Complete Guide: How to Install Skills for AI Coding Tools

Skills are specialized capabilities that extend the functionality of AI coding assistants. This guide covers the complete installation process for all major AI coding tools that support the Agent Skills open standard.

Quick Comparison

Tool	Installation Method	Example Command
Claude Code	Git clone + Plugin system	git clone <repo> ~/.claude/skills/skill-name or /plugin add user/repo
Codex	Built-in skill installer	$skill-installer install from https://github.com/user/repo
Gemini CLI	Git clone (requires experimental features)	git clone <repo> ~/.gemini/skills/skill-name
Antigravity	Git clone	git clone <repo> ~/.gemini/antigravity/skills/skill-name
OpenCode	Git clone (native support)	git clone <repo> ~/.config/opencode/skill/skill-name

Detailed Installation Instructions

1. Claude Code

Claude Code offers multiple installation methods:

# Method 1: Direct clone
git clone https://github.com/user/repo.git ~/.claude/skills/skill-name

# Method 2: Plugin system
/plugin add user/repo

# Method 3: Plugin marketplace
/plugin marketplace add user/repo
/plugin install skill-name

2. Codex

Codex has a built-in skill installer:

# Basic installation
$skill-installer install from https://github.com/user/repo

# Private repository (requires GITHUB_TOKEN)
export GITHUB_TOKEN=your_token
$skill-installer install from https://github.com/user/private-repo

3. Gemini CLI

Gemini CLI requires enabling experimental features first:

# Step 1: Install nightly version
npm install -g @google/gemini-cli@nightly

# Step 2: Enable Skills feature (execute in CLI)
gemini
/settings
# Enable experimental.skills

# Step 3: Clone skill to designated directory
git clone https://github.com/user/repo.git ~/.gemini/skills/skill-name

4. Antigravity

Antigravity supports both workspace and global level installation:

# Workspace level
git clone https://github.com/user/repo.git .agent/skills/skill-name

# Global level
git clone https://github.com/user/repo.git ~/.gemini/antigravity/skills/skill-name

5. OpenCode

OpenCode offers flexible installation options:

# Project-level installation (recommended)
git clone https://github.com/user/repo.git .opencode/skill/skill-name

# Global installation
git clone https://github.com/user/repo.git ~/.config/opencode/skill/skill-name

# Claude-compatible path (project level)
git clone https://github.com/user/repo.git .claude/skills/skill-name

# Claude-compatible path (global)
git clone https://github.com/user/repo.git ~/.claude/skills/skill-name

Skill Directory Structure

All tools follow the Agent Skills open standard. A skill directory should contain:

skill-name/
├── SKILL.md          # Required: Skill definition file
├── README.md         # Optional: Documentation
├── skill.js          # Optional: Skill implementation
├── config.json       # Optional: Configuration file
└── lib/              # Optional: Dependencies

The SKILL.md file is the core of any skill, defining:

• When to trigger the skill
• What capabilities it provides
• How to execute the skill's logic

Permission Configuration (OpenCode)

OpenCode allows fine-grained permission control in opencode.json:

{
  "permissions": {
    "skill": {
      "internal-*": "deny",
      "public-*": "allow",
      "*": "ask"
    }
  }
}

Quick Reference

For a GitHub repository like https://github.com/example/my-skill:

# Claude Code
git clone https://github.com/example/my-skill.git ~/.claude/skills/my-skill

# Codex
$skill-installer install from https://github.com/example/my-skill

# Gemini CLI
git clone https://github.com/example/my-skill.git ~/.gemini/skills/my-skill

# Antigravity
git clone https://github.com/example/my-skill.git ~/.gemini/antigravity/skills/my-skill

# OpenCode
git clone https://github.com/example/my-skill.git ~/.config/opencode/skill/my-skill

Find More Skills

Browse and discover skills from the community at our Skills Directory. You can find skills for various use cases including:

• Web scraping and automation
• Code generation and refactoring
• Data processing and analysis
• API integration
• And much more!

Conclusion

Installing skills for AI coding assistants is straightforward once you understand the conventions for each tool. The Agent Skills open standard ensures compatibility across different platforms, making it easy to share and reuse skills within the developer community.

Start exploring available skills today and supercharge your AI coding workflow!