Skill installer
Usage
Use this skill when the user asks to install, update, or migrate a skill so that it is discoverable by a specific agent harness.
Typical requests:
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"Install this skill from a URL"
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"Add this skill to my machine"
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"Add this skill to this repo"
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"Update this skill from this URL"
Requirements
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File system access to the destination directories
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Network access if installing from a URL
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git if installing from a git repository URL
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A tool for fetching URLs (curl , wget , or a built-in web fetch tool)
What it does
This skill helps you do three things safely:
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Decide whether a skill is repo-specific or machine-specific.
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Install the full skill folder into one or more harness-specific locations.
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Update an existing installed skill while keeping a backup.
How it works
Clarify scope and targets
Ask these questions if the user has not already specified the answers:
Is this skill repo-specific or machine-specific?
Which harnesses should be able to discover it?
What is the source of truth?
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local folder path
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git repo URL
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zip URL
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raw SKILL.md URL
If the user is unsure about repo versus machine scope, use this heuristic:
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Repo-specific: only useful in one repo, depends on that repo’s structure or conventions.
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Machine-specific: reusable across many repos.
Choose destinations
Use references/harness-locations.md to map harness and scope to install paths.
Install
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Confirm the skill directory name matches name in frontmatter.
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Confirm SKILL.md contains valid frontmatter (name , description ).
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Copy the entire skill folder into each destination.
Update
When updating an already installed skill:
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Create a timestamped backup of the existing installed folder.
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Replace the installed folder with the new version.
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Confirm the harness can discover the updated skill.
Do not delete user files unless they explicitly ask.
Notes on distribution
Some ecosystems distribute a packaged .skill file, which is a zip container. Treat that as a distribution artifact, not the canonical source.