Awesome Agent Skills

A curated list of skills, tools, and capabilities for AI coding agents.

What Are Agent Skills?

Think of Agent Skills as "how-to guides" for AI assistants. Instead of the AI needing to know everything upfront, skills let it learn new abilities on the fly, like giving someone a recipe card instead of making them memorize an entire cookbook.

Skills are simple text files (called SKILL.md) that teach an AI how to do specific tasks. When you ask the AI to do something, it finds the right skill, reads the instructions, and gets to work.

How It Works

Skills load in three stages:

Browse - The AI sees a list of available skills (just names and short descriptions)
Load - When a skill is needed, the AI reads the full instructions
Use - The AI follows the instructions and accesses any helper files

Why This Matters

Faster and lighter - The AI only loads what it needs, when it needs it
Works everywhere - Create a skill once, use it with any compatible AI tool
Easy to share - Skills are just files you can copy, download, or share on GitHub

Skills are instructions, not code. The AI reads them like a human would read a guide, then follows the steps.

Compatible Agents

The following platforms have documented support for Agent Skills:

Agent	Documentation
Claude Code	code.claude.com/docs/en/skills
Claude.ai	support.claude.com
Codex (OpenAI)	developers.openai.com
GitHub Copilot	docs.github.com
VS Code	code.visualstudio.com

Skill List

Official Claude Skills (Document Processing)

Claude provides built-in skills for common document types:

Skill	Description	Source
docx	Create, edit, analyze Word documents with tracked changes	anthropics/skills
xlsx	Spreadsheet manipulation: formulas, charts, data transformations	anthropics/skills
pptx	Read, generate, and adjust slides, layouts, templates	anthropics/skills
pdf	Extract text, tables, metadata from PDFs	anthropics/skills

Official OpenAI Codex Skills

Codex supports skills at different scopes:

Skill Scope	Location	Suggested Use
REPO	`$CWD/.codex/skills`	Skills relevant to a working folder (e.g., microservice or module)
REPO	`$CWD/../.codex/skills`	Skills for shared areas in parent folders
REPO	`$REPO_ROOT/.codex/skills`	Root skills for everyone using the repository
USER	`$CODEX_HOME/skills` (default: `~/.codex/skills`)	Personal skills that apply to any repository
ADMIN	`/etc/codex/skills`	SDK scripts, automation, and default admin skills
SYSTEM	Bundled with Codex	Built-in skills like skill-creator and plan

Official HuggingFace Skills

Skill	Description	Source
hf_dataset_creator	Prompts, templates, and scripts for creating structured training datasets	huggingface/skills
hf_model_evaluation	Instructions plus utilities for orchestrating evaluation jobs, generating reports, and mapping metrics	huggingface/skills
hf-llm-trainer	Comprehensive training skill with guidance, helper scripts, cost estimators	huggingface/skills
hf-paper-publisher	Tools for publishing and managing research papers on Hugging Face Hub	huggingface/skills

Community Skills

Community-maintained skills and collections (verify before use):

Skill Collections

Repository	Description
anthropics/skills	Official Anthropic collection (document editing, data analysis)
openai/skills	Official OpenAI Codex skills catalog
huggingface/skills	HuggingFace skills (compatible with Claude, Codex, Gemini)
skillcreatorai/Ai-Agent-Skills	SkillCreator.ai collection with CLI installer
karanb192/awesome-claude-skills	50+ verified skills for Claude Code and Claude.ai
shajith003/awesome-claude-skills	Skills for specialized capabilities
GuDaStudio/skills	Multi-agent collaboration skills
DougTrajano/pydantic-ai-skills	Pydantic AI integration
OmidZamani/dspy-skills	Skills for DSPy framework
ponderous-dustiness314/awesome-claude-skills	Document editing, data analysis, project management
hikanner/agent-skills	Curated Claude Agent Skills collection
gradion-ai/freeact-skills	Freeact agent library skills
gotalab/skillport	Skills distribution via CLI or MCP
mhattingpete/claude-skills-marketplace	Git, code review, and testing skills

Document Processing

Skill	Description
Markdown to EPUB	Converts markdown documents into professional EPUB ebook files

