How to Install Claude Code Skills

Where does Claude Code look for skills?

In .claude/skills/ inside the project and in ~/.claude/skills/ in your home directory. One folder per skill, named after it, with a SKILL.md inside.

your-repo/
├── .claude/
│   └── skills/
│       └── release-notes/
│           ├── SKILL.md
│           └── template.md
├── bv.lock
└── src/

• .claude/skills/ in the project: shared with everyone who works on the repository once you commit it. Use it for skills that describe this codebase.
• ~/.claude/skills/ in your home directory: yours alone, in every project. Use it for personal habits.

How do I install a skill with one command?

Run npx @deftro/cli install <handle>/<slug> from the project root. When the project has a .claude folder, the skill lands in .claude/skills/<slug>/.

npx @deftro/cli install <handle>/<slug>

# Only Claude Code, even if .cursor or .agents also exist
npx @deftro/cli install <handle>/<slug> --agent claude

# Pin a version
npx @deftro/cli install <handle>/<slug>@1.2.0

1. Find a skill on the skills hub or Discover. Its page shows the exact handle/slug.
2. Run the command in the root of the repository. The CLI writes the skill for every agent folder it finds: .claude, .cursor, .agents, .codex.
3. It records the version it installed in bv.lock. Commit that file with the skill so the next person gets the same version.

Can I install a skill by hand?

Yes. Make a folder under .claude/skills/ named after the skill and put its SKILL.md inside, along with any files it refers to.

mkdir -p .claude/skills/release-notes
# paste the file you copied into:
.claude/skills/release-notes/SKILL.md

Every public skill page on Deftro has a Copy SKILL.md button and lists the other files in the version. Installing by hand skips bv.lock, so nothing records which version you have.

How does a team stay on the same version?

Commit .claude/skills/ and bv.lock, or keep the skills in an organisation vault and run deftro sync, which writes the reviewed version of each one.

• In an organisation vault, skills are attached to the projects that need them. A new version waits for review before deftro sync hands it out.
• An approved version never changes. A fix is a new version with its own diff and reviewer, so two engineers who sync on different days get the same files unless someone approved a change in between.
• How that review works is in Should you trust an agent skill?

What should I check before installing?

Read the whole skill, including the files beside SKILL.md. It will run with the same access Claude Code has to your files and terminal.

Look for commands that download and run code, instructions to ignore earlier instructions, and anything sent to a URL. The review guide has the full list.