Guide · Agent skill
How to use the happiness-skill agent skill for Claude
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
happiness-skill is an agent skill, a packaged set of instructions that an AI agent such as Claude loads when your request matches its purpose. This one is built around a framework from Naval Ravikant's book, and it makes the agent answer questions about feeling unhappy, never being satisfied, or anxiety using that framework. This guide explains what the skill does, how to install it, how to trigger it, and where it should not be used.
Happiness Skillkangarooking/cangjie-skill · MIT Download the skill Quick start
- 1Download the ZIP. Get the happiness-skill ZIP file from this skill's page on the directory.
- 2Unzip into your skills folder. Place the unzipped folder in ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or in .claude/skills/ inside a project.
- 3Or upload it in the Claude apps. Go to Settings → Capabilities → Skills and upload the skill there.
- 4Ask a natural question. Describe how you feel, for example that you are unhappy or that your desires never end.
- 5List your desires. Write down the desires you are waiting to satisfy before you feel happy, and keep only one as your major desire.
- 6Pick one daily habit. Choose one small happiness habit to practise each day, and rate your happiness from 1 to 10 each week.
What is an agent skill, and what does happiness-skill make the agent do?
An agent skill is a folder of instructions that an AI agent can read when a task calls for it. The main file is SKILL.md, and this skill also ships with test-prompts.json and test-results.md.
When you ask about feeling unhappy, feeling never satisfied, or anxiety, the agent answers using the skill's framework. It treats happiness as the default state that appears once a sense of lack is cleared, and it suggests practical steps rather than general encouragement.
- List the desires you are waiting to satisfy before you feel happy, and treat each as a condition you have set for yourself.
- Keep only one major desire at a time, since two or more tend to scatter your focus.
- Notice how much time you spend worrying about the future or regretting the past, and bring attention back to the present.
- Choose one small daily happiness habit and rate your happiness from 1 to 10 each week to see whether the baseline rises.
How do you install happiness-skill?
Download the ZIP file from the skill's page on this directory, then unzip it. Put the resulting folder in your personal skills directory at ~/.claude/skills/, or in a project's .claude/skills/ folder if you want the skill available only inside that project.
If you use the Claude apps instead, you can upload the skill under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
- Personal install: unzip into ~/.claude/skills/.
- Project install: unzip into the .claude/skills/ folder inside your project.
- App install: upload the skill under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
How do you trigger the skill with natural requests?
You do not need to name the skill. The agent uses it when your request matches the situations it covers: a low mood, a sense that desires never fill up, a mind that will not stop worrying about the future or regretting the past, or emptiness after reaching a goal.
The skill's listed trigger words include 幸福 (happiness), 不快乐 (unhappy), 欲望 (desire), 焦虑 (anxiety), 知足 (contentment), 活在当下 (living in the present), and in English happiness, desire and anxiety. Its test prompts were written in Chinese, so phrasing your request in Chinese may match more reliably.
- Low mood: why am I not happy?
- Desires: my wants never end, what should I do?
- Anxiety: my mind won't stop worrying about the future.
- After a goal: I got what I wanted and still feel empty.
What does a typical session look like?
The skill guides a short reflection exercise. The agent asks you to list the desires you are currently waiting to satisfy, marks one as your major desire, and sets the rest aside or drops them. It then asks you to estimate how your time splits between future worry, past regret and the present.
The exercise ends with one small daily habit that you track weekly. The skill's own wording frames this as training happiness like a skill, through methods such as meditation, habits, choosing your company and acceptance practice.
What do you need, and is it safe to run?
The skill lists no requirements. It does not run scripts and does not use the network, so it works only by shaping the agent's answers. It is licensed under MIT.
The skill is not a substitute for medical care. If you show signs of clinical depression, such as low mood lasting two weeks or more, the agent should point you to professional help and stop the exercise. If you are short of money or food, or facing a safety crisis, the skill says to address those needs first.
- Requires: nothing listed.
- Runs scripts: no.
- Uses network: no.
- Licence: MIT.
What are the limits and tips for getting value?
The skill's own notes say the evidence for its methods is the author's personal experience, a sample of one, rather than statistical proof. Treat it as a structured reflection tool, not a clinical method.
The skill also warns against treating happiness as positive thinking, since it says every positive thought contains a negative one, and against chasing happiness as a feeling, because that means giving it up.
- Use it for reflection on desires and habits, not for diagnosis or treatment.
- Keep the weekly 1 to 10 rating so you can see the trend over time.
- Start with one habit rather than several.
- If you are looking for a tool for a racing mind, the skill's own boundary notes point to a separate meditation skill, monkey-mind-meditation.
What people use it for
- Reflecting on a list of wants and choosing one major desire to focus on.
- Noticing how much of the day goes to worrying about the future or regretting the past.
- Feeling empty after reaching a goal and looking for a structured way to think about it.
- Setting a weekly self-rating routine to see whether your baseline mood is slowly rising.
Frequently asked questions
How do I install the happiness-skill agent skill?
Download the ZIP from the skill's page and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder. In the Claude apps, you can instead upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
Does happiness-skill require anything to run?
The skill lists no requirements. It does not run scripts and does not use the network, so it only shapes how the agent answers.
Is happiness-skill free?
The skill is listed under the MIT licence. Check the licence file included with the source for the full terms.
Can happiness-skill treat depression or anxiety disorders?
No. The skill states that its methods cannot replace medical care. If you show signs of clinical depression, such as low mood lasting two weeks or more, the agent should direct you to professional help.
What is the difference between happiness-skill and monkey-mind-meditation?
According to the skill's notes, meditation is a tool, while happiness-skill defines the overall goal and framework. The skill suggests meditation as one of several training options, and it refers racing-mind requests to monkey-mind-meditation.
Why does the skill trigger on Chinese phrases?
The skill's text and its test prompts are written in Chinese, and its listed triggers include both Chinese and English words such as happiness, desire and anxiety. Using Chinese may match more reliably, though this is not guaranteed by the source.
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Our verdict
happiness-skill suits people who feel restless even after reaching goals, readers who want to apply Naval Ravikant's ideas to daily life, and anyone who wants a structured reflection on desires and habits. It is not suitable for clinical depression, anxiety disorders, material hardship or safety crises, where professional or practical help should come first. Choose a different tool if you need evidence-based treatment, since the skill's own evidence is the author's personal experience.
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