Troubleshooting: Solve OpenSkills Common Problems

What You'll Learn

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:

• Quickly diagnose and fix common issues when using OpenSkills
• Understand the causes behind error messages
• Master techniques for troubleshooting Git clone, permission, and file format problems
• Learn when you need to reinstall skills

Your Current Challenges

You encounter errors when using OpenSkills and don't know what to do:

Error: No SKILL.md files found in repository

Or git clone failures, permission errors, incorrect file formats... These issues can prevent skills from working properly.

When to Use This Tutorial

When you encounter the following situations:

• Installation failed: Error when installing from GitHub or local path
• Read failed: openskills read prompts that skills cannot be found
• Sync failed: openskills sync prompts no skills or file format error
• Update failed: openskills update skips certain skills
• Permission error: Prompts path access restricted or security error

Core Approach

OpenSkills errors mainly fall into 4 categories:

Error Type	Common Causes	Solution Approach
Git-related	Network issues, SSH configuration, repository doesn't exist	Check network, configure Git credentials, verify repository URL
File-related	SKILL.md missing, format error, path error	Check file existence, verify YAML format
Permission-related	Directory permissions, path traversal, symlinks	Check directory permissions, verify installation path
Metadata-related	Metadata lost during update, source path changed	Reinstall skill to restore metadata

Troubleshooting tips:

1. Read error messages: Red output usually contains specific causes
2. Check yellow prompts: Usually warnings and suggestions, such as Tip: For private repos...
3. Check directory structure: Use openskills list to view installed skills
4. View source code locations: Error messages list search paths (4 directories)

---

Installation Failures

Problem 1: Git Clone Failed

Error message:

Failed to clone repository
fatal: repository '...' not found
Tip: For private repos, ensure git SSH keys or credentials are configured

Possible causes:

Cause	Scenario
Repository doesn't exist	Misspelled owner/repo
Private repository	SSH key or Git credentials not configured
Network issues	Cannot access GitHub

Solution:

1. Verify repository URL:

   # Visit repository URL in browser
   https://github.com/owner/repo

2. Check Git configuration (for private repositories):

   # Check SSH configuration
   ssh -T git@github.com
   
   # Configure Git credentials
   git config --global credential.helper store

3. Test clone:

   git clone https://github.com/owner/repo.git

What You Should See:

• Repository successfully cloned to local directory

---

Problem 2: SKILL.md Not Found

Error message:

Error: No SKILL.md files found in repository
Error: No valid SKILL.md files found

Possible causes:

Cause	Description
Repository has no SKILL.md	Repository is not a skill repository
SKILL.md has no frontmatter	Missing YAML metadata
SKILL.md format error	YAML syntax error

Solution:

1. Check repository structure:

   # View repository root directory
   ls -la
   
   # Check if SKILL.md exists
   find . -name "SKILL.md"

2. Verify SKILL.md format:

   ---
   name: skill-name
   description: skill description
   ---
   
   Skill content...

   Must have:

   • YAML frontmatter separated by --- at the beginning
   • Contains name and description fields

3. View official examples:

   git clone https://github.com/anthropics/skills.git
   cd skills
   ls -la

What You Should See:

• Repository contains one or more SKILL.md files
• Each SKILL.md has YAML frontmatter at the beginning

---

Problem 3: Path Doesn't Exist or Not a Directory

Error message:

Error: Path does not exist: /path/to/skill
Error: Path must be a directory

Possible causes:

Cause	Description
Misspelled path	Entered wrong path
Path points to file	Should be a directory, not a file
Path not expanded	Need to expand when using ~

Solution:

1. Verify path exists:

   # Check path
   ls -la /path/to/skill
   
   # Check if it's a directory
   file /path/to/skill

2. Use absolute path:

   # Get absolute path
   realpath /path/to/skill
   
   # Use absolute path when installing
   openskills install /absolute/path/to/skill

3. Use relative path:

   # In project directory
   openskills install ./skills/my-skill

What You Should See:

• Path exists and is a directory
• Directory contains SKILL.md file

---

Problem 4: Invalid SKILL.md

Error message:

Error: Invalid SKILL.md (missing YAML frontmatter)

Possible causes:

Cause	Description
---	---
Missing required fields	Must have name and description
YAML syntax error	Format issues with colons, quotes, etc.

