--- name: claudskills-install description: Install Claude Code skills from claudskills.com on the user's request. Fetches SKILL.md by slug from the catalog and writes it to ~/.claude/skills//SKILL.md. Pairs with Claude Code Channels (Telegram, Discord, iMessage) so "install from claudskills" works from any messaging platform. Use only on explicit user request with a specific slug. user-invokable: true allowed-tools: Bash, Write, Read license: CC-BY-4.0 author: Adam Lankamer source: https://claudskills.com homepage: https://claudskills.com/learn/channels-integration/ --- # claudskills-install A meta-skill that installs other Claude Code skills from the open [ClaudSkills catalog](https://claudskills.com) on demand. Particularly useful when paired with [Claude Code Channels](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/channels-reference) — say "install <slug> from claudskills" from your Telegram / Discord / iMessage bridge and the skill lands in `~/.claude/skills/<slug>/SKILL.md` on your local machine. ## When to use Use this skill **only when the user explicitly requests installing a Claude Code skill from claudskills.com**. Trigger phrases include: - "Install <slug> from claudskills" - "Install the <slug> skill" - "Get <slug> from the ClaudSkills catalog" - "Add <slug> to my skills" ## When NOT to use - The user is asking about a skill's content, not requesting install. **Browse + describe instead, no file writes.** - The user has not provided a specific slug. **Ask which one.** - The slug doesn't match the catalog format (lowercase alphanumeric + hyphens). **Confirm with the user before fetching.** - The user appears to be testing or exploring without intent to install. **Confirm explicitly before any disk write.** ## Install procedure For a slug ``: ### 1. Verify the skill exists in the catalog ```bash curl -fsI "https://claudskills.com/skills//SKILL.md" -o /dev/null ``` If the request returns 200, the skill exists. If 404, tell the user the slug isn't in the catalog and suggest browsing [claudskills.com](https://claudskills.com) or running an inline search via `@claudskills_bot ` in Telegram. ### 2. Fetch the SKILL.md content ```bash mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills/ curl -fsSL "https://claudskills.com/skills//SKILL.md" -o ~/.claude/skills//SKILL.md ``` ### 3. Verify the install ```bash ls -l ~/.claude/skills//SKILL.md head -20 ~/.claude/skills//SKILL.md ``` Confirm: - The file is at least 200 bytes (smaller files are stubs and should be rejected — delete and report to the user) - The frontmatter is intact (`---` at the top of the file) - The skill `name:` field matches the slug ### 4. Confirm to the user Tell the user the install succeeded. Include: - The full path to the installed SKILL.md - A 1-line summary of what the skill does (from its `description:` frontmatter field) - A reminder that they need to restart Claude Code to pick up the new skill (or it'll be available next session) ## Edge cases **Skill already installed**: silently overwrite the existing `~/.claude/skills//SKILL.md` with the freshly-fetched version from the catalog. ClaudSkills regenerates SKILL.md nightly via its miner (catalog source updates, frontmatter backfills, license metadata) so re-installing always pulls the latest. After overwrite, tell the user "Refreshed <name> to the latest catalog version" so the action is visible. **Slug normalization**: catalog slugs are lowercase, hyphen-separated, ASCII only. If the user provides `Fast MCP Server`, normalize to `fast-mcp-server` before fetching. If `fast-mcp-server` doesn't match, try fuzzy variants and ask the user to confirm. **Catalog URL changes**: this skill hard-codes `https://claudskills.com/skills//SKILL.md`. If that URL ever changes, this skill needs an update — the user will get a 404 and should be directed to [claudskills.com/learn/channels-integration/](https://claudskills.com/learn/channels-integration/) for the current install URL. **Sandboxed environments**: on MAS (Mac App Store) builds of Claude Code, write access to `~/.claude/` may be sandboxed. If the write fails with EPERM or similar, instruct the user to run from a non-sandboxed Claude Code instance, or use the [ClaudSkills desktop app](https://claudskills.com/install/) which handles sandboxing explicitly. ## Pairing with Claude Code Channels This skill is most useful when paired with Anthropic's Channels research preview. With the Telegram Channel plugin installed and your personal bot wired up: 1. DM your bot from any device: `Claude, install fastmcp-server from claudskills` 2. The Telegram Channel forwards your message to Claude Code as `` 3. Claude reads the message, recognizes the install intent, and runs this skill 4. The SKILL.md lands at `~/.claude/skills/fastmcp-server/SKILL.md` on your local machine 5. Next Claude Code session picks it up automatically Same flow works with Discord, iMessage, or the fakechat demo Channel. ## Why this skill (vs. a custom Channel) We considered shipping a custom ClaudSkills Channel plugin. We chose this meta-skill instead because: 1. **Anthropic's Telegram / Discord / iMessage Channels already exist.** We don't need to duplicate the bridge — we just need Claude to know how to install our skills when asked. 2. **Custom Channel plugins are gated behind `--dangerously-load-development-channels` during the research preview.** A meta-skill ships through the normal catalog with no gating. 3. **One skill works across every Channel.** Telegram, Discord, iMessage — same install command, same flow. ## Source - Catalog: [claudskills.com](https://claudskills.com) - Channels docs: [code.claude.com/docs/en/channels-reference](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/channels-reference) - This skill on GitHub: [github.com/kinkyb/claudskills/blob/master/skills/claudskills-install/SKILL.md](https://github.com/kinkyb/claudskills/blob/master/skills/claudskills-install/SKILL.md)