatically detects the agents you have installed and places the skill into the targets you specify. Two placement modes are supported: symlinks (the recommended way to keep a single source of truth) and file copying - A full set of core commands:
add(install),find(search),list(show installed),use(generate a prompt or launch an agent with a skill),update,init(scaffold a new skill), andremove - Many supported sources: In addition to the GitHub shorthand (
owner/repo), it supports direct URLs, GitLab, generic Git URLs, and local paths. Private repositories work with your existing Git authentication - Packs (bundles of skills): Group multiple skills into a “pack” that installs with one command. Creating a pack requires signing in with a Vercel account, but installing one does not
- Open source and badges: The CLI is published under the MIT license, and install-count badges are provided for your README
Pricing
| Plan | Monthly price | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Browsing and searching the directory, CLI installs, creating and sharing Packs |
Pricing is current as of August 2026. Please check the official site for the latest details.
Skills.sh itself is free to use, and the CLI is published as open source. However, you still pay separately for the agent that runs the skills you install, such as Claude Code or Cursor.
Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
- Search scattered skills in one place, instead of hunting across GitHub
- Install-count rankings make it easier to tell what is merely published from what is actually used
- One skill can be placed into several agents at once, so your assets carry over when you switch agents
- With the symlink mode, the actual files stay in one place, so updates are less likely to be missed
- Packs let you distribute a team’s standard skill set with a single command
⚠️ Cons
- Most listed skills are volunteer work by third parties, and quality varies
- A skill is effectively an instruction to your agent, so depending on its contents it can become a vector for prompt injection or unwanted operations. Third-party security research has flagged problems in some published skills, so reading the contents before installing needs to become a habit
- The rankings aggregate install counts; they are not a guarantee of quality or safety
- Japanese-language documentation and skills are still scarce, so English reading and writing is often assumed
- The design assumes the anonymous telemetry the CLI sends. You can disable it, but doing so means you no longer contribute to the rankings
Comparison with Similar Services
| Item | Skills.sh | Claude Code plugin marketplace | Smithery | GitHub Awesome lists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Provider | Vercel | Anthropic | Smithery | Volunteer community |
| What it covers | Agent skills (SKILL.md) | Plugins (bundles of skills, commands, MCP, etc.) | MCP servers | Link lists (free-form) |
| Supported agents | Claude Code / Cursor / Codex / Copilot and many more | Mainly Claude Code | MCP-capable clients in general | Not applicable |
| Install method | CLI (npx skills add) | Commands inside Claude Code | CLI and config files | Manual |
| Popularity signals | Install-count rankings | Limited | Usage counts shown | GitHub stars |
| Price | Free | Free | Free tier available | Free |
Who Is It For
- Developers using Claude Code or Cursor who want to encode routine workflows as skills
- People who use several AI coding agents in parallel and want to manage their configuration assets in one place
- Development leads who want their team’s coding conventions and review steps enforced by agents
- Anyone curious about what skills others are building and which ones are actually being used
- Authors who want to publish their own skills and see adoption in numbers
Summary
Skills.sh is a directory and CLI that handles finding, installing, and distributing skills for AI agents in one place. Install-count rankings make it easier to spot skills that are genuinely in use, and bulk placement across agents pays off most for people who switch between them. At the same time, the listed skills are mostly third-party work, and their contents act directly as instructions to your agent. As long as you make a habit of reading the SKILL.md yourself before installing, it is a strong option as a foundation for handing daily work to an agent.