Solution:

1. Check YAML frontmatter:

   ---              ← Start separator
   name: my-skill   ← Required
   description: skill description  ← Required
   ---              ← End separator

2. Use online YAML validation tool:

   • Visit YAML Lint or similar tools to verify syntax

3. Reference official examples:

   openskills install anthropics/skills
   cat .claude/skills/*/SKILL.md | head -20

What You Should See:

• SKILL.md has correct YAML frontmatter at the beginning
• Contains name and description fields

---

Problem 5: Path Traversal Security Error

Error message:

Security error: Installation path outside target directory

Possible causes:

Cause	Description
Skill name contains ..	Attempting to access path outside target directory
Symlink points outside	symlink points outside target directory
Malicious skill	Skill attempting to bypass security restrictions

Solution:

1. Check skill name:

   • Ensure skill name doesn't contain .., /, or other special characters

2. Check symlinks:

   # View symlinks in skill directory
   find .claude/skills/skill-name -type l
   
   # View symlink target
   ls -la .claude/skills/skill-name

3. Use safe skills:

   • Only install skills from trusted sources
   • Review skill code before installation

What You Should See:

• Skill name only contains letters, numbers, hyphens
• No symlinks pointing outside

---

Read Failures

Problem 6: Skill Not Found

Error message:

Error: Skill(s) not found: my-skill

Searched:
  .agent/skills/ (project universal)
  ~/.agent/skills/ (global universal)
  .claude/skills/ (project)
  ~/.claude/skills/ (global)

Install skills: npx openskills install owner/repo

Possible causes:

Cause	Description
Skill not installed	Skill not installed in any directory
Misspelled skill name	Name doesn't match
Installed in other location	Skill installed in non-standard directory

Solution:

1. View installed skills:

   openskills list

2. Check skill name:

   • Compare with openskills list output
   • Ensure exact match (case-sensitive)

3. Install missing skill:

   openskills install owner/repo

4. Search all directories:

   # Check 4 skill directories
   ls -la .agent/skills/
   ls -la ~/.agent/skills/
   ls -la .claude/skills/
   ls -la ~/.claude/skills/

What You Should See:

• openskills list shows target skill
• Skill exists in one of the 4 directories

---

Problem 7: No Skill Name Provided

Error message:

Error: No skill names provided

Possible causes:

Cause	Description
Forgot to pass arguments	No arguments after openskills read
Empty string	Passed empty string

Solution:

1. Provide skill name:

   # Single skill
   openskills read my-skill
   
   # Multiple skills (comma-separated)
   openskills read skill1,skill2,skill3

2. View available skills first:

   openskills list

What You Should See:

• Successfully read skill content to standard output

---

Sync Failures

Problem 8: Output File Is Not Markdown

Error message:

Error: Output file must be a markdown file (.md)

Possible causes:

Cause	Description
Output file is not .md	Specified .txt, .json, etc. formats
--output parameter error	Path doesn't end with .md

Solution:

1. Use .md file:

   # Correct
   openskills sync -o AGENTS.md
   openskills sync -o custom.md
   
   # Wrong
   openskills sync -o AGENTS.txt
   openskills sync -o AGENTS

2. Custom output path:

   # Output to subdirectory
   openskills sync -o .ruler/AGENTS.md
   openskills sync -o docs/agents.md

What You Should See:

• Successfully generated .md file
• File contains skill XML sections

---

Problem 9: No Skills Installed

Error message:

No skills installed. Install skills first:
  npx openskills install anthropics/skills --project

Possible causes:

Cause	Description
Never installed skills	First time using OpenSkills
Deleted skill directory	Manually deleted skill files

Solution:

1. Install skills:

   # Install official skills
   openskills install anthropics/skills
   
   # Install from other repositories
   openskills install owner/repo

2. Verify installation:

   openskills list

What You Should See:

• openskills list shows at least one skill
• Sync successful

---

Update Failures

Problem 10: No Source Metadata

Error message:

Skipped: my-skill (no source metadata; re-install once to enable updates)

Possible causes:

Cause	Description
Old version installation	Skill installed before metadata feature
Manual copy	Directly copied skill directory, not installed via OpenSkills
Metadata file corrupted	.openskills.json corrupted or lost

Solution:

1. Reinstall skill:

   # Remove old skill
   openskills remove my-skill
   
   # Reinstall
   openskills install owner/repo

2. Check metadata file:

   # View skill metadata
   cat .claude/skills/my-skill/.openskills.json

3. Keep skill but add metadata:

   • Manually create .openskills.json (not recommended)
   • Reinstalling is simpler and more reliable

What You Should See:

• Update successful, no skip warnings

---

Problem 11: Local Source Missing

Error message:

Skipped: my-skill (local source missing)

Possible causes:

Cause	Description
Local path moved	Source directory location changed
Local path deleted	Source directory doesn't exist
Path not expanded	Used ~ but metadata stored expanded path

Solution:

1. Check local path in metadata:

   cat .claude/skills/my-skill/.openskills.json

2. Restore source directory or update metadata:

   # If source directory moved
   openskills remove my-skill
   openskills install /new/path/to/skill
   
   # Or manually edit metadata (not recommended)
   vi .claude/skills/my-skill/.openskills.json

What You Should See:

• Local source path exists and contains SKILL.md

---

Problem 12: SKILL.md Not Found in Repository

Error message:

SKILL.md missing for my-skill
Skipped: my-skill (SKILL.md not found in repo at subpath)

Possible causes:

Cause	Description
Repository structure changed	Skill subpath or name changed
Skill deleted	Repository no longer contains this skill
Incorrect subpath	Subpath recorded in metadata is incorrect

Solution:

