Claude skill install commands: one-liner, git, and manual

To install a Claude skill, create a folder inside ~/.claude/skills/ and place a SKILL.md file in it. The fastest method is one command — the curl one-liner below — and Claude Code picks the new skill up automatically.

The one-liner install command

A Claude skill is a folder containing a SKILL.md file. Claude Code loads any skill it finds under ~/.claude/skills/, so installing a single-file skill takes exactly one command:

mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills/<skill-name> && curl -fsSL <raw-url> -o ~/.claude/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md

mkdir -p creates the skill folder (and ~/.claude/skills/ itself if needed) without erroring if it already exists.
curl -fsSL downloads the raw SKILL.md: -f fails on HTTP errors instead of saving an error page, -s silences progress, -S still shows errors, and -L follows redirects.
-o writes the file to the exact path Claude Code expects.

Verify with cat ~/.claude/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md — you should see YAML frontmatter (name, description) between --- markers. Every skill on the Claude skills marketplace ships with this command pre-filled — copy, paste, run. Comparing options first? Start with the best Claude skills.

Where do Claude skills go? Folder locations by OS and scope

Claude Code loads skills from a personal (user-level) directory that applies to every project, and a project-level directory that applies to one repository.

Scope	Path	Applies to
Personal — macOS / Linux	`~/.claude/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md`	All your projects
Personal — Windows	`%USERPROFILE%\.claude\skills\<skill-name>\SKILL.md`	All your projects
Project (any OS)	`<repo>/.claude/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md`	That project only
Plugin	`<plugin>/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md`	Wherever the plugin is enabled

Precedence: when skills share a name, a personal skill overrides a project skill, and enterprise (managed) settings override both. Plugin skills use a plugin-name:skill-name namespace, so they never conflict.
Nested directories: Claude Code also discovers skills from nested .claude/skills/ folders below your working directory — useful in monorepos.

Prefer a step-by-step walkthrough? See how to install Claude skills.

Git clone install for multi-file skills

Many Agent Skills bundle references/, scripts/, or template folders alongside SKILL.md. The curl one-liner only fetches a single file, so for multi-file skills, clone the repository and copy the whole skill folder:

git clone https://github.com/<owner>/<repo>.git /tmp/skill-repo
cp -r /tmp/skill-repo/<path-to-skill-folder> ~/.claude/skills/<skill-name>

The destination folder name matters — keep it lowercase with hyphens; it's the name you use to invoke the skill directly. Installing several related skills at once? Curated bundles combine them into a single paste-once command.

Manual install: create the folder and drop in SKILL.md

Create a folder: ~/.claude/skills/<skill-name>/ (user-level) or .claude/skills/<skill-name>/ inside your repo (project-level).
Save the skill's contents as SKILL.md in that folder — the filename must be exactly SKILL.md.
Confirm the file starts with YAML frontmatter:

---
name: my-skill
description: What this skill does and when Claude should use it.
---

The description field is what Claude reads to decide when to load the skill automatically, so it should state both what the skill does and when to use it. Written a skill you want others to install? How to share a Claude skill shows how to get it a shareable link.

Anthropic plugin marketplace commands

Claude Code also distributes skills through plugins. A plugin marketplace is a catalog (a marketplace.json in a git repo) that you register once, then install plugins from:

/plugin marketplace add <owner>/<repo>
/plugin install <plugin-name>@<marketplace-name>

/plugin marketplace add also accepts full git URLs and local paths. Companions: /plugin marketplace update <name> refreshes a stale catalog, /reload-pluginsmakes a freshly installed plugin's skills available in the current session, and /plugin disable turns one off. Plugin skills appear under the plugin-name:skill-name namespace.

Installing skills on claude.ai (no terminal)

Enable code execution: Settings → Capabilities (Free/Pro/Max), or have an owner enable code execution plus Skills in Organization settings (Team/Enterprise).
Go to Customize → Skills.
Click + → Create skill → Upload a skill.
Upload a ZIP of your skill folder (the folder with SKILL.md inside): zip -r my-skill.zip my-skill/

Uploaded custom skills are private to your account; Team and Enterprise sharing requires an owner to enable it.

Troubleshooting: skill not activating

The skill installed but Claude never uses it. Check the descriptionin the frontmatter — Claude uses it to decide when to load the skill. A vague description ("helps with code") won't trigger; a specific one ("Use when the user asks to audit on-page SEO") will. You can always invoke a skill directly by name.

Skill doesn't appear at all. Confirm the file is named exactly SKILL.md (uppercase) and sits one folder deep: ~/.claude/skills/<name>/SKILL.md, not directly in ~/.claude/skills/. If the skills directory itself didn't exist when your session started, restart Claude Code once.

/plugin install says the plugin isn't found. Run /plugin marketplace update <name> to refresh the catalog, then /reload-plugins after installing.

curl not found on Windows. In PowerShell, curl aliases Invoke-WebRequest with different flags — use curl.exe explicitly (bundled since Windows 10 1803), or run the one-liner unchanged in WSL or Git Bash.

Common questions

Where do Claude skills go?

Personal skills go in ~/.claude/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md on macOS and Linux (or %USERPROFILE%\.claude\skills\ on Windows) and apply to all your projects. Project skills go in .claude/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md inside a repository and apply only to that project. Plugin skills live in the plugin's own skills/ directory.

What is the Claude skill install command?

The one-liner is: mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills/<name> && curl -fsSL <raw-url> -o ~/.claude/skills/<name>/SKILL.md. It creates the skill folder and downloads the SKILL.md file into it. For plugin marketplaces, the commands are /plugin marketplace add <owner>/<repo> followed by /plugin install <name>@<marketplace>.

How do I install a Claude skill without git or a terminal?

Create a folder inside ~/.claude/skills/ (for example ~/.claude/skills/my-skill/) using your file manager, then save the skill's contents as a file named exactly SKILL.md inside it. On claude.ai, go to Customize → Skills, click +, choose Create skill, then Upload a skill, and upload a ZIP of the skill folder.

Do I need to restart Claude Code after installing a skill?

Usually no. Claude Code watches skill directories, so adding or editing a skill under ~/.claude/skills/ or a project's .claude/skills/ takes effect within the current session. The one exception: if the top-level skills directory itself didn't exist when the session started, restart Claude Code once so the new directory can be watched.

What's the difference between ~/.claude/skills and .claude/skills?

~/.claude/skills/ is your personal, user-level directory — skills there are available in every project on your machine. .claude/skills/ (no tilde) is project-level, lives inside a repository, and can be committed to version control so teammates get the same skills. When names collide, the personal skill overrides the project one.

The curl command fails on Windows — what do I use instead?

In PowerShell, curl is an alias for Invoke-WebRequest and rejects flags like -fsSL. Use curl.exe explicitly (it ships with Windows 10 version 1803 and later), or run the unchanged one-liner inside WSL or Git Bash. You can also install manually by creating the folder and saving SKILL.md yourself.

Ready to install something? Browse the best Claude skills, grab a curated bundle, or ask Sprout to pick for you.

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