Guide · Open source

How to use claude-skills: install and run skills in Claude Code

Updated 2026-10-29 · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data

claude-skills is an open-source collection of skills, plugins and agents you add to AI coding tools such as Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, Gemini CLI and Cursor. Each skill is a package of structured instructions, and some include Python scripts and reference templates that give the agent domain knowledge it lacks by default. This guide shows you how to add the marketplace, install a bundle and start using a skill.

Claude Code Skillsalirezarezvani/claude-skills · ★ 29.1k · MIT Install options & downloads

Quick start

1Check prerequisites. Confirm you have Claude Code or another supported coding agent, Python and Git installed.
2Add the marketplace. In Claude Code, run the marketplace add command for alirezarezvani/claude-skills.
3Install a bundle. Install a domain bundle such as engineering-skills@claude-code-skills.
4Find the skill you need. Run /plugin and open the marketplace to see installable names, since most skills sit inside a bundle.
5Run a skill. Ask your agent a task that matches the skill, so it applies the instructions in that skill's SKILL.md.

What you need before you install

You need Claude Code or another supported coding agent, Python, and Git. The skills only run inside an AI coding agent, so if you do not use one, this library will not do anything on its own.

The README says the Python scripts are stdlib-only, which means they do not require pip installs.

Claude Code or another supported coding agent
Python (scripts are described as stdlib-only)
Git

Install the Claude Code marketplace and a bundle

In Claude Code, add the marketplace first, then install a domain bundle. The README notes that only names listed in the marketplace file can be installed, and most individual skills ship inside a bundle, so install the bundle that contains the skill you want.

To browse every installable name, run /plugin and open the marketplace.

Install the core engineering bundle with the engineering-skills plugin
Install the Playwright testing plugin named pw for end-to-end testing workflows

/plugin marketplace add alirezarezvani/claude-skills
/plugin install engineering-skills@claude-code-skills
/plugin install pw@claude-code-skills

Install for other tools

The README lists separate install paths for other agents. For Gemini CLI, you clone the repository and run the setup script included in it. For Codex, the README offers an npx command or a git clone followed by a category-based install script.

For tools such as Cursor, Aider, Windsurf and Kilo Code, the repository provides an install script that takes a tool name and a target folder. Run the convert script first to generate tool-specific outputs.

Gemini CLI: clone the repo, run the gemini-install script, then call activate_skill with a skill name
Codex: use the agent-skills-cli add command or the codex-install script
Cursor and similar tools: run convert.sh --tool all, then install.sh with --tool and --target

./scripts/convert.sh --tool all
./scripts/install.sh --tool cursor --target /path/to/project

Windows setup notes

The README says Windows users should clone with symlinks enabled, with Developer Mode turned on. Without this, the mirror folders check out as one-line pointer text files instead of working skills.

It also recommends setting PYTHONUTF8=1 so tools that print Unicode do not crash on older console code pages. The full details are in the INSTALLATION.md file in the repository.

Clone with git clone -c core.symlinks=true
Enable Developer Mode before cloning
Set PYTHONUTF8=1

git clone -c core.symlinks=true https://github.com/alirezarezvani/claude-skills.git

Use a skill and check it works

A skill is a folder with a SKILL.md file of structured instructions, plus optional scripts and templates. Once installed, the agent uses the skill's guidance when your task matches it. Skills fall into three kinds: skills describe how to execute a task, agents describe what task to do, and personas describe who is thinking.

The README gives a file count you can use to verify a multi-tool conversion. In Cursor, you can count the generated .mdc rule files in .cursor/rules.

Skills: how to execute a task, for example following steps for SEO
Agents: what task to do, for example running a security audit
Personas: who is thinking, for example a startup CTO perspective

find .cursor/rules -name "*.mdc" | wc -l

Choose the right bundle for your work

The bundles are grouped by domain, such as engineering, marketing, product, C-level advisory and finance. Pick the bundle that matches the task in front of you rather than installing everything at once, since the library is large and the depth of each skill varies.

Some skills in the README are described as personas or as commands, so check the bundle description before you rely on a particular workflow.

Engineers: engineering-skills for core workflows, engineering-advanced-skills for deeper tiers
Marketers: marketing-skills
Founders and managers: c-level-skills
Finance work: finance-skills

What people use it for

Adding a Playwright testing workflow through the pw plugin
Using engineering checklists for testing, DevOps or security tasks
Getting SEO and content-writing guidance inside a coding agent
Running C-level advisory style prompts for founder or manager decisions

Frequently asked questions

Is claude-skills free to use?

The repository is licensed under MIT, as shown in the README. The MIT licence is a permissive open-source licence, so check the LICENSE file in the repository for the full terms.

What do I need to run claude-skills?

You need Claude Code or another supported coding agent, Python and Git. The README says the Python scripts are stdlib-only, so they do not need pip installs.

Do I need to install every skill?

No. Install only the bundle that matches your work. The README says most skills ship inside a domain bundle, and only names in the marketplace file can be installed.

Why can't I find a skill I want to install?

Most individual skills are inside a bundle rather than installed on their own. Check which bundle contains the skill, then install that bundle. Running /plugin and opening the marketplace lists the installable names.

Are the skills independently verified?

The README describes the collection's scale but does not describe a per-skill quality review. Treat the checklists as guidance and review them before relying on them for important work.

How does claude-skills compare with awesome-claude-code or anthropics/skills?

The project lists awesome-claude-code, anthropics/skills and awesome-cursorrules as comparable projects. This guide does not compare their features, so check each repository's README to decide which fits your workflow.

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Our verdict

claude-skills suits developers and marketers who already use Claude Code or a similar agent and want ready-made workflows to install. It is less suitable for beginners who want a simple guided app, or for anyone who expects every skill to be independently verified, since the library is large and varies in depth.

Install options & downloads