# Installation

Install SkillKit and set up your first project

## No install needed

The fastest way to start:

```
npx skillkit@latest
```

This runs the latest version directly. No global install, no setup.

## Global install

For frequent use, install globally:

```
npm install -g skillkit
```

Also works with pnpm, yarn, or bun:

```
pnpm add -g skillkit

yarn global add skillkit

bun add -g skillkit
```

Both `skillkit` and `sk` work as command aliases.

## Full vs slim install

SkillKit ships four power features as **optional dependencies** so the core install stays small. The default `npm install -g skillkit` installs every feature; `--omit=optional` installs only the core CLI.

| Feature                      | Package               | Command                          |
|------------------------------|----------------------|----------------------------------|
| Interactive terminal UI      | `@skillkit/tui`      | `skillkit ui` / `skillkit tui`  |
| REST/OpenAPI server          | `@skillkit/api`      | `skillkit serve`                 |
| Peer mesh networking         | `@skillkit/mesh`     | `skillkit mesh …`                |
| Inter-agent messaging        | `@skillkit/messaging`| `skillkit message …`             |

```
# Full (default) — every feature works out of the box:
npm install -g skillkit

# Slim — core commands only, ~75% smaller, no native addons, 0 deprecation warnings:
npm install -g skillkit --omit=optional
```

Add one later:

```
npm install -g @skillkit/tui         # enables: skillkit ui
npm install -g @skillkit/api         # enables: skillkit serve
npm install -g @skillkit/mesh        # enables: skillkit mesh
npm install -g @skillkit/messaging   # enables: skillkit message
```

The CLI catches a missing optional feature and prints a one-line hint, so you'll never see an unhandled stack trace.

## Using `npx`

`npx skillkit add <owner/repo>` runs without a global install. First run downloads into the npx cache (`~/.npm/_npx/`); every call after that is instant until the cache expires or a new version ships.

```
# Full — every feature works:
npx skillkit add anthropics/skills

# Slim — core commands only, 75% fewer packages, 0 warnings:
npx --omit=optional skillkit add anthropics/skills
```

If you use `npx skillkit` more than a couple of times, install globally to skip the prompt-to-proceed and avoid the per-release cache refetch:

```
npm install -g skillkit --omit=optional
skillkit add anthropics/skills
```

## Verify

```
skillkit --version
```

**Requirements:** Node.js 18+ (Bun 1.2+ for the TUI).

## Initialize a project

```
cd my-project
skillkit init
```

The init command:

1. **Detects your AI agent** — scans for `.claude/`, `.cursor/`, `.github/` directories
2. **Creates the skills folder** — sets up the right directory for your agent
3. **Saves preferences** — remembers your choices for next time

### Specify an agent directly

```
skillkit init --agent cursor
skillkit init --list             # Show all 45 supported agents
skillkit init --quiet            # Skip logo and prompts (for CI)
```

### What gets created

| Agent               | Skills Directory       | Config                    |
|---------------------|-----------------------|---------------------------|
| Claude Code         | `.claude/skills/`     | `.claude/config.json`     |
| Cursor              | `.cursor/skills/`     | `.cursor/config.mdc`      |
| Codex               | `.codex/skills/`      | `AGENTS.md`               |
| GitHub Copilot      | `.github/skills/`     | —                         |
| Universal           | `skills/`             | `AGENTS.md`               |

Preferences are stored in `~/.skillkit/preferences.json`.

## Next steps

```
skillkit recommend                    # Get skill suggestions for your project
skillkit install anthropics/skills    # Install skills from GitHub
skillkit sync                         # Deploy to your agent
skillkit ui                           # Launch the terminal UI
```

[Quick Start guide](/content/docs/quickstart/index.html) | [Full command reference](/content/docs/commands/index.html)

[SkillKit](/content/docs/index.html) 
[Chrome Extension](/content/docs/chrome-extension/index.html)