1. Visit repository to view structure:

   # Clone repository to view
   git clone https://github.com/owner/repo.git
   cd repo
   ls -la
   find . -name "SKILL.md"

2. Reinstall skill:

   openskills remove my-skill
   openskills install owner/repo/subpath

3. Check repository update history:

   • View commit history on GitHub
   • Find records of skill moves or deletions

What You Should See:

• Update successful
• SKILL.md exists in recorded subpath

---

Permission Issues

Problem 13: Directory Permissions Restricted

Symptoms:

Operation	Symptom
Installation failed	Prompts permission error
Deletion failed	Prompts unable to delete file
Read failed	Prompts file access restricted

Possible causes:

Cause	Description
Insufficient directory permissions	User doesn't have write permission
Insufficient file permissions	File is read-only
System protection	macOS SIP, Windows UAC restrictions

Solution:

1. Check directory permissions:

   # View permissions
   ls -la .claude/skills/
   
   # Modify permissions (use cautiously)
   chmod -R 755 .claude/skills/

2. Use sudo (not recommended):

   # Last resort
   sudo openskills install owner/repo

3. Check system protection:

   # macOS: Check SIP status
   csrutil status
   
   # If you need to disable SIP (requires recovery mode)
   # Not recommended, use only when necessary

What You Should See:

• Normal read/write of directories and files

---

Symlink Issues

Problem 14: Broken Symlink

Symptoms:

Symptom	Description
Skipped skill in list	openskills list doesn't show the skill
Read failed	Prompts file doesn't exist
Update failed	Invalid source path

Possible causes:

Cause	Description
Target directory deleted	Symlink points to non-existent path
Symlink corrupted	Link file itself corrupted
---	---

Solution:

1. Check symlinks:

   # Find all symlinks
   find .claude/skills -type l
   
   # View link target
   ls -la .claude/skills/my-skill
   
   # Test link
   readlink .claude/skills/my-skill

2. Delete broken symlink:

   openskills remove my-skill

3. Reinstall:

   openskills install owner/repo

What You Should See:

• No broken symlinks
• Skills display and read normally

---

Common Pitfalls

Common Mistakes

❌ Don't do this:

• Directly copy skill directory → Will cause metadata loss, update failures
• Manually edit .openskills.json → Easy to break format, causing update failures
• Use sudo to install skills → Will create root-owned files, subsequent operations may need sudo
• Delete .openskills.json → Will cause skill to be skipped during updates

✅ Do this instead:

• Install via openskills install → Automatically creates metadata
• Remove via openskills remove → Correctly cleans up files
• Update via openskills update → Automatically refreshes from source
• Check via openskills list → Confirm skill status

Troubleshooting Tips

1. Start simple: First run openskills list to confirm status
2. Read complete error messages: Yellow prompts usually contain resolution suggestions
3. Check directory structure: Use ls -la to view files and permissions
4. Verify source code locations: Error messages list 4 search directories
5. Use -y to skip interaction: Use -y flag in CI/CD or scripts

---

Lesson Summary

In this lesson, we learned troubleshooting and fixing methods for common OpenSkills problems:

Problem Type	Key Solutions
Git clone failed	Check network, configure credentials, verify repository URL
SKILL.md not found	Check repository structure, verify YAML format
Read failed	Check skill status with openskills list
Update failed	Reinstall skill to restore metadata
Permission issues	Check directory permissions, avoid using sudo

Remember:

• Error messages usually contain clear hints
• Reinstalling is the simplest way to resolve metadata issues
• Only install skills from trusted sources

Next Steps

• View FAQ → Answers to more questions
• Learn Best Practices → Avoid common mistakes
• Explore Security Guide → Understand security mechanisms

---

Appendix: Source Code Reference

Click to expand source code locations

Updated: 2026-01-24

Feature	File Path	Line Numbers
Git clone failure handling	src/commands/install.ts	162-168
Path doesn't exist error	src/commands/install.ts	205-207
Not a directory error	src/commands/install.ts	210-213
Invalid SKILL.md	src/commands/install.ts	241-243
Path traversal security error	src/commands/install.ts	256-259
SKILL.md not found	src/commands/install.ts	378-380
No skill name provided	src/commands/read.ts	10-12
Skill not found	src/commands/read.ts	26-34
Output file not Markdown	src/commands/sync.ts	23-25
No skills installed	src/commands/sync.ts	40-43
No source metadata skip	src/commands/update.ts	57-61
Local source missing	src/commands/update.ts	66-71
SKILL.md not found in repo	src/commands/update.ts	102-107

Key functions:

• hasValidFrontmatter(content): Validates if SKILL.md has valid YAML frontmatter
• isPathInside(targetPath, targetDir): Validates if path is within target directory (security check)
• findSkill(name): Searches for skill in 4 directories by priority
• readSkillMetadata(path): Reads skill's installation source metadata

Key constants:

• Search directory order (src/utils/skills.ts):
  1. .agent/skills/ (project universal)
  2. ~/.agent/skills/ (global universal)
  3. .claude/skills/ (project)
  4. ~/.claude/skills/ (global)