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Cursor skills are reusable workflow packages for Agent: each is a folder centered on a SKILL.md file, with optional scripts, references, templates, or assets. Put the folder in a supported skill directory, then invoke it with /skill-name or attach it with @. Use a skill for a detailed procedure you want available on demand; use a rule for a concise instruction that should apply persistently or to matching files.
What a Cursor skill does
Cursor describes Agent Skills as portable, version-controlled packages that teach agents how to perform domain-specific tasks. A skill gives Agent a repeatable workflow and supporting knowledge, rather than just adding one short instruction to a prompt. Cursor discovers skills and makes them available to Agent, which can use relevant instructions and load supporting materials when needed. Cursor’s Agent Skills documentation lists examples of built-in skills such as /create-skill, /create-rule, /create-hook, /review, and /migrate-to-skills. The available built-ins can change; check the in-product / menu for the current list.
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A skill folder can include supporting resources as well as SKILL.md. For example, a deployment skill might explain the checks to run, link to project-specific deployment references, and include a script that performs a routine task. Keep the main instructions focused and move material that is only needed for particular steps into reference files.
Create a skill
You can ask Cursor’s built-in /create-skill to guide you, or create the folder and file yourself. For a project-level skill, a typical path is .cursor/skills/deploy-staging/SKILL.md.
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- Choose a name and task. Make the skill name describe the workflow, such as
deploy-stagingorwrite-tests. - Create the skill directory and file. Put
SKILL.mdinside the folder named for the skill. Cursor also supports nested skill directories, so a monorepo could keep a web-app skill underapps/web/.cursor/skills/. - Add YAML frontmatter. Cursor’s reference requires
nameanddescription; the folder name must matchname. The optionalpathsfield can narrow the contexts in which a skill is relevant, using glob patterns. - Write the repeatable procedure. State when the workflow applies, give the steps in order, and describe inputs and expected results. Add optional
scripts/,references/, orassets/folders if the skill needs them. - Save and check discovery. Cursor walks skill roots recursively. A category folder above the skill folder can organize multiple skills; the skill name comes from the folder that contains
SKILL.md, not the category folder.
---
name: deploy-staging
description: Run checks, deploy the application to staging, and verify its health.
paths: apps/web/**
---
# Deploy to staging
1. Run the project checks.
2. Build and deploy the application to staging.
3. Verify the deployment health check.The example’s paths value is a relevance hint, not a security boundary. Do not put secrets in skill files, and do not assume that a script included in a skill has been sandboxed or validated.
Choose where the skill lives
Cursor documents project and user skill directories, plus compatibility discovery for skill folders used by other agent tools. The documented roots are product behavior and may change, so check the current Agent Skills documentation if a skill is not appearing.
| Location | Scope and practical use |
|---|---|
.agents/skills/ |
Project-level; commit it when the team should review and version the workflow. |
.cursor/skills/ |
Project-level; suitable for workflows maintained with the repository. |
~/.agents/skills/ |
User-level on the local machine; suitable for personal skills. |
~/.cursor/skills/ |
User-level on the local machine; suitable for personal skills and the only location Cursor says syncs to Cloud Agents when skill sync is enabled. |
.claude/skills/, .codex/skills/, ~/.claude/skills/, ~/.codex/skills/ |
Compatibility locations that Cursor documents as discoverable. |
Nested project directories are supported. For example, a skill under apps/web/.cursor/skills/ is surfaced when Agent is working in that part of the project. This is useful in a monorepo, where different applications may need separate workflows.
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A repository skill can be reviewed and versioned with the codebase. A user-level skill is local and personal by default. Do not assume that local discovery automatically carries over to a Cloud Agent, remote SSH session, or self-hosted worker; ensure the skill is available in that runtime.
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Invoke a skill in Agent
In Cursor’s IDE Agent, type / and select a skill, or enter its slash name, such as /write-tests. You can also type @ and select a skill to attach it as context. To keep a skill active for a session, Cursor documents using it as a Custom Mode; its current Agent Skills page gives Option+Enter on Mac and Alt+Enter on Windows for this behavior. CLI behavior is described separately in Cursor’s release notes, so do not assume every invocation detail is identical across interfaces.
Two frontmatter settings affect how a skill appears or is called:
disable-model-invocation: truemakes the skill explicit-invocation only, similar to a traditional slash command.user-invocable: false, documented in Cursor release notes, keeps a skill available to the model while hiding it from slash autocomplete and typed slash resolution.
These settings describe different behaviors; choose the one that matches whether you want the skill available to the model, visible to the user, or both.
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Personal skills in ~/.cursor/skills/ remain local unless you enable Settings → Agents → Sync Skills for Cloud Agents. Cursor says this sync is private to the user and applies only to that location. Teams and Enterprise administrators can disable skill sync.
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To publish a personal skill for teammates, open Customize → Skills, choose the skill, and publish it to the team’s Default marketplace. A self-hosted worker will not receive an unsynced local skill; use a project skill in the repository or include a copy in the worker image.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Choose a skill or a rule
Use the distinction Cursor gives in its Skills help page: a rule is for a short instruction, while a skill is for a detailed, repeatable process.
| Use a rule when… | Use a skill when… |
|---|---|
| You need a concise coding guideline or constraint, such as “Use TypeScript for new files.” | You need a multi-step workflow, such as checking, building, deploying to staging, and verifying health. |
| It should apply always, intelligently, to matching files, or when manually mentioned, depending on its configuration. | Agent should have the procedure available and use it when relevant, or you want to call it explicitly with / or attach it with @. |
Rules can be always applied, selected intelligently, scoped to matching files, or manually mentioned; see Cursor’s Rules documentation for their configuration. Skills are not simply automatic rules: discovery makes them available, while relevance and invocation determine when they are used.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsWhen skill discovery or invocation fails
- The skill does not appear: Confirm that
SKILL.mdis inside a supported skill root and that the folder containing it matches the frontmattername. Check the current Cursor docs for the supported roots. - The skill is not available in one part of a monorepo: Check whether it is nested under the relevant project area and whether its optional
pathspatterns match the files or context. - The skill is missing in a remote runtime: Verify that the runtime has the skill. Personal local skills do not automatically imply availability to Cloud Agents, SSH sessions, or self-hosted workers.
- The skill does not appear in slash autocomplete: Check whether
user-invocable: falseis set. A skill configured withdisable-model-invocation: trueis intended for explicit invocation.
Convert an existing rule or slash command
Cursor’s /migrate-to-skills is selective, not a universal conversion tool. Its guidance applies to eligible dynamic rules without globs and eligible slash commands, preserving explicit invocation behavior for migrated commands. Rules that always apply or are scoped to file patterns have different triggering behavior and are not migrated by that tool; user rules are not migrated because they are not filesystem files. Review the resulting skill’s scope and invocation settings before relying on it.
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