New to AI Agent Skills?
We'll Walk You Through It
In the next 5 minutes, you'll understand exactly what AI Agent Skills are and how to teach your AI assistant new tricks.
What Are AI Agent Skills?
What Can Skills Do?
Skills expand what your AI can help you with. Here are real examples:
Write Better Code
Skills can teach your AI to write code in specific languages, follow your team's style guide, or test code automatically.
Handle Your Files
Some skills let your AI read, create, and organize files on your computer – like renaming photos or sorting documents.
Connect to Services
Skills can connect your AI to tools you already use, like GitHub, Notion, Slack, or your company's internal systems.
Search & Research
Teaching your AI to search the web, look up documentation, or find information in your databases.
Key Point
Without skills, your AI is limited to what it knows from training. With skills, it can do things – access real data, connect to services, and perform actions.
How Do Skills Work?
Skills come in two main types. Don't worry – both are easy to install.
Prompt-Only Skills
What it is: Just text instructions that teach your AI how to do something.
How to install: Copy and paste into your AI's settings.
Example: "When writing code, always add comments explaining each function."
Connected Skills (MCP)
What it is: Small programs that give your AI real abilities – like accessing files or calling APIs.
How to install: Run a command in your terminal (we'll show you exactly how).
Example: Let your AI read and edit files in your project folder.
What is MCP?
MCP stands for Model Context Protocol. It's a standard way for AI assistants to connect to external tools and services. Think of it like USB – a universal connector that works the same way across different devices.
Which AI Assistant Do You Use?
Select your AI assistant to see installation instructions made just for you.
Claude Desktop Setup
Find Your Config File
Claude Desktop stores its settings in a file. Open this location:
%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Tip: Press Win+R, paste the path, and press Enter to open it.
Add the Skill
Each skill page shows the exact code to add. It will look something like this:
{
"mcpServers": {
"filesystem": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "/path/to/folder"]
}
}
}
Restart Claude
Close Claude Desktop completely and open it again. The skill will now be available.
Install Your First Skill
Let's practice with a simple, safe skill. We recommend starting with one of these:
Filesystem Access
Let your AI read and create files in a specific folder. Perfect for coding projects.
Beginner-FriendlyWeb Search
Give your AI the ability to search the web for current information.
PopularHow to Know It's Working
After installing a skill and restarting your AI, try asking it something that requires the skill. For example, with the Filesystem skill, ask: "What files are in my project folder?"
If the AI can answer correctly, the skill is working!
What's Next?
Common Questions
Yes, when you install skills from Agent Skill Source! Every skill is reviewed for security before being published. We check for:
- No hidden or malicious code
- Clear permission requirements
- Honest descriptions of what the skill does
That said, always review the permissions a skill requests before installing. If a writing skill asks for access to your entire filesystem, that's a red flag.
Most skills on Agent Skill Source are completely free. Some skills connect to third-party services that may have their own costs (like API fees), but the skills themselves are free to install and use.
Absolutely! Just remove the skill's configuration from your settings file (the same file you added it to) and restart your AI assistant. The skill will be completely removed.
Here are the most common fixes:
- Restart your AI – Most issues are solved by closing and reopening
- Check your config – Make sure there are no typos or missing commas
- Verify requirements – Some skills need Node.js or Python installed
- Read the skill page – Look for troubleshooting tips specific to that skill
Still stuck? Check the skill's reviews or contact the skill creator.
Yes! If you have an idea for a skill, you can create and submit it to Agent Skill Source. We accept:
- Prompt-only skills – No coding required, just write good instructions
- MCP skills – Requires some programming (TypeScript, Python, etc.)
Submit a skill when you're ready!
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