How to Submit a Pull Request to google/skills: Contribute via Issues & Forks Instead

External contributors cannot submit pull requests to google/skills; the repository uses a closed-contribution model where issues and personal forks are the supported paths for engagement.

The google/skills repository hosts Google's Agent Skills—reusable, LLM-ready components for building AI agents. While the code is open source under Apache 2.0, the project maintains strict controls over what enters the main codebase. Understanding these boundaries will save you time and direct your efforts toward the channels that actually work.

---

The Closed-Contribution Policy

The definitive source for contribution rules is CONTRIBUTING.md at the repository root. Lines 7–10 state explicitly:

"At this time, we are not accepting external pull requests or code contributions… all Agent Skills must undergo a rigorous internal verification and approval process by Google teams."

This policy applies universally to external developers, regardless of the change size or quality. No pull request from a non-Google account will be merged into google/skills/main.

---

How to Actually Contribute to google/skills

Since the standard pull request workflow is unavailable, use these four supported alternatives:

1. Report Issues or Suggest Improvements

The GitHub issue tracker is the primary venue for external feedback. You can file:

• Bug reports for broken SDK patterns or documentation errors
• Security concerns requiring maintainer attention
• General suggestions for existing skill improvements

To open an issue:

1. Navigate to https://github.com/google/skills/issues
2. Click "New issue"
3. Choose a template (e.g., "Bug report" or "Feature request")
4. Fill in the title and description, then submit

Google teams monitor this queue and may incorporate feedback through their internal pipeline.

2. Request New Skills

Need a skill for a Google product or cross-product architecture pattern? Submit a feature request via the same issue tracker rather than implementing it yourself. Describe:

• The target use case and product integration
• Expected inputs and outputs
• Any reference implementations you've seen elsewhere

These requests inform Google's internal Agent Skills Program prioritization.

3. Fork and Customize for Your Own Use

You retain full rights to fork, modify, and redistribute skills under Apache 2.0. This workflow preserves your changes without attempting upstream merger:

# Clone your fork

git clone https://github.com/your-username/skills.git
cd skills

# Create a new branch for your changes

git checkout -b my-custom-skill

# Edit the desired markdown file, e.g.

nano skills/cloud/google-cloud-recipe-auth/README.md

# Commit and push to your fork

git add .
git commit -m "Customize auth skill for internal use"
git push origin my-custom-skill

Your fork can be consumed via npx skills add pointing to your repository, or shared within your organization. Do not open pull requests from this fork back to google/skills—they will be closed per policy.

4. Internal Google Contribution Path

Google-affiliated teams follow a separate process defined in CONTRIBUTING.md lines 31–34:

• Access internal Agent Skills Program documentation
• Author against the SKILL.md specification
• Submit through Google's internal verification and approval pipeline

This path is unavailable to external contributors regardless of employment history or NDAs.

---

Key Files for Understanding Contribution Boundaries

File	Purpose	Critical Content
CONTRIBUTING.md	Defines contribution policy and internal workflow	Closed-contribution statement (L7–10), internal authorship spec (L31–34)
README.md	Repository overview and installation	Skill listing, npx skills add usage
LICENSE	Apache 2.0 terms	Permits forking and modification, not upstream contribution

Reviewing CONTRIBUTING.md directly prevents wasted effort on pull requests that violate repository policy.

---

Summary

• Pull requests from external contributors are explicitly rejected per CONTRIBUTING.md policy
• Issues are the correct channel for bugs, security reports, and skill requests
• Forks enable full customization without upstream merge expectations
• Internal Google teams use a separate program with SKILL.md compliance requirements

The google/skills repository is source-available, not open-contribution—adapt your engagement strategy accordingly.

---

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I ever get my code merged into google/skills as an external developer?

No. The CONTRIBUTING.md policy is categorical: external pull requests are not accepted under any current circumstances, even for typo fixes or documentation improvements. Your alternatives are filing issues or maintaining a fork.

What happens if I open a pull request anyway?

It will be closed without review. Maintainers may reference the contribution policy, but no code examination or feedback loop exists for external submissions. This preserves reviewer bandwidth for internal verification workflows.

How do I use my forked skills in practice?

Reference your fork's raw URLs or published package when running npx skills add. For example: npx skills add your-username/skills/skills/category/skill-name. The tool resolves skills from any accessible Git repository, not solely google/skills.

Are there plans to open contribution in the future?

The policy language uses "at this time," suggesting potential future changes, but no timelines or conditions are specified in CONTRIBUTING.md. Monitor the file for updates if this status matters to your planning.

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