How to
Install Agent Skills in Claude, Cursor, Codex, and Grok
Copy the skill folder into the skills directory your agent already loads. Paths differ by tool; the SKILL.md contract does not.
Updated 2026-09-18 · 10 minute read
Install an Agent Skill by copying its folder into the skills directory your agent already loads, so SKILL.md sits at <name>/SKILL.md. The file contract is shared. The directory name is not.
Paths by agent
| Agent | User-level folder | Project folder |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Code | ~/.claude/skills | .claude/skills |
| Grok Build | ~/.grok/skills | project skills dir (often .grok/skills) |
| Codex | ~/.agents/skills | .agents/skills |
| Cursor | Cursor user skills | project agent skills / .cursor |
Steps
- Get the skill folder. You need SKILL.md at the root of that folder, not a lone file on the desktop.
- Copy the whole folder into the directory above. Name the folder after the
namefield. - Restart the agent session, or start a new one, so it rescan the skills directory.
- Ask for a task that matches the description. If the agent ignores the skill, the description probably never said when to load it.
Check that it loaded
Ask: "Which skills are available?" or name the slug. If the agent cannot see it, confirm the path, the YAML, and that you did not nest an extra folder (skills/find-skills/find-skills/SKILL.md is a common miss).
Browse ready-made folders in the AI Agent Skills directory, or validate a SKILL.md before you copy it.