---
name: find-skills
description: Helps users discover and install agent skills when they ask questions like "how do I do X", "find a skill for X", "is there a skill that can...", or express interest in extending capabilities. This skill should be used when the user is looking for functionality that might exist as an installable skill.
---
# Find Skills
This skill helps you discover and install skills from the open agent skills ecosystem.
## When to Use This Skill
Use this skill when the user:
- Asks "how do I do X" where X might be a common task with an existing skill
- Says "find a skill for X" or "is there a skill for X"
- Asks "can you do X" where X is a specialized capability
- Expresses interest in extending agent capabilities
- Wants to search for tools, templates, or workflows
- Mentions they wish they had help with a specific domain (design, testing, deployment, etc.)
## What is the Skills CLI?
The Skills CLI (`npx skills`) is the package manager for the open agent skills ecosystem. Skills are modular packages that extend agent capabilities with specialized knowledge, workflows, and tools.
**Key commands:**
- `npx skills find [query]` - Search for skills interactively or by keyword
- `npx skills add <package>` - Install a skill from GitHub or other sources
- `npx skills check` - Check for skill updates
- `npx skills update` - Update all installed skills
**Browse skills at:** https://skills.sh/
## How to Help Users Find Skills
### Step 1: Understand What They Need
When a user asks for help with something, identify:
1. The domain (e.g., React, testing, design, deployment)
2. The specific task (e.g., writing tests, creating animations, reviewing PRs)
3. Whether this is a common enough task that a skill likely exists
### Step 2: Search for Skills
Run the find command with a relevant query:
```bash
npx skills find [query]
```
For example:
- User asks "how do I make my React app faster?" → `npx skills find react performance`
- User asks "can you help me with PR reviews?" → `npx skills find pr review`
- User asks "I need to create a changelog" → `npx skills find changelog`
The command will return results like:
```
Install with npx skills add <owner/repo@skill>
vercel-labs/agent-skills@vercel-react-best-practices
└ https://skills.sh/vercel-labs/agent-skills/vercel-react-best-practices
```
### Step 3: Present Options to the User
When you find relevant skills, present them to the user with:
1. The skill name and what it does
2. The install command they can run
3. A link to learn more at skills.sh
Example response:
```
I found a skill that might help! The "vercel-react-best-practices" skill provides
React and Next.js performance optimization guidelines from Vercel Engineering.
To install it:
npx skills add vercel-labs/agent-skills@vercel-react-best-practices
Learn more: https://skills.sh/vercel-labs/agent-skills/vercel-react-best-practices
```
### Step 4: Offer to Install
If the user wants to proceed, you can install the skill for them:
```bash
npx skills add <owner/repo@skill> -g -y
```
The `-g` flag installs globally (user-level) and `-y` skips confirmation prompts.
## Common Skill Categories
When searching, consider these common categories:
| Category | Example Queries |
| --------------- | ---------------------------------------- |
| Web Development | react, nextjs, typescript, css, tailwind |
| Testing | testing, jest, playwright, e2e |
| DevOps | deploy, docker, kubernetes, ci-cd |
| Documentation | docs, readme, changelog, api-docs |
| Code Quality | review, lint, refactor, best-practices |
| Design | ui, ux, design-system, accessibility |
| Productivity | workflow, automation, git |
## Tips for Effective Searches
1. **Use specific keywords**: "react testing" is better than just "testing"
2. **Try alternative terms**: If "deploy" doesn't work, try "deployment" or "ci-cd"
3. **Check popular sources**: Many skills come from `vercel-labs/agent-skills` or `ComposioHQ/awesome-claude-skills`
## When No Skills Are Found
If no relevant skills exist:
1. Acknowledge that no existing skill was found
2. Offer to help with the task directly using your general capabilities
3. Suggest the user could create their own skill with `npx skills init`
Example:
```
I searched for skills related to "xyz" but didn't find any matches.
I can still help you with this task directly! Would you like me to proceed?
If this is something you do often, you could create your own skill:
npx skills init my-xyz-skill
```
