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    How to Install Skills in Gemini CLI (2026 Guide)

    Use expert AI agent skills through Agensi MCP. Connect your agent, choose a skill and load its latest instructions on demand.

    April 30, 20265 min read
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    Gemini CLI supports SKILL.md skills for customizing its behavior. If you've already used skills with Claude Code or Codex CLI, the process is familiar, drop SKILL.md files into the right directory and Gemini CLI picks them up automatically.

    Quick Answer: To install skills in Gemini CLI, place SKILL.md files (and any supporting files) into either the project-specific .gemini/skills/ directory or the global ~/.gemini/skills/ directory in your home folder. Agensi skills load through MCP, without saving skill files. Local file installation applies to skills from GitHub or ones you create yourself.

    Where Gemini CLI looks for skills

    Gemini CLI checks two locations for skills:

    Project skills: .gemini/skills/ in your project root. These skills only activate when you're working in that specific project. Use project skills for framework-specific conventions, team standards, and project-specific patterns.

    Global skills: ~/.gemini/skills/ in your home directory. These skills activate for every project. Use global skills for personal coding preferences, language-specific patterns, and tools you use everywhere.

    Project skills take precedence over global skills when there's a conflict.

    Installing a skill

    From Agensi

    Connect your AI agent to Agensi through MCP, then ask it to use the skill on your task. Approve any required purchase. Your agent loads the latest approved version through get_skill on each use. Never write any part of the skill to disk; your licence does not allow you to save, copy or export it.

    From GitHub

    Clone or download the skill repository and copy the SKILL.md file (and any supporting files) into your skills directory:

    git clone https://github.com/user/skill-name.git /tmp/skill-name
cp -r /tmp/skill-name/.  .gemini/skills/skill-name/

    Manual creation

    Create a SKILL.md file directly in your skills directory. The file needs YAML frontmatter with at minimum a name and description, followed by markdown instructions. See how to create a SKILL.md from scratch.

    Cross-agent compatibility

    SKILL.md is an open standard. A skill installed in Gemini CLI works the same way in Claude Code (~/.claude/skills/), Codex CLI, Cursor, and every other compatible agent. The only difference is the directory path.

    If you use multiple agents, install the same skills in each agent's directory. The behavior will be consistent across all of them.

    Verifying installation

    After adding a skill, start a new Gemini CLI session and ask it to do something the skill covers. If the skill is a code review skill, ask for a code review. If it's activating correctly, the output will follow the patterns defined in the skill's instructions.

    If a skill isn't loading, check that the SKILL.md file is in the correct directory, the frontmatter has a valid description field (this is what triggers activation), and there are no YAML syntax errors in the frontmatter.

    For more Gemini CLI setup details, see Where Are Gemini CLI Skills Stored?.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    To install skills, place 'SKILL.md' files and any supporting files into either the project-specific '.gemini/skills/' directory or the global '~/.gemini/skills/' directory.

    Gemini CLI checks for skills in two locations: the project-specific '.gemini/skills/' directory, and the global '~/.gemini/skills/' directory in your home folder.

    Project skills, located in '.gemini/skills/' in your project root, activate only within that specific project and are used for framework-specific conventions, team standards, and project patterns.

    Global skills reside in '~/.gemini/skills/' in your home directory and are active for all projects, suitable for personal coding preferences, language-specific patterns, and tools used universally.

    Connect your AI agent to Agensi through MCP. Ask it to use the skill and approve any required purchase. Instructions load on each use. Never write any part of the skill to disk.

    After adding a skill, start a new Gemini CLI session and test the skill's function; if it's working, the output will reflect the skill's defined patterns.

    Yes, SKILL.md is an open standard and skills installed in Gemini CLI will work the same way in other compatible agents like Claude Code, with only the directory path differing.

    Check that the 'SKILL.md' file is in the correct directory, that the YAML frontmatter includes a valid 'description' field, and that there are no YAML syntax errors.