skill-install

skill-install is a small cross-platform utility for installing local AI skills into standard skill directories so agents can discover them without manual file shuffling.

It supports both direct CLI usage and agent-driven usage through the bundled install skill. The goal is simple: take a local skill folder, validate it, and place it where your agent expects to find skills.

Why this repo exists

Local agent skills are usually just directories with a SKILL.md file and supporting assets, but installing them repeatedly is still tedious. This repo gives you a predictable way to:

• scan for existing skills directories under your home folder
• copy a local skill into a supported destination root
• link a local skill during development instead of copying it
• let an AI coding agent understand requests like "install this skill" or "scan my skills folders"

What it includes

• skill-install/
  • skill_install.py: the installer CLI
  • SKILL.md: the agent skill definition that wraps the CLI
  • script_usage.md: detailed command reference
• doc/skill-example/
  • example skill you can use to test install and link flows

Quick Start

Requirements

• Python 3.9+

Run the CLI manually

Run from the repository root:

python skill-install/skill_install.py --src ./doc/skill-example

Useful variants:

• Scan for skill directories:

python skill-install/skill_install.py --scan

• Install into a specific destination root:

python skill-install/skill_install.py --src ./doc/skill-example --dest ~/.copilot/skills

• Link instead of copy:

python skill-install/skill_install.py --src ./doc/skill-example --link

Use it through an AI coding agent

Install the bundled skill-install skill into your agent's skills directory, then ask for the action you want.

Example prompts:

• "scan my skills directories"
• "install the skill from ./doc/skill-example"
• "link ./doc/skill-example into ~/.copilot/skills"

Behavior summary

• The source directory must contain SKILL.md.
• If --dest is provided, that destination root is created when missing.
• If --dest is omitted, the installer uses the first existing writable default root.
• Current default roots are ~/.agents/skills and ~/.copilot/skills.
• --force is required to replace an existing target directory.
• On Windows, link mode falls back to a junction if symlink creation fails.

Repository Overview

This repo is mainly for two workflows:

• using the CLI directly when you want an explicit install command
• enabling an agent to translate natural-language requests into the correct install command

See skill-install/script_usage.md for the full command reference.