Can Claude Skills Be Used with AI Agents Other Than Claude? A Compatibility Guide

Yes—Claude Skills function as an open standard that works across Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, Cursor, Gemini CLI, and other AI agents without requiring platform-specific modifications.

Claude Skills have evolved beyond the Anthropic ecosystem into a portable, language-agnostic format that any AI agent can adopt. As documented in the ComposioHQ/awesome-claude-skills repository, these skills rely on a standardized SKILL.md structure that multiple coding agents now recognize and execute, enabling you to reuse the same automation logic across different AI platforms.

AI Agents That Support Claude Skills

The repository's README.md (lines 36 and 101) confirms that Claude Skills are now supported by a diverse range of agents. Because the specification is open, any agent implementing the Anthropic Skills spec can import and execute these skill definitions using the same underlying format.

Claude Code and Claude.ai

These remain the primary platforms for which the format was originally designed. Claude Code loads skills from the ~/.claude/skills/ directory or via the --skill-dir runtime flag.

OpenAI Codex

OpenAI's code-generation model behind GitHub Copilot can reference skills from prompts or .codex files. When a prompt mentions the skill's name, Codex fetches the SKILL.md contents and executes the defined workflow.

Cursor

The AI-first IDE treats SKILL.md files as executable task definitions. Cursor discovers these definitions in your workspace and runs them via the cursor run command, interpreting the skill's instructions just as it would native editor commands.

Gemini CLI

Google's command-line interface for Gemini models accepts a --skill argument pointing to a skill directory. The CLI reads the YAML frontmatter and body instructions to determine when and how to invoke the skill's capabilities.

Antigravity and Windsurf

These emerging agents load skills from configured skills/ directories at startup, automatically discovering available capabilities without explicit installation commands.

How the Open Standard Works

A Claude Skill is fundamentally a directory containing a SKILL.md file. This file uses YAML front-matter to declare metadata (name, description, trigger conditions) followed by step-by-step workflow instructions. Because the format is language-agnostic, the agent parses the markdown structure rather than executing Claude-specific code.

The typical skill structure looks like this:

pdf-processor/
├─ SKILL.md            # YAML frontmatter + workflow instructions

├─ scripts/
│  └─ process.py      # Optional helper script used by the skill

└─ references/
   └─ docs.md         # Optional documentation loaded on demand

According to the source code analysis, the skill's front-matter tells the agent when to invoke it, while the body holds the executable workflow. This separation allows any compliant agent to interpret the skill's intent regardless of its underlying model architecture.

Loading Skills Across Different Agents

While the skill format remains identical, each agent uses a slightly different command to load and execute skills:

Claude Code uses the --skill-dir flag to point to the skill folder at runtime:

claude --skill-dir ./pdf-processor

Cursor discovers skills in the workspace and executes them with the run subcommand:

cursor run ./pdf-processor

Gemini CLI accepts the skill via a dedicated --skill argument:

gemini --skill ./pdf-processor

OpenAI Codex references skills directly within prompts or .codex files using comments:

/** Use skill: pdf-processor **/

In all cases, the agent reads the same SKILL.md file, interprets the YAML frontmatter for context, and executes the markdown body as instructions.

Key Files in the Repository

Several files in the ComposioHQ/awesome-claude-skills repository demonstrate this cross-platform portability:

• README.md (lines 36-101): Documents the open-standard nature of Claude Skills and explicitly lists supported agents including Codex, Cursor, and Gemini CLI.
• mcp-builder/SKILL.md: Explains the Model Context Protocol (MCP) layer that enables skills to work with any agent supporting MCP, abstracting away platform-specific implementations.
• connect-apps-plugin/README.md: Shows how plugins enable real actions that can be adapted for non-Claude agents.
• Individual skill directories (composio-skills/*/SKILL.md): Provide examples of reusable skill implementations that function identically across all supported platforms.

Summary

• Claude Skills operate as an open standard that multiple AI agents now support, not just Claude.
• The same SKILL.md file works across Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Antigravity, and Windsurf without modification.
• Skills rely on YAML frontmatter for metadata and markdown content for instructions, making them language-agnostic and portable.
• Each agent loads skills through platform-specific commands (--skill-dir, cursor run, --skill), but interprets the same underlying format.
• The repository's README.md and mcp-builder/SKILL.md document the protocol specifications that enable this cross-platform compatibility.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to modify a Claude Skill to use it with Cursor or Gemini?

No. Because Claude Skills follow an open specification, the same SKILL.md file and directory structure works across all supported agents. You can move a skill folder from Claude Code to Cursor or Gemini CLI without changing any files, as each agent parses the YAML frontmatter and markdown instructions identically.

What file must be present for an AI agent to recognize a skill?

Every skill requires a SKILL.md file at the root of the skill directory. This file must contain valid YAML frontmatter defining the skill's name and description, followed by the step-by-step instructions in markdown format. Agents discovered this specific filename to identify valid skill packages.

Can I use Claude Skills with the OpenAI API directly?

Yes, through OpenAI Codex. Codex can reference skills from prompts or .codex files by name. When you mention the skill in a comment or prompt, Codex retrieves the SKILL.md contents and executes the workflow. The repository confirms OpenAI Codex as a supported platform alongside Claude Code.

Where should skills be stored for Claude Code specifically?

Claude Code looks for skills in the ~/.claude/skills/ directory by default. You can also specify an alternate location at runtime using the --skill-dir flag followed by the path to your skill folder. This differs from Cursor and Gemini CLI, which typically read skills from the current workspace or require explicit path arguments.

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