Configuring the i-have-adhd Skill for Specific Project Types vs Global Usage

The i-have-adhd skill supports both project-scoped and global installation via the npx skills CLI, with loading priority given to local ./skills/ directories over user-wide agent directories.

The i-have-adhd repository by ayghri provides a productivity-focused coding skill that helps AI assistants structure responses with action-first, numbered steps. Understanding how to scope this skill—whether to a single repository or across all your projects—is essential for effective adoption.

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How Agent Skills Load: The Two-Scope Model

AI agents (Claude, Copilot, Cursor, OpenCode, and others) scan specific directories at session startup to discover skill files. The i-have-adhd repository follows the Agent Skills specification, which defines two distinct scopes:

Scan Location	Scope	Loaded When
./skills/ inside current repository	Project-only	Working within that specific repository
~/.<agent>/skills/ or ~/.agents/skills/	Global	Any project the agent opens

The core skill definition lives in skills/i-have-adhd/SKILL.md, which contains the front-matter (name, description, disable-model-invocation, etc.) and the behavioral rules the agent follows.

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Project-Specific Configuration

Project-scoped installation keeps the skill isolated to one codebase. This is ideal when you need customized rules for a particular team, framework, or workflow.

To install for the current repository only:

npx skills add ayghri/i-have-adhd

This copies the skill into ./skills/i-have-adhd/ within your repository. The agent loads this local version whenever you work in that directory.

According to the repository's SKILL.md, the front-matter setting disable-model-invocation (found at lines 10-12) controls whether the skill triggers automatically or awaits explicit invocation.

Overriding Global Settings Per Project

If you have a global install but need project-specific customization, place a modified SKILL.md at:

./skills/i-have-adhd/SKILL.md

The agent prioritizes local skills, so your customized version overrides the global one for that repository. Removing this folder restores global behavior.

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Global Configuration

Global installation applies the skill to every coding session, regardless of working directory. Use this when you want consistent "action-first, numbered-steps" guidance across all projects.

To install globally:

npx skills add ayghri/i-have-adhd -g

The -g flag directs the CLI to copy the skill into your agent's user-wide directory (e.g., ~/.cursor/skills/ or ~/.agents/skills/).

Manual Global Installation

For agents not supported by the CLI, copy the skill manually:

# Cursor-specific global install

mkdir -p ~/.cursor/skills
cp -R i-have-adhd/skills/i-have-adhd ~/.cursor/skills/

# Generic agent global install

mkdir -p ~/.agents/skills
cp -R i-have-adhd/skills/i-have-adhd ~/.agents/skills/

The README.md (lines 27-33) documents these manual steps and recommends forking the repository, editing skills/i-have-adhd/SKILL.md, then swapping in your customized copy.

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Choosing Between Project and Global Scope

Use Case	Recommended Scope	Rationale
Personal preferences across all codebases	Global	One-time setup, consistent everywhere
Team-specific conventions	Project	Version-controlled alongside code
Framework-specific adaptations	Project	Tailor steps to project architecture
Experimental modifications	Project	Isolate changes, avoid breaking global workflow

The repository includes scripts/run_evals.py, which demonstrates programmatic skill loading via skill_path.read_text()—useful for testing scoped configurations.

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CI Validation for Scope Consistency

The .github/workflows/cursor-skill-sync.yml workflow ensures project-scoped copies stay synchronized with the canonical skill definition. This prevents drift when teams maintain local modifications.

To implement similar checks in your own repositories:

1. Fork ayghri/i-have-adhd
2. Customize skills/i-have-adhd/SKILL.md
3. Install your fork project-wise or globally using npx skills add <your-fork>

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Summary

• Project-scoped skills live in ./skills/ and load only when working in that repository
• Global skills live in ~/.<agent>/skills/ and apply to all sessions
• Use npx skills add ayghri/i-have-adhd for project installation or add -g for global
• Local skills override global ones when both exist
• Modify SKILL.md front-matter in skills/i-have-adhd/SKILL.md to customize invocation behavior

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I have both global and project-specific versions installed simultaneously?

Yes. When both exist, agents load the local ./skills/ version first, overriding the global configuration for that project only. Remove the local copy to revert to global behavior.

Where is the skill behavior actually defined?

The core rules and front-matter are in skills/i-have-adhd/SKILL.md. This file specifies name, description, and disable-model-invocation settings that control how the agent engages the skill.

What agents support this installation method?

Claude, Copilot, Cursor, OpenCode, and any agent implementing the Agent Skills specification can load skills from both project and global directories. The npx skills CLI handles path detection automatically.

How do I prevent the skill from auto-triggering?

Set disable-model-invocation: true in your customized SKILL.md front-matter. The agent will then wait for explicit invocation rather than applying the skill automatically to every interaction.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
    }
  }
}