Quick Start Guide

Get up and running with Skilz in just a few minutes. This guide covers installation and basic usage to help you install your first AI skill.

Flowchart showing Skilz installation process: run install command, registry lookup, git clone, manifest parsing, file installation

Step 1: Install Skilz

First, install Skilz using pip. Skilz requires Python 3.10 or higher.

pip install skilz

Verify the installation:

pip install skilz

skilz --version

Tip: If you prefer isolated installations, use pipx install skilz instead.

Step 2: Browse Skills

Visit Skillzwave.ai to browse the skill marketplace. Each skill page shows the install command you need.

For example, to install the Skill Development skill:

pip install skilz

skilz install anthropics/claude-code/skill-development

Step 3: Install Your First Skill

Let's install a skill. Run this command:

pip install skilz

skilz install anthropics/claude-code/hook-development

This command:

Resolves the skill from the registry
Downloads the skill files from GitHub
Installs to the default agent (Claude Code)
Creates a manifest to track the installation

Step 4: Verify Installation

List your installed skills:

pip install skilz

skilz list

You should see output like:

Installed Skills (claude)
========================
  hook-development  anthropics/claude-code/hook-development  v1.0.0  abc1234

Common Commands

Here are the most commonly used Skilz commands:

pip install skilz

# Install a skill (NEW format - recommended)
skilz install owner/repo/skill

# Examples
skilz install anthropics/claude-code/skill-development
skilz install davila7/claude-code-templates/slack-gif-creator

# Install for a specific agent
skilz install anthropics/claude-code/skill-development --agent opencode
skilz install anthropics/claude-code/skill-development --agent gemini --project

# Install at project level (in current directory)
skilz install anthropics/claude-code/skill-development --project

# List installed skills
skilz list
skilz list --agent opencode
skilz list --project

# Update all skills to latest versions
skilz update

# Remove a skill
skilz remove anthropics/claude-code/skill-development

# Read skill content (for agents without native skill loading)
skilz read skill-development

Understanding Skill IDs

Skill IDs use the format owner/repo/skill where:

owner is the GitHub username or organization
repo is the repository name
skill is the skill identifier within that repository

Example Skill IDs (NEW Format)

anthropics/claude-code/skill-development — Skill Development from anthropics/claude-code repo
anthropics/claude-cookbooks/analyzing-financial-statements — Financial analysis skill
davila7/claude-code-templates/slack-gif-creator — Slack GIF creator skill

Legacy Format: The old format owner_repo/skill (with underscore) is still supported for backwards compatibility.

Installing for Different Agents

Skilz supports 22+ different AI coding agents. Use the --agent flag:

pip install skilz

# Install for different agents
skilz install anthropics/claude-code/mcp-integration --agent claude    # Claude Code (default)
skilz install anthropics/claude-code/mcp-integration --agent opencode  # OpenCode
skilz install anthropics/claude-code/mcp-integration --agent codex     # Codex
skilz install anthropics/claude-code/mcp-integration --agent gemini --project   # Gemini CLI
skilz install anthropics/claude-code/mcp-integration --agent copilot --project  # GitHub Copilot
skilz install anthropics/claude-code/mcp-integration --agent cursor --project   # Cursor

See the Supported Agents guide for the complete list and agent-specific instructions.

User vs Project Level

Skills can be installed at two levels:

User Level (Default)

Installed to ~/.claude/skills/ (or equivalent for other agents). Available globally for all your projects.

skilz install anthropics/claude-code/skill-development

Project Level

Installed to ./.claude/skills/ in the current directory. Useful for project-specific skills or sandboxed environments.

skilz install anthropics/claude-code/skill-development --project

Next Steps

Now that you have Skilz installed, explore these resources:

Command Reference — Full documentation of all commands
Configuration Guide — Customize Skilz behavior
Supported Agents — Agent-specific setup instructions
Browse Skills — Find skills to install

Need help? Check the Troubleshooting Guide or open an issue on GitHub.