Skill installer
Usage
Use this skill when the user asks to install, update, or migrate a skill so that it is discoverable by a specific agent harness.
Typical requests:
- •"Install this skill from a URL"
- •"Add this skill to my machine"
- •"Add this skill to this repo"
- •"Update this skill from this URL"
Requirements
- •File system access to the destination directories
- •Network access if installing from a URL
- •
gitif installing from a git repository URL - •A tool for fetching URLs (
curl,wget, or a built-in web fetch tool)
What it does
This skill helps you do three things safely:
- •Decide whether a skill is repo-specific or machine-specific.
- •Install the full skill folder into one or more harness-specific locations.
- •Update an existing installed skill while keeping a backup.
How it works
Clarify scope and targets
Ask these questions if the user has not already specified the answers:
- •
Is this skill repo-specific or machine-specific?
- •
Which harnesses should be able to discover it?
- •
What is the source of truth?
- •local folder path
- •git repo URL
- •zip URL
- •raw
SKILL.mdURL
If the user is unsure about repo versus machine scope, use this heuristic:
- •Repo-specific: only useful in one repo, depends on that repo’s structure or conventions.
- •Machine-specific: reusable across many repos.
Choose destinations
Use references/harness-locations.md to map harness and scope to install paths.
Install
- •Confirm the skill directory name matches
namein frontmatter. - •Confirm
SKILL.mdcontains valid frontmatter (name,description). - •Copy the entire skill folder into each destination.
Update
When updating an already installed skill:
- •Create a timestamped backup of the existing installed folder.
- •Replace the installed folder with the new version.
- •Confirm the harness can discover the updated skill.
Do not delete user files unless they explicitly ask.
Notes on distribution
Some ecosystems distribute a packaged .skill file, which is a zip container. Treat that as a distribution artifact, not the canonical source.