# How to Install Garden Skills for AI Agents: 5 Methods Explained

> Easily install Garden Skills for AI agents using five methods: CLI, Claude Code Marketplace, ZIP, Git clone, or submodule. Integrate skills seamlessly and enhance your agent's capabilities today.

- Repository: [ConardLi/garden-skills](https://github.com/ConardLi/garden-skills)
- Tags: how-to-guide
- Published: 2026-08-31

---

**Garden Skills installs via five distinct pathways—the `npx skills` CLI, Claude Code Marketplace, pinned ZIP releases, manual Git clone, or Git submodule—each placing skill folders containing [`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/ConardLi/garden-skills/blob/main/SKILL.md) and assets into your agent's local skills directory for automatic discovery.**

Garden Skills is a curated collection of production-ready **Agent Skills** designed for Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, Gemini, OpenCode, and any AI coding assistant that understands the **SKILL.md** format. According to the ConardLi/garden-skills repository source code, every installation method ultimately achieves the same goal: copying a skill's folder (containing [`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/ConardLi/garden-skills/blob/main/SKILL.md), [`README.md`](https://github.com/ConardLi/garden-skills/blob/main/README.md), optional `scripts/`, `references/`, and assets) into the agent-specific skills directory where automatic discovery and loading occur.

## Understanding the Garden Skills Installation Model

Before selecting an installation method, understand what constitutes a skill in this ecosystem. Each skill is a self-contained folder discovered by agents through a standard directory structure.

- **[`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/ConardLi/garden-skills/blob/main/SKILL.md)**: The mandatory contract file located in each skill folder (e.g., [`skills/web-design-engineer/SKILL.md`](https://github.com/ConardLi/garden-skills/blob/main/skills/web-design-engineer/SKILL.md)) that tells agents when and how to invoke the skill.
- **[`README.md`](https://github.com/ConardLi/garden-skills/blob/main/README.md)**: Human-readable documentation describing usage and capabilities.
- **`scripts/` and `references/`**: Optional supporting assets bundled with the skill.
- **[`manifest.json`](https://github.com/ConardLi/garden-skills/blob/main/manifest.json)**: Metadata file providing name, version, and description used by the `skills` CLI and marketplace interfaces.

Agents scan their designated skills directories (typically `.claude/skills/`, `.cursor/skills/`, or `.agents/skills/`) and load any valid skill packages found therein.

## Method 1: Install via the skills CLI (npx)

The **`npx skills`** command provides the fastest, agent-agnostic installation path. This CLI detects your current environment and copies chosen skills into the proper `.skills/` tree.

Install every skill from the repository:

```bash
npx skills add ConardLi/garden-skills

```

Install a single skill, such as `web-design-engineer`:

```bash
npx skills add ConardLi/garden-skills -s web-design-engineer

```

Install globally to the default location (`~/.skills`):

```bash
npx skills add ConardLi/garden-skills -s gpt-image-2 --global

```

Target a specific agent, such as Claude Code:

```bash
npx skills add ConardLi/garden-skills -s kb-retriever -a claude-code

```

The CLI pulls the latest `main` commit by default. To pin to a specific release tag, use the tree URL syntax documented in the repository's [`README.md`](https://github.com/ConardLi/garden-skills/blob/main/README.md) install section.

## Method 2: Install via Claude Code Marketplace

For Claude Code users preferring a UI-driven workflow with automatic updates, use the built-in marketplace commands defined in [`.claude-plugin/marketplace.json`](https://github.com/ConardLi/garden-skills/blob/main/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json).

Add the marketplace source:

```bash
/plugin marketplace add ConardLi/garden-skills

```

Install specific plugin packs:

```bash
/plugin install presentation-skills@garden-skills
/plugin install web-design-skills@garden-skills
/plugin install knowledge-base-skills@garden-skills
/plugin install image-generation-skills@garden-skills

```

The marketplace definition in [`.claude-plugin/marketplace.json`](https://github.com/ConardLi/garden-skills/blob/main/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json) declares plugin packs that bundle multiple related skills for Claude Code consumption.

## Method 3: Install Pinned ZIP from GitHub Releases

For reproducible builds, CI pipelines, or air-gapped environments, download immutable ZIP archives with SHA-256 checksums. The release pipeline in `scripts/release/update-readme.mjs` automatically generates these URLs on each release.

Download and verify a specific skill version:

```bash
SKILL=web-design-engineer
VERSION=1.0.0

curl -fsSL -o "${SKILL}.zip" \
  "https://github.com/ConardLi/garden-skills/releases/download/${SKILL}-v${VERSION}/${SKILL}-${VERSION}.zip"

curl -fsSL -o "${SKILL}.zip.sha256" \
  "https://github.com/ConardLi/garden-skills/releases/download/${SKILL}-v${VERSION}/${SKILL}-${VERSION}.zip.sha256"

shasum -a 256 -c "${SKILL}.zip.sha256"
unzip -q "${SKILL}.zip" -d .claude/skills/

```

This method guarantees bit-for-bit reproducibility by pinning to exact release artifacts rather than floating Git references.

