How to use the SQLite Expert agent skill

What the sqlite-expert skill makes the agent do

An agent skill is a folder containing a SKILL.md file with instructions that an AI agent reads when a task matches the skill's description. The sqlite-expert skill covers SQLite internals, performance tuning and embedded database patterns, from mobile and IoT apps to caching layers and analytical workloads.

Once loaded, the agent gives guidance grounded in the skill's principles and techniques. It recommends enabling WAL mode for concurrent reads and writes, using a busy timeout such as 5000ms instead of failing immediately on contention, and creating indexes that match your queries. It can suggest performance PRAGMAs set at connection open, and it reminds you to check plans with EXPLAIN QUERY PLAN.

• Full-text search with FTS5 (CREATE VIRTUAL TABLE with MATCH and bm25() ranking)
• JSON queries with json_extract(), json_each() and json_group_array()
• Recursive CTEs for trees, graphs and generated series
• Window functions such as ROW_NUMBER, LAG, LEAD and SUM OVER
• Covering indexes, verified by a COVERING INDEX line in EXPLAIN QUERY PLAN
• UPSERT with INSERT ... ON CONFLICT DO UPDATE
• ATTACH DATABASE for querying across several SQLite files, plus schema versioning with PRAGMA user_version

How do you install the sqlite-expert skill?

Download the sqlite-expert ZIP from this page. The skill ships as a single file, SKILL.md. You can install it in one of two ways.

For Claude Code, unzip the download into a skills folder. For a personal install, use ~/.claude/skills/. For a single project, use the .claude/skills/ folder inside that project. After unzipping, the sqlite-expert folder should contain SKILL.md.

In the Claude apps, you can upload the ZIP instead. Go to Settings, then Capabilities, then Skills, and upload the file there.

• Personal install: ~/.claude/skills/sqlite-expert/SKILL.md
• Project install: .claude/skills/sqlite-expert/SKILL.md inside your project
• Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills, then upload the ZIP

How do you trigger the skill with natural requests?

You do not need a special command. The skill's description covers WAL mode, query optimization, embedded patterns and advanced features, so ask about those topics in ordinary language and mention SQLite by name. Be specific about your situation, because the guidance depends on it: your platform, your data size, how many processes write to the database, and the query or error you are seeing.

Good requests name the goal and include the relevant SQL or error text. Vague requests such as 'make my database faster' give generic advice.

• 'My SQLite app gets SQLITE_BUSY errors when two threads write. What settings should I use?'
• 'Explain why this query does a full table scan and suggest an index.'
• 'Write an FTS5 table for article titles and bodies and show how to rank matches with bm25().'
• 'Rewrite this report query using a window function to get a running total per customer.'

What can you expect from the answers?

Expect answers that follow the skill's guidance: concrete PRAGMA settings, index suggestions, and SQL using the features listed above. The skill also includes pitfalls. For example, it says to set WAL mode and other PRAGMAs consistently on every connection, and to keep large BLOBs over 1MB outside the database as files.

The skill is also honest about limits. If you describe dozens of simultaneous writers, the guidance points toward a client-server database such as PostgreSQL.

What does the skill need, and what does it run?

The skill lists no requirements. It runs no scripts and makes no network calls. It is a single SKILL.md text file, and it does not connect to your database or read your files.

That matters for expectations. The agent cannot inspect or change your actual database through this skill. When it recommends EXPLAIN QUERY PLAN, you run that yourself and paste the output back. Any file changes come from you or from other tools you have set up.

• Requires: nothing listed
• Runs scripts: no
• Uses network: no
• Files: SKILL.md

What tips help you get the most from it?

Give the agent real evidence. Paste your schema, the query, and the EXPLAIN QUERY PLAN output. Recommendations based on the actual plan are more reliable than guesses about the plan.

Apply PRAGMAs in your application's connection setup code so every connection uses the same settings. The skill specifically warns against mixing PRAGMA settings across connections.

• Include the table definitions and indexes in your question.
• Share the exact error text, such as SQLITE_BUSY.
• Ask the agent to explain the tradeoff before you adopt a change.
• Test recommended settings on a copy of your database first.