Skills are the easiest way to teach a coding agent something it does not do well by default: a design standard, a review checklist, a way to save tokens. This guide explains where skills live for Claude Code and Codex, how to install them by hand and how to manage them without the command line.
What is a skill?
A skill is a folder with a SKILL.md file: instructions in Markdown with a short name and description at the top, plus any scripts or reference files it needs. The agent reads the descriptions of your installed skills and loads a skill's full instructions only when a task calls for it, so installed skills cost very little context until they are used.
my-skill/
├── SKILL.md
└── scripts/
└── check.sh
Where Claude Code and Codex look for skills
| Agent | Personal skills (all projects) | Project skills |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Code | ~/.claude/skills/<name>/ |
.claude/skills/<name>/ in the repo |
| Codex | ~/.codex/skills/<name>/ or ~/.agents/skills/<name>/ |
per the Codex docs |
If you set CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR or CODEX_HOME, the personal folders move with them.
Installing a skill by hand
- Find the skill's repository and the folder that contains its
SKILL.md. - Copy that folder into your skills directory:
git clone https://github.com/owner/repo /tmp/repo
cp -R /tmp/repo/skills/my-skill ~/.claude/skills/- Start a new agent session so it picks up the skill.
Updating means repeating the copy, and there is no undo if the new version misbehaves, so keep a backup of the old folder.
Only install skills you trust. A skill can include scripts that the agent may run with your permissions. Read SKILL.md and any scripts first.
Manage your own skill repositories with Vibe Console
In the Vibe Console Skills panel, add a GitHub repository you trust as owner/repo or https://github.com/owner/repo. Choose a section for its card, then choose which skills to install for Claude Code or Codex. The list is saved on your Mac; Vibe Console does not supply the skill files. You can remove any card from the list without uninstalling what you already installed.
Safe updates with rollback
Vibe Console checks installed skills for updates and marks them Update available, or Source differs — review changes when the files on disk no longer match the source. Updating keeps a backup of the previous files. If the new version causes trouble, press Roll back, or Open backup to inspect the old files.
FAQ
Do skills work in both Claude Code and Codex?
The SKILL.md format works in both, but each agent loads skills from its own folder. Install the skill for each agent you use.
Do installed skills slow the agent down?
Barely. Agents read only each skill's short description until a task needs it.
How do I remove a skill?
Delete its folder from the skills directory, then start a new session.
Try the Skills panel free for 14 days: download Vibe Console.