Development & Code Tools

Skill	Description
aws-skills	AWS development with CDK best practices
D3.js Visualization	D3 charts and interactive data visualizations
Playwright Automation	Browser automation for testing web apps
iOS Simulator	Interact with iOS Simulator for testing
Swift Concurrency Migration	Swift Concurrency Migration guide
Obsidian Plugin	Obsidian.md plugin development
Stream Coding	Stream Coding methodology

Data & Analysis

Skill	Description
CSV Summarizer	Analyze CSV files and generate insights with visualizations

Integration & Automation

Skill	Description
Dev Browser	Web browser capability for agents
Sheets CLI	Google Sheets CLI automation
Spotify Skill	Spotify API integration

Collaboration & Project Management

Skill	Description
git-pushing	Automate git operations and repository interactions
review-implementing	Evaluate code implementation plans
test-fixing	Detect failing tests and propose fixes

Security & Systems

Skill	Description
computer-forensics	Digital forensics analysis and investigation
Threat Hunting	Hunt for threats using Sigma detection rules

Advanced & Research

Skill	Description
Context Engineering	Context engineering techniques
Pomodoro System Skill	System Skill Pattern (skills that remember & improve)
Mind Cloning	Mind cloning with LLM skills

Official Tutorials and Guides

Claude and Anthropic

Using skills in Claude - Official quick start guide
How to create custom skills - Step-by-step authoring
Claude Code Skills Documentation - Official reference

GitHub Copilot

About Agent Skills - GitHub documentation
VS Code Agent Skills - VS Code integration

Model Context Protocol (MCP)

MCP Official Documentation - The open standard
Build your first MCP Server - Python/TypeScript guide
MCP Server Examples - Official server implementations

Using Skills

Using Skills in Claude.ai

Click the skill icon in your chat interface.
Add skills from the marketplace or upload custom skills.
Claude automatically activates relevant skills based on your task.

Using Skills in Claude Code

Place the skill in your configuration directory:

mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills/
cp -r skill-name ~/.claude/skills/

Verify skill metadata:

head ~/.claude/skills/skill-name/SKILL.md

The skill loads automatically and activates when relevant.

Using Skills in Codex

Create a skill:

Use the built-in $skill-creator skill in Codex. Describe what you want your skill to do, and Codex will bootstrap it for you.

If you install $create-plan (experimental) with $skill-installer create-plan, Codex will create a plan before writing files.

You can also create a skill manually by creating a folder with a SKILL.md file:

---
name: skill-name
description: Description that helps Codex select the skill
metadata:
  short-description: Optional user-facing description
---

Skill instructions for the Codex agent to follow when using this skill.

Install new skills:

Download skills from GitHub using the $skill-installer skill:

$skill-installer linear

You can also prompt the installer to download skills from other repositories. After installing a skill, restart Codex to pick up new skills.

Using Skills in VS Code

Skills are stored in directories with a SKILL.md file. VS Code supports skills in two locations:

.github/skills/ - Recommended location for all new skills
.claude/skills/ - Legacy location, also supported

Create a skill:

Create a .github/skills directory in your workspace
Create a subdirectory for your skill (e.g., .github/skills/webapp-testing)
Create a SKILL.md file with the following structure:

---
name: skill-name
description: Description of what the skill does and when to use it
---

# Skill Instructions

Your detailed instructions, guidelines, and examples go here...

Optionally, add scripts, examples, or other resources to your skill's directory

Using Skills in Copilot CLI

Adding skills to your repository:

Create a .github/skills directory (skills in .claude/skills are also supported)
Create a subdirectory for your skill (e.g., .github/skills/webapp-testing)
Create a SKILL.md file with your skill's instructions

SKILL.md structure:

name (required): A unique lowercase identifier using hyphens for spaces
description (required): What the skill does and when Copilot should use it
license (optional): License that applies to this skill
Markdown body with instructions, examples, and guidelines

Example SKILL.md:

---
name: github-actions-failure-debugging
description: Guide for debugging failing GitHub Actions workflows.
---

To debug failing GitHub Actions workflows:

1. Use `list_workflow_runs` to look up recent workflow runs
2. Use `summarize_job_log_failures` to get an AI summary of failed jobs
3. Use `get_job_logs` for full detailed failure logs if needed
4. Try to reproduce the failure in your environment
5. Fix the failing build

When performing tasks, Copilot decides when to use skills based on your prompt and the skill's description. The SKILL.md file is injected into the agent's context.

