SkillsCat CLI

The SkillsCat CLI is meant to keep search, install, update, and publish workflows for AI agent skills in one place. If you remember only one rule, make it this: run search or info first, confirm the source and the contents, and only then run add.

If you are working with the OpenClaw ecosystem and using clawhub rather than skillscat, jump to the OpenClaw docs. That guide explains the /openclaw compatibility surface.

Quick Start

For a first session, this command set covers most common workflows.

npx skillscat search "code review"
npx skillscat info owner/repo
npx skillscat add owner/my-skill
npx skillscat add owner/path/to/skill
npx skillscat update --check
npx skillscat list

Search and Inspect

If you know the job to be done but not the exact skill to install, start with search. Search accepts natural language task phrases, so you can work from the problem first. If you already know the GitHub repository, use info to inspect which skills it contains and which one would be installed by default.

npx skillscat search "seo audit"
npx skillscat search "jira auth" --category devops
npx skillscat info owner/repo

search is best when you know the task but not the repository.
info is best when you know the repository owner but not the exact bundle layout.
For multi-skill repositories, inspect with info first and then install by the exact published slug.

Install Skills

add is the main install command. By default it installs into the current project so the skill stays close to the codebase it belongs to. Reach for --global only when you really want cross-project reuse. For published skills, prefer the exact slug instead of repo-scoped selection flags.

npx skillscat add owner/my-skill
npx skillscat add owner/path/to/skill
npx skillscat add https://github.com/owner/repo
npx skillscat add owner/my-skill --global
npx skillscat add owner/my-skill --agent openclaw
npx skillscat add owner/repo --list

Use the published slug for installs, including nested slugs such as owner/path/to/skill.
If you only know the repository, run info or add owner/repo --list first to discover the right slug.
--list previews installable entries without writing files.
--yes skips confirmation prompts for scripted flows.
--force is for overwriting an existing install or continuing through riskier states.
If the target is OpenClaw, add --agent openclaw so the directory layout is aligned automatically.

Manage Installs

After install, the commands you will use most often are list, remove, update, and convert. update --check is especially useful when you want to inspect changes before deciding whether to overwrite the local copy.

npx skillscat list
npx skillscat remove skill-name
npx skillscat update --check
npx skillscat update
npx skillscat convert openclaw --from agents
npx skillscat self-upgrade

list shows what is already installed in the current project or global scope.
remove deletes a local install by skill name.
update prefers registry-backed updates; --check turns it into a dry inspection step.
convert is for moving existing .agents content into OpenClaw or similar layouts.

Auth and Config

Log in when you need private skills, publishing, or other write actions. Public installs do not always require auth, but knowing how to use whoami and config makes debugging much faster.

npx skillscat login
npx skillscat whoami
npx skillscat logout
npx skillscat config list
npx skillscat config get registry
npx skillscat config set registry https://skills.cat/registry
npx skillscat config delete registry

login authenticates against SkillsCat.
whoami confirms that the current account or token is active.
config set registry ... points the CLI at a custom registry.
If you need ClawHub-compatible behavior for OpenClaw workflows, continue to the OpenClaw guide.

Publish and Submit

SkillsCat has two different write paths. publish uploads a local bundle directly to SkillsCat. submit asks SkillsCat to index a public GitHub repository. If you later need to remove a published private skill, use unpublish.

npx skillscat publish ./my-skill
npx skillscat publish ./my-skill --private
npx skillscat submit https://github.com/owner/repo
npx skillscat unpublish owner/my-skill

publish is for bundles you already prepared locally.
submit is for public GitHub repositories you want SkillsCat to index.
unpublish only applies to already-published private skills.

Command Reference

Command	When To Use It
`npx skillscat search "code review"`	Search the public SkillsCat registry by task or problem statement.
`npx skillscat info owner/repo`	Inspect which skills a repository contains before you install anything.
`npx skillscat add owner/my-skill`	Install a published skill by its exact slug.
`npx skillscat add owner/path/to/skill`	Install a nested published skill by slug when the skill lives below the repo root.
`npx skillscat update --check`	Check for updates without overwriting the current install immediately.
`npx skillscat login`	Authenticate with SkillsCat for private skills, publishing, and write actions.
`npx skillscat publish ./path/to/skill`	Publish your own local skill bundle to SkillsCat.

If the target environment is OpenClaw or ClawBot, or you want SkillsCat to replace the default ClawHub registry, continue to the OpenClaw guide.