Getting Started

This section helps you get started with OpenSkills. From installing the tool to enabling AI agents to use skills, it takes just 10-15 minutes.

Learning Path

We recommend following this order:

1. Quick Start

Complete tool installation, skill installation, and sync in under 5 minutes, and experience the core value of OpenSkills.

• Install OpenSkills tool
• Install skills from the official Anthropic repository
• Sync skills to AGENTS.md
• Verify that AI agents can use skills

2. What is OpenSkills?

Understand the core concepts and working principles of OpenSkills.

• The relationship between OpenSkills and Claude Code
• Unified skill format, progressive loading, multi-agent support
• When to use OpenSkills instead of the built-in skill system

3. Installation Guide

Detailed installation steps and environment configuration.

• Node.js and Git environment check
• npx temporary usage vs global installation
• Troubleshooting common installation issues

4. Install Your First Skill

Install skills from the official Anthropic repository and experience interactive selection.

• Use the openskills install command
• Interactively select the skills you need
• Understand the skill directory structure (.claude/skills/)

5. Sync Skills to AGENTS.md

Generate the AGENTS.md file to let AI agents know about available skills.

• Use the openskills sync command
• Understand the XML format of AGENTS.md
• Select skills to sync to control context size

6. Reading Skills

Understand how AI agents load skill content.

• Use the openskills read command
• The 4-level priority order for skill lookup
• Read multiple skills at once

Prerequisites

Before you start, please confirm:

• You have installed Node.js 20.6.0 or higher
• You have installed Git (for installing skills from GitHub)
• You have installed at least one AI coding agent (Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, Aider, etc.)

Quick Environment Check

node -v  # Should show v20.6.0 or higher
git -v   # Should show git version x.x.x

Next Steps

After completing this section, you can continue learning:

• Command Reference: Learn more about all commands and parameters
• Installation Sources: Learn how to install skills from GitHub, local paths, and private repositories
• Create Custom Skills: Build your own skills