Quickstart

Get LibSkills running in 5 minutes.

1. Install the CLI

git clone https://github.com/LibSkills/libskills-cli
cd libskills-cli
cargo build --release
cp target/release/libskills /usr/local/bin/

2. Create Your First Skill

# Scaffold a .libskills/ directory in your library repo
cd your-library/
libskills init --name mylib --repo you/mylib --language python --tags "example,testing"

This creates:

.libskills/
├── skill.json
├── overview.md
├── pitfalls.md
├── safety.md
├── lifecycle.md
├── threading.md
├── best-practices.md
├── performance.md
└── examples/
    └── basic.py

3. Fill in the Knowledge

Open each .md file and replace the placeholders with real knowledge about your library. Focus on:

• pitfalls.md: What NOT to do (the most important file)
• safety.md: Red lines that must never be crossed
• overview.md: What your library is, when to use it

4. Validate

# Check schema compliance
libskills validate .libskills/

# Check quality (token counts, required sections)
libskills lint .libskills/

If lint finds issues, run libskills lint --fix to auto-repair.

5. Commit

git add .libskills/
git commit -m "Add LibSkills skill file"
git push

6. List in the Registry

If you want your skill to appear in libskills search, add the libskills topic to your GitHub repo and update the registry:

libskills update
libskills search mylib

Using Existing Skills

# Update the registry index
libskills update

# Find a skill
libskills find "async HTTP client"

# Download a skill
libskills get python/psf/requests

# View metadata
libskills info python/psf/requests

Using the HTTP API

libskills serve --port 8701

# In another terminal:
curl http://localhost:8701/v1/skills
curl http://localhost:8701/v1/skills/python/psf/requests
curl http://localhost:8701/v1/skills/python/psf/requests/pitfalls.md
curl "http://localhost:8701/v1/search?q=http"
curl "http://localhost:8701/v1/find?q=async+HTTP"

AI Reading Protocol

AI agents consume skills in priority order:

The P0 files answer: “What must I know to use this library safely?”

Next Steps

• Read Skill Anatomy to understand the file structure
• Read Authoring Guide to write high-quality skills
• Read CLI Reference for all commands