Using MCP Servers (Claude Desktop)

Edit your configuration file:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Example Configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem",
        "/Users/username/Desktop"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Creating Skills

Skills are instruction bundles that tell the agent how to perform specific tasks. They are not executable code by default.

Skill Structure

skill-name/
├── SKILL.md          # Required: Instructions and metadata
├── scripts/          # Optional: Helper scripts
├── templates/        # Optional: Document templates
└── resources/        # Optional: Reference files

Basic SKILL.md Template

---
name: my-skill-name
description: A clear description of what this skill does.
---

# My Skill Name

Detailed description of the skill's purpose.

## When to Use This Skill

- Use case 1
- Use case 2

## Instructions

[Detailed instructions for the agent on how to execute this skill]

## Examples

[Real-world examples]

MCP Server Example (Python)

For skills that need to connect to external data sources, you can create an MCP server:

pip install fastmcp

server.py:

from fastmcp import FastMCP

mcp = FastMCP("My Server")

@mcp.tool()
def hello_world(name: str = "World") -> str:
    """A simple tool that says hello."""
    return f"Hello, {name}!"

if __name__ == "__main__":
    mcp.run()

Community Resources

LangChain Tools

Google Search - Wrapper around SerpApi
Wikipedia - Fetch summaries from Wikipedia
Python REPL - Execute Python code
Custom Tools Guide - How to use the @tool decorator

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Agent Skills?

Agent Skills are instruction files that teach AI assistants how to do specific tasks. Think of them as "how-to guides" that the AI reads and follows. They only load when needed, so the AI stays fast and focused.

How are Agent Skills different from fine-tuning?

Fine-tuning permanently changes how an AI thinks (expensive and hard to update). Agent Skills are just instruction files, you can update, swap, or share them anytime without touching the AI itself.

What's the difference between Agent Skills and MCP?

They do different things and work great together:

Agent Skills = teach the AI how to do something (workflows, best practices)
MCP = help the AI access things (APIs, databases, external tools)

Which AI tools support Agent Skills?

Currently supported: Claude (Claude.ai and Claude Code), GitHub Copilot, VS Code, and others. The list is growing as more tools adopt the standard.

Do Agent Skills run code?

No. Skills are just text instructions, the AI reads and follows them like a recipe. If you need to run actual code, you'd use something like MCP servers alongside skills.

How do I create my first Agent Skill?

Create a SKILL.md file with a name and description at the top
Write clear, step-by-step instructions in the file
Put it in your .github/skills/ or .claude/skills/ folder
Test it out!

Full guide: How to create custom skills

Contributing

This repository follows the Agent Skills open development model. Contributions are welcome from the broader ecosystem. When contributing:

Follow the skill template structure
Provide clear, actionable instructions
Include working examples where appropriate
Document trade-offs and potential issues
Keep SKILL.md under 500 lines for optimal performance
Verify that skills actually exist before adding them

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

References

The principles in these skills are derived from research and production experience at leading AI labs and framework developers.

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 1 Commit
LICENSE		LICENSE
README.es.md		README.es.md
README.ja.md		README.ja.md
README.ko.md		README.ko.md
README.md		README.md
README.zh-CN.md		README.zh-CN.md
README.zh-TW.md		README.zh-TW.md

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heilcheng/awesome-agent-skills

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Awesome Agent Skills

Table of Contents

What Are Agent Skills?

How It Works

Why This Matters

Compatible Agents

Skill List

Official Claude Skills (Document Processing)

Official OpenAI Codex Skills

Official HuggingFace Skills

Community Skills

Skill Collections

Document Processing

Development & Code Tools

Data & Analysis

Integration & Automation

Collaboration & Project Management

Security & Systems

Advanced & Research

Official Tutorials and Guides

Claude and Anthropic

GitHub Copilot

Model Context Protocol (MCP)

Using Skills

Using Skills in Claude.ai

Using Skills in Claude Code

Using Skills in Codex

Using Skills in VS Code

Using Skills in Copilot CLI

Using MCP Servers (Claude Desktop)

Creating Skills

Skill Structure

Basic SKILL.md Template

MCP Server Example (Python)

Community Resources

LangChain Tools

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Agent Skills?

How are Agent Skills different from fine-tuning?

What's the difference between Agent Skills and MCP?

Which AI tools support Agent Skills?

Do Agent Skills run code?

How do I create my first Agent Skill?

Contributing

License

References

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