## Method 4: Manual Copy After Git Clone

For developers who need to fork, modify, or debug skill code, clone the repository and copy specific skill folders manually.

Clone the repository:

```bash
git clone https://github.com/ConardLi/garden-skills.git

```

Copy to your agent's skills directory:

```bash

# For Claude Code

cp -r garden-skills/skills/web-design-engineer your-project/.claude/skills/

# For generic agents

cp -r garden-skills/skills/web-design-engineer your-project/.agents/skills/

```

This approach provides full source control and enables local experimentation with skill logic before deployment.

## Method 5: Install via Git Submodule

When vendoring Garden Skills inside a larger project while retaining upstream update capabilities, use Git submodules and symlinks.

Add the repository as a submodule:

```bash
git submodule add https://github.com/ConardLi/garden-skills.git vendor/garden-skills

```

Symlink the desired skill into your agent's path:

```bash
ln -s ../../vendor/garden-skills/skills/web-design-engineer .claude/skills/web-design-engineer

```

Pin to a specific release tag for reproducibility:

```bash
cd vendor/garden-skills
git checkout web-design-engineer-v1.0.0

```

This maintains a reference to the exact commit while keeping the upstream repository accessible for updates.

## Key Files in the Garden Skills Repository

Understanding these source files helps troubleshoot installation issues and customize skills:

- **[`README.md`](https://github.com/ConardLi/garden-skills/blob/main/README.md)**: Central documentation at the repository root containing the installation matrix and usage guidelines.
- **[`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/ConardLi/garden-skills/blob/main/SKILL.md)**: Located within each skill folder, defines the invocation contract that agents read to know how to execute the skill.
- **[`manifest.json`](https://github.com/ConardLi/garden-skills/blob/main/manifest.json)**: Provides metadata (name, version, description) used by the `skills` CLI and marketplace interfaces.
- **`scripts/release/update-readme.mjs`**: Node.js script in the release pipeline that auto-updates documentation with latest pinned ZIP URLs.
- **[`.claude-plugin/marketplace.json`](https://github.com/ConardLi/garden-skills/blob/main/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json)**: Declares plugin packs exposing skills to Claude Code's marketplace system.

## Summary

- **Five pathways** exist: `npx skills` CLI, Claude Code Marketplace, pinned ZIP releases, manual git clone/copy, and Git submodules.
- **All methods** place skill folders containing [`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/ConardLi/garden-skills/blob/main/SKILL.md) into agent-specific skills directories (`.claude/skills/`, `.cursor/skills/`, etc.).
- **CLI method** offers fastest setup with agent auto-detection and global/local installation options.
- **Marketplace method** provides UI-driven workflows with automatic updates for Claude Code users.
- **ZIP method** ensures reproducible, checksum-verified installations ideal for CI and air-gapped environments.
- **Manual and submodule methods** support development, forking, and vendoring workflows with full version control.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What file format do Garden Skills use to define agent capabilities?

Garden Skills use the **SKILL.md** format, a standardized contract that tells AI agents when and how to invoke specific skills. Each skill folder must contain a [`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/ConardLi/garden-skills/blob/main/SKILL.md) file alongside optional [`README.md`](https://github.com/ConardLi/garden-skills/blob/main/README.md) documentation and supporting scripts in `references/` or `scripts/` directories.

### Which installation method should I choose for CI/CD pipelines?

Use the **pinned ZIP from GitHub Releases** method. Download the specific version using `curl`, verify the SHA-256 checksum with `shasum -a 256 -c`, and extract to the skills directory. This approach guarantees reproducible builds without network variability or Git history overhead, as implemented in the release pipeline script `scripts/release/update-readme.mjs`.

### Can I install Garden Skills for agents other than Claude Code?

Yes. The `npx skills` CLI method is **agent-agnostic**, automatically detecting Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, Gemini, OpenCode, and other compatible environments via the `-a` flag or auto-detection. For manual installation, copy skill folders into your specific agent's skills directory (e.g., `.cursor/skills/` or `.agents/skills/`).

### How do I pin to a specific version rather than using the latest main branch?

With the **skills CLI**, append the tree URL syntax to target specific release tags. With **Git submodules**, `cd` into the submodule directory and run `git checkout` with the specific tag (e.g., `web-design-engineer-v1.0.0`). The **pinned ZIP** method inherently uses specific version numbers in the download URL and verifies integrity via SHA-256 checksums.