What are Skills?
Skills are reusable knowledge packages that AI coding agents can discover and use to perform tasks more accurately. Based on Claude Code skills and Agents skills specifications, they provide specialized capabilities that agents can trigger based on the task at hand.
Unlike standards (which apply automatically) and commands (which require explicit invocation), skills are agent-discovered—the AI automatically loads relevant skills based on context and triggers defined in the skill.
Skill Structure
A skill is a folder containing at minimum a SKILL.md file, plus optional supporting files.
Required: SKILL.md
The SKILL.md file contains YAML frontmatter followed by Markdown instructions:
---
name: 'skill-name'
description: 'Brief description of what this skill does'
---
# Skill Name
Instructions for when and how AI agents should use this skill.
| Field | Required | Description |
|---|
name | Yes | Unique identifier for the skill |
description | Yes | Brief explanation of what the skill does |
license | No | License type (e.g., MIT, Apache-2.0) |
compatibility | No | Which AI agents support this skill |
allowed-tools | No | List of tools the skill may use |
metadata | No | Additional custom metadata |
Optional Supporting Files
Skills can include additional files alongside SKILL.md:
- Templates — Boilerplate code, configuration files, or scaffolding
- Scripts — Automation scripts the skill may reference or execute
- Resources — Documentation, examples, or reference materials
- Subdirectories — Organize complex skills with multiple related files
All files in the skill directory are packaged together when you upload the skill.
Creating Skills
Skills are created through the CLI by uploading a skill directory:
# Create your skill directory with SKILL.md
mkdir my-skill
# Add your SKILL.md and any supporting files
# ...
# Upload to Packmind
packmind-cli skills add ./my-skill
Viewing Skills
Access your skills through the Packmind web app:
- Navigate to Skills in the main menu
- Browse the list of available skills
- Click a skill to view its details
The skill details view shows:
- Description — What the skill does
- Files — All files included in the skill
- Version history — Track changes over time
- Packages — Which packages include this skill
Skills in Packages
Skills can be added to packages alongside commands and standards. To add a skill to a package:
- Go to Packages in the web app
- Edit an existing package or create a new one
- Select skills to include
- Save the package
When you distribute a package, all included skills are deployed together with your other artifacts.
Where Skills Appear After Distribution
After distributing a package containing skills, they appear in specific locations based on the AI assistant:
| AI Assistant | Where Skills Appear |
|---|
| Claude Code | .claude/skills/{skill-slug}/SKILL.md |
| Cursor | Uses Claude Code skills |
| GitHub Copilot | .github/skills/{skill-slug}/SKILL.md |
.packmind/skills/ regardless of which AI assistants are enabled.
Skills are currently available for Claude Code, Cursor, and GitHub Copilot.
Other AI assistants do not support skill rendering.
How Skills Differ from Commands and Standards
| Aspect | Standards | Commands | Skills |
|---|
| Activation | Automatic | User-invoked | Agent-discovered |
| Purpose | Enforce guidelines | Execute tasks | Provide capabilities |
| Creation | MCP or Web UI | MCP | CLI only |
| Format | Rules with examples | Step-by-step instructions | SKILL.md + resources |
- Standards are coding guidelines that AI assistants follow automatically
- Commands are tasks you invoke explicitly with slash commands
- Skills are knowledge packages that AI agents discover and use as needed
