Where Are Cursor Skills Stored?

A skill is a set of instructions packaged as a SKILL.md file that an AI agent reads to learn a new workflow. Cursor stores skills differently from Claude Code and OpenClaw — it focuses on project-level configuration rather than personal skill directories.

Quick Answer: Cursor reads skills from .cursor/skills/ in your project directory. Unlike Claude Code and OpenClaw, Cursor doesn't have a personal (global) skills directory — all skills are project-scoped. Each skill is a folder containing a SKILL.md file.

Where does Cursor store skills?

Cursor uses a single location for skills:

Project skills: .cursor/skills/ inside your project root.

your-project/
├── .cursor/
│   └── skills/
│       ├── code-reviewer/
│       │   └── SKILL.md
│       └── test-generator/
│           └── SKILL.md
├── src/
└── package.json

There is no personal (global) skills directory in Cursor. If you want a skill available across all projects, you need to copy it into each project's .cursor/skills/ folder.

How is this different from .cursorrules?

Cursor has two customization systems: .cursorrules files and SKILL.md skills.

.cursorrules is a single text file in your project root. It's loaded into every interaction automatically. Think of it as always-on project context — coding conventions, style preferences, technology choices.

SKILL.md skills are triggered on demand based on their description. They activate when your request matches what the skill does. Skills are better for specific workflows (code review, test generation, deployment) while .cursorrules is better for general project context.

You can use both simultaneously. The .cursorrules file provides the baseline context, and skills add specialized capabilities on top.

For a detailed comparison, read Cursor Rules vs SKILL.md Skills.

How do I install a skill in Cursor?

# Create the skills directory if it doesn't exist
mkdir -p .cursor/skills

# Download a skill from Agensi and unzip
unzip code-reviewer.zip -d .cursor/skills/

# Verify
ls .cursor/skills/code-reviewer/
# Should show: SKILL.md

Restart your Cursor workspace or reload the window. The skill loads on the next interaction.

Access every skill without manual installs.

Agensi Pro connects your Cursor workspace to the full skill catalog via MCP. Skills load on demand, no folder management needed.

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Can I use Claude Code skills in Cursor?

Yes. SKILL.md is a cross-agent standard. A skill built for Claude Code works in Cursor without modification. Copy it from ~/.claude/skills/skill-name/ to .cursor/skills/skill-name/ and you're done.

The reverse also works — skills created for Cursor work in Claude Code, OpenClaw, Codex CLI, and other compatible agents.

The main caveat: Cursor-specific features in .cursorrules don't translate to SKILL.md, and Claude Code-specific features like context: fork may not work in Cursor. The core instructions are fully portable.

How do I share Cursor skills across projects?

Since Cursor only supports project-level skills, sharing across projects means committing .cursor/skills/ to your repository. Everyone who clones the repo gets the skills automatically.

For personal skills you want in every project, you have two options:

1. Create a script that copies your skills into new projects
2. Use a dotfiles repo that includes your .cursor/skills/ directory

Or use Agensi Pro with MCP, which loads skills on demand regardless of project setup.

What's the difference between Cursor, Claude Code, and OpenClaw skill paths?

For the full path reference across all agents, read Where Are Claude Skills Stored?.

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Find and install security-scanned skills for Cursor, Claude Code, OpenClaw and more on Agensi.