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How to install Agent Skills in Claude Code

By the end of this guide, Claude Code has the diagnosing-superpowers skill copied into a skills folder, and you check that it appears. An Agent Skill is a folder with a SKILL.md file. The guide shows where Claude Code looks for skills, then a copy by hand, because the docs describe no install command for a standalone skill. The folder paths and the install route come from Claude Code's documentation, and the clone and copy commands come from the listing's install data.

Updated Oct 26, 2026 · Built from catalog data; how we rank and grade

Checked against Claude Code's documentation on Oct 26, 2026. Commands and config blocks are generated from the same install data as each listing page.

Before you start

  • Claude Code installed and able to start.
  • Git, to copy a skill from its repository (or download the repository as a zip).
  • A skill folder: diagnosing-superpowers is used here.

  1. 1. Know what a skill is

    The notes cover the frontmatter at the top of SKILL.md and the two places Claude Code looks for skills, one for you and one for a single project.

    • SKILL.md starts with YAML frontmatter between --- lines. Every field is optional; name defaults to the folder name and description is recommended.
    • Where Claude Code looks: ~/.claude/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md for you, .claude/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md for one project.

  2. 2. Install a skill (diagnosing-superpowers)

    The docs describe no install command for a standalone skill, so this step copies the folder by hand. The block clones the repository into skill-src, copies the skill into ~/.claude/skills/ and removes skill-src.

    Copy the skill folder into ~/.claude/skills/
    git clone --depth 1 --branch main https://github.com/obra/superpowers.git skill-src
mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills
cp -r skill-src/skills/diagnosing-superpowers ~/.claude/skills/diagnosing-superpowers
rm -rf skill-src
    • The docs describe no install command for a standalone skill: put a folder that contains SKILL.md in one of the skill directories.
    • For one project only, copy it into .claude/skills/ instead.

  3. 3. Load it in a session

    Start a new session after copying the skill. The note covers edits to existing skill directories and the case where the top-level skills directory did not exist when a session started.

    • Edits under existing skill directories are picked up in the session. If the top-level skills directory did not exist when the session started, run /reload-skills.

Check that it works

Run /skills to list skills, or ask what skills are available. You can also invoke one directly as /skill-name, and claude plugin validate ~/.claude/skills finds SKILL.md files whose frontmatter does not parse.

  • Run /skills to list skills, ask what skills are available, or invoke one directly as /skill-name. claude plugin validate ~/.claude/skills finds SKILL.md files whose frontmatter does not parse.

Troubleshooting

A skill does not trigger
Put the words a user would say in its description, check it appears when you ask what skills are available, invoke it as /skill-name, and run claude --debug to see frontmatter parse errors. Source

Security notes

  • A skill is instructions plus, sometimes, scripts that the agent can run with your permissions. Read SKILL.md and any scripts before you install a skill from someone you do not know.
  • Skills can tell the agent to do things you did not ask for; Agent Market does not grade skill security yet, so check the source yourself.
  • Prefer the host's own install route when it has one; here that is: The docs describe no install command for a standalone skill: put a folder that contains SKILL.md in one of the skill directories.

How we grade security · Trust policy

Servers and skills in this guide

From here you can browse the skills that list Claude Code as a supported host, or set up an MCP server in the same tool.

  1. 1
    diagnosing-superpowers

    obra

    Use when a superpowers session went wrong and your human partner wants to know why — repeated work, ignored plans, stumbles, poor results, a skill that didn't…

    ★ 304.6KLast active Oct 21, 2026Claude Code, Claude apps, Codex, Cursor +6

Related

Sources

Cite this page

How to install Agent Skills in Claude Code. Agent Mart. https://agentmart.dev/guides/install-skills-claude-code (last updated 2026-10-26)