Gemini CLI Skills
    gemini cli
    skills
    directory

    Where Are Gemini CLI Skills Stored?

    Gemini CLI stores skills at ~/.gemini/skills/ for personal and .gemini/skills/ for project-level. Path reference and cross-agent compatibility.

    April 23, 20263 min read
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    Gemini CLI is Google's command-line AI coding agent. It supports the SKILL.md format for customizing agent behavior. Here's where it stores skills and how the directory structure works.

    Quick Answer: Gemini CLI stores personal skills at ~/.gemini/skills/ and project skills at .gemini/skills/ relative to your repo root. The same SKILL.md files that work in Claude Code, OpenClaw, and Codex CLI work in Gemini CLI without modification.

    Where does Gemini CLI store personal skills?

    Personal skills live at ~/.gemini/skills/. These are available across all your projects.

    ~/.gemini/skills/
    ├── code-reviewer/
    │   └── SKILL.md
    ├── test-generator/
    │   └── SKILL.md
    └── git-commit-writer/
        └── SKILL.md
    

    On macOS: /Users/yourname/.gemini/skills/. On Linux: /home/yourname/.gemini/skills/.

    Where does Gemini CLI store project skills?

    Project skills live at .gemini/skills/ inside a repository. These are shared with anyone who clones the repo, making them useful for team-wide workflows.

    your-project/
    ├── .gemini/
    │   └── skills/
    │       └── team-review/
    │           └── SKILL.md
    ├── src/
    └── package.json
    

    How do I install a skill in Gemini CLI?

    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.

    Start a new Gemini CLI session. Skills load automatically based on their description triggers.

    How does Gemini CLI compare to other agents?

    All major AI coding agents follow the same pattern, personal and project skill directories with SKILL.md files:

    AgentPersonal skillsProject skills
    Gemini CLI~/.gemini/skills/.gemini/skills/
    Claude Code~/.claude/skills/.claude/skills/
    OpenClaw~/.openclaw/skills/.openclaw/skills/
    Codex CLI~/.codex/skills/.codex/skills/
    CursorN/A.cursor/skills/

    The SKILL.md file format is identical across all agents. Write a skill once, copy it to any agent's directory, and it works.

    Can I share skills between Gemini CLI and other agents?

    Yes. Copy the skill folder between agent directories and it works immediately:

    # Share a Claude Code skill with Gemini CLI
    cp -r ~/.claude/skills/code-reviewer ~/.gemini/skills/
    
    # Share a Gemini CLI skill with OpenClaw
    cp -r ~/.gemini/skills/test-generator ~/.openclaw/skills/
    

    No modification needed. This cross-agent compatibility is the core benefit of the SKILL.md open standard.

    For the full path reference and more details on skill storage, read Where Are Claude Skills Stored?.


    Browse security-scanned skills for Gemini CLI, Claude Code, OpenClaw, and 20+ agents on Agensi.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Gemini CLI stores personal skills in the `~/.gemini/skills/` directory, which makes them available across all your projects.

    Project-specific skills for Gemini CLI are stored in the `.gemini/skills/` directory within a repository, making them shareable with anyone who clones the repo.

    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.

    Yes, Gemini CLI supports the SKILL.md format, which allows for customizing agent behavior, and these files work without modification across several AI coding agents.

    Yes, you can share skills between Gemini CLI and other agents like Claude Code or OpenClaw by copying the skill folder, as the SKILL.md format is identical across them.

    On macOS, the directory path for Gemini CLI personal skills is `/Users/yourname/.gemini/skills/`.

    Team skills, which are also known as project skills, are stored in the `.gemini/skills/` directory inside a repository.