Quick Start

This guide walks you through installing SkillKit, setting up your first project, and installing skills.

1. Run SkillKit

No installation required! Use npx:

npx skillkit@latest

Or install globally for frequent use:

npm install -g skillkit
skillkit --version

2. Initialize Your Project

Navigate to your project directory and run:

skillkit init

This starts an interactive onboarding that:

Detects your AI agent - Scans for .claude/, .cursor/, .github/ directories
Creates directories - Sets up the skills folder for your agent
Saves preferences - Remembers your choices for future commands

Quick Agent Selection

Three options appear for faster interaction:

"Same as last time" - Reuse previous agent choices
"All detected agents" - Select every agent found
"Select specific agents" - Open full selection menu

3. Get Recommendations

SkillKit analyzes your project and suggests relevant skills:

skillkit recommend

Example output:

Project: my-app (Next.js + TypeScript + Tailwind)

Recommended Skills:
  92% vercel-react-best-practices
  87% tailwind-v4-patterns
  85% nextjs-app-router
  78% typescript-strict-mode

4. Install Skills

Interactive Installation

skillkit install anthropics/skills

This prompts you to:

Select which skills to install
Choose target agents
Pick installation method (symlink or copy)

Non-Interactive Installation

For CI/CD or scripting:

skillkit install anthropics/skills --skills=pdf,xlsx --agent claude --yes

List Available Skills

Preview without installing:

skillkit install anthropics/skills --list

5. Sync to Your Agent

Deploy installed skills to your agent's configuration:

skillkit sync

6. Launch the TUI

For a visual interface:

skillkit ui
# or just
skillkit

Complete Example

# Install SkillKit
npm install -g skillkit

# Initialize in your project
cd my-project
skillkit init

# Get recommendations
skillkit recommend

# Install from official marketplace
skillkit install anthropics/skills

# Install for multiple agents
skillkit install vercel-labs/agent-skills --agent claude,cursor,windsurf

# Sync to agents
skillkit sync

7. Advanced Features

Auto-Generate Instructions (Primer)

Let SkillKit analyze your codebase and generate optimized instructions:

skillkit primer                # Analyze and generate
skillkit primer --all-agents   # Generate for all 32 agents

Learn more about Primer →

Session Memory

Capture learnings from your AI sessions:

skillkit memory compress       # Compress learnings
skillkit memory search auth    # Search knowledge
skillkit memory export auth-skill  # Export as skill

Learn more about Memory →

Mesh Network (Multi-Machine)

Distribute agents across multiple machines:

skillkit mesh init             # Initialize mesh node
skillkit mesh discover         # Find peers on LAN
skillkit mesh security init    # Setup encryption

Learn more about Mesh →

Inter-Agent Messaging

Send messages between AI agents:

skillkit message send          # Send to another agent
skillkit message inbox         # Check your inbox
skillkit message reply <id>    # Reply to message

Learn more about Messaging →

Team Collaboration

Share skills with your team using manifest files:

# Create manifest
skillkit manifest init

# Add skill sources
skillkit manifest add anthropics/skills
skillkit manifest add ./local-skills

# Team members install from manifest
skillkit manifest install

The .skills file can be committed to Git for team-wide consistency.

Workflows & Automation

Workflow Orchestration

Compose skills into multi-step workflows:

skillkit workflow create feature-development
skillkit workflow run feature-development

Learn more about Workflows →

Skill Testing

Test skills before deployment:

skillkit test                  # Run all tests
skillkit test --tags unit      # Run specific tests

Learn more about Testing →

CI/CD Integration

Generate GitHub Actions, GitLab CI configs:

skillkit cicd init --provider github
skillkit cicd init --provider gitlab

Learn more about CI/CD →

User Preferences

Your choices are saved to ~/.skillkit/preferences.json:

{
  "lastSelectedAgents": ["claude", "cursor"],
  "autoSync": true,
  "marketplace": {
    "lastRefresh": "2025-01-01T00:00:00Z"
  }
}

Complete Workflow Example

# 1. Install SkillKit
npm install -g skillkit

# 2. Initialize in your project
cd my-project
skillkit init

# 3. Auto-generate base instructions
skillkit primer --all-agents

# 4. Get smart recommendations
skillkit recommend

# 5. Install recommended skills
skillkit install anthropics/skills

# 6. Setup mesh network (optional)
skillkit mesh init

# 7. Setup session memory (optional)
skillkit memory compress

# 8. Sync everything to agents
skillkit sync

# 9. Launch TUI for visual management
skillkit

Next Steps

Browse Marketplace - skillkit marketplace
Create Custom Skills - skillkit create my-skill
Translate Between Agents - skillkit translate skill --to cursor
Auto-Generate Instructions - skillkit primer
Setup Memory System - skillkit memory compress
View All Commands - skillkit --help
API Reference - Programmatic Access →

Quick Start

On this page