---
title: "Skills"
description: "Agent skill types, text and package formats, visibility settings, versioning, supported platforms, and install methods on localskills.sh."
---

> Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.localskills.sh/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Skills

Skills are reusable agent instructions for AI coding tools. Rules are
governance guidelines or coding standards. Both are versioned, organized into
folders, and installable across eight platforms.

## Types

A **skill** provides agent instructions, capabilities, or workflows, installed
into your tool's skill directory.

A **rule** provides governance guidelines or coding standards. On some
platforms, rules are placed in a separate directory (e.g. `.claude/rules/`).

## Every skill is a SKILL.md package

A skill is a folder with a `SKILL.md` at its root, plus optional scripts,
references, and assets. The `SKILL.md` is the skill's content: its frontmatter
`description:` is what shows on the skill's page and cards, and its body
renders as the page's primary content.

The simplest skill is just the one file: write it in the dashboard editor or
publish a Markdown file with the CLI. Multi-file skills are stored as a single
versioned archive and unpacked on install. Publish one by dragging a folder or
`.zip` onto the New Skill page, or with `localskills publish path/to/folder`.

Package limits: **100 MB** compressed, **100 MB** uncompressed, **500 files**.

> **Note**
>
> Package skills install as folder-based Agent Skills on Claude Code, Cursor,
> Codex, Windsurf, GitHub Copilot, Cline, and OpenCode, each in that tool's
> native skills directory. Aider supports single-file text skills only, so
> package installs skip it with a notice.

## Visibility

| Level | Behavior |
| --- | --- |
| Public | Discoverable in search, profiles, and explore. Installable by anyone. |
| Private | Visible only to organization members. Requires authentication to install. |
| Unlisted | Accessible via direct link only. Not shown in search or profiles. |

Beyond visibility, private skills can be further scoped inside an organization
with folder restrictions; see [Folders & Access Control](/folders).

## Versioning

Every publish creates a new version with a semantic version label (e.g.
`v1.2.0`). Pushing an update bumps the patch version by default; the CLI and
API accept `--minor`, `--major`, or an explicit semver. Content is hashed with
SHA-256 so the CLI can detect whether an update is available.

The dashboard shows the full version history for each skill, and a role with
the skill update permission can revert to any previous version with one click.

Running `localskills pull` compares the local content hash against the latest
version and updates only when they differ.

## Author attribution

Every version records who published it, and the skill itself records its
creator. The skill page shows the creator alongside a contributor strip
(everyone who has published a version in the skill's lineage), and the
dashboard's Versions tab lists the author of each version.

Authorship is provenance, not ownership: publishing rights come from roles and
folder access controls, so in an open folder any member with the skill create
permission can publish a new version onto an existing skill. Versions imported
through [GitHub Sync](/github-sync) are attributed to the member who connected
the repo, with the GitHub commit author preserved in the version message.

## Supported platforms

| Platform | Project path | Scope | Method |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cursor | `.cursor/rules/{slug}.mdc` | Global + project | Symlink |
| Claude Code | `.claude/skills/{slug}/SKILL.md` | Global + project | Symlink |
| Codex CLI | `AGENTS.md` | Global + project | Section |
| Windsurf | `.windsurf/rules/{slug}.md` | Global + project | Section / symlink |
| Cline | `.clinerules/{slug}.md` | Project only | Symlink |
| GitHub Copilot | `.github/copilot-instructions.md` | Project only | Section |
| OpenCode | `.opencode/rules/{slug}.md` | Global + project | Symlink |
| Aider (text skills only) | `.aider/skills/{slug}.md` | Project only | Symlink |

The CLI auto-detects which tools are installed and pre-selects them during
interactive installs.

## Install methods

**Symlink** (default on macOS/Linux): creates a symbolic link from the target
location to the cached file in `~/.localskills/cache/`. Pulling a new version
updates the cache, and all symlinks pick up the latest content automatically.

**Copy** (default on Windows): writes an independent copy of the skill content
into the target location. Running `localskills pull` re-writes the file with
updated content.

**Section**: embeds the skill in a shared file using marker comments:

```html
<!-- localskills:start:{slug} -->
...skill content...
<!-- localskills:end:{slug} -->
```

Section-based installs are used for platforms that rely on a single shared file
(e.g. GitHub Copilot's `copilot-instructions.md` or Codex CLI's `AGENTS.md`).

Source: https://docs.localskills.sh/skills/index.mdx