About install-skill
install-skill is a workflow skill for adding packaged skills to a skills marketplace project. It guides discovery, extraction, metadata registration, documentation updates, and verification.
Key features
- 01Lists and validates .skill packages
- 02Extracts package contents
- 03Reads SKILL.md metadata
- 04Updates marketplace registration
- 05Updates project documentation
- 06Verifies installed files
Use cases
- 01Installing a .skill package from dist/
- 02Registering a new skill category
- 03Updating marketplace and README files
Install
Copy the command and run it in a terminal.
npx skills add https:/ / github.com/ schwepps/ skills --skill install-skillAfter installing, type/install-skillin Claude Code to confirm it loaded.
Details
From the project READMESkill Installer
Automates the installation of new skills into the skills marketplace project. Handles unpacking, marketplace registration, and documentation updates.
When to Use
- User has a
.skillfile indist/directory - User asks to "install", "add", "unpack", or "integrate" a skill
- User wants to add a new skill to the marketplace
Installation Workflow
Phase 1: Discovery
-
List available skill packages:
ls -la dist/*.skill -
Identify target skill: If user specifies a skill name, use it. Otherwise, list available packages and ask which to install.
-
Verify package: Check the file exists and is a valid zip archive:
file dist/<skill-name>.skill
Phase 2: Extraction
-
Preview contents before extracting:
unzip -l dist/<skill-name>.skill -
Extract to project root:
unzip -o dist/<skill-name>.skill -
Verify extraction:
ls -la <skill-name>/ ls -la <skill-name>/references/
Phase 3: Metadata Extraction
-
Read SKILL.md frontmatter to extract:
name: Skill identifier (kebab-case)description: Full description for triggersmetadata.category: Category (seo, music, security, tooling, etc.)metadata.tags: Comma-separated tags
-
Parse the frontmatter between
---markers at the top of SKILL.md -
Generate short description for marketplace (one line, ~60 chars max)
Phase 4: Marketplace Registration
-
Update
.claude-plugin/marketplace.json:a. Update the top-level
descriptionif needed to include new categoryb. Add to
pluginsarray:{ "name": "<skill-name>", "type": "skill", "path": "<skill-name>", "description": "<short-description>", "category": "<category>", "tags": ["tag1", "tag2", ...] }c. Add category to
categoriesobject if new:"<category>": { "name": "<Category Display Name>", "description": "<Category description>", "marketplace": "marketplace-<category>.json" } -
Create/update category marketplace (
marketplace-<category>.json):If file doesn't exist, create with template:
{ "name": "skills-<category>", "version": "1.0.0", "description": "<Category> skills for Claude Code.", "author": "schwepps", "license": "MIT", "repository": { "type": "git", "url": "https://github.com/schwepps/skills.git" }, "plugins": [ { /* skill entry */ } ] }If file exists, add skill to
pluginsarray.
Phase 5: Documentation Update
-
Update README.md:
a. Update header description if new category added
b. Add to "What's Included" table:
| **[<skill-name>](<skill-name>/)** | <short-description> |c. Add usage examples section if new category:
### <Category>"Example prompt 1" "Example prompt 2"
d. Add to "Project Structure" tree:
├── <skill-name>/e. Add to "Browser Download" table:
| <Skill Display Name> | [Download ZIP](https://download-directory.github.io/?url=https://github.com/schwepps/skills/tree/main/<skill-name>) |
Phase 6: Verification
-
Verify all files updated:
- Skill directory exists with SKILL.md and references/
- marketplace.json contains skill entry
- Category marketplace file exists and contains skill
- README.md updated with skill info
-
Report summary:
Installed: <skill-name> Category: <category> Files: <count> reference files Updated: - .claude-plugin/marketplace.json - .claude-plugin/marketplace-<category>.json - README.md
Category Mappings
| Category | Display Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| seo | SEO & AI Search | Search engine optimization and AI search visibility |
| music | Music Creation | AI-powered music and audio generation |
| security | Smart Contract Security | Blockchain and smart contract auditing |
| tooling | Developer Tools | Automation and development utilities |
Error Handling
- File not found: List available .skill files in dist/
- Invalid package: Check if file is valid zip archive
- Missing SKILL.md: Package is malformed, cannot install
- Missing frontmatter: Extract what's possible, ask user for missing metadata
- Category conflict: Ask user to confirm category assignment
Quick Install Command
For a straightforward installation with a known skill file:
/install-skill <skill-name>
This will:
- Unpack
dist/<skill-name>.skill - Auto-detect metadata from SKILL.md
- Register in all marketplace files
- Update README.md
- Report completion status