How to Find Documentation for a Specific Google Skill: 2 Proven Methods

Google Skills stores complete documentation for every skill in the skills/<category>/<skill-name>/SKILL.md file, with a machine-readable catalog at index.json for programmatic discovery.

The google/skills repository organizes learning resources as standalone, reusable skill modules. Each skill contains a primary SKILL.md file with workflow descriptions and usage details, plus supplemental materials in a references/ folder. This guide shows you exactly where to find Google Skill documentation using either manual browsing or automated catalog queries.

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Browse the Repository Tree for Manual Lookups

The simplest way to locate documentation is to navigate the folder hierarchy directly. Every skill lives under skills/<category>/<skill-name>/ with its main documentation in SKILL.md.

Directory Structure

skills/
├── cloud/
│   ├── cloud-run-basics/
│   │   ├── SKILL.md           # Primary documentation

│   │   ├── references/
│   │   │   └── commands.md    # Supplemental reference files

│   │   └── exercises/
│   └── ...
├── ads/
│   └── google-ads-api-quickstart/
│       └── SKILL.md
└── ...

Real Example: Cloud Run Basics

The Cloud Run Basics skill lives at skills/cloud/cloud-run-basics/SKILL.md. Access it directly:

# View raw markdown in terminal

curl -sS https://raw.githubusercontent.com/google/skills/main/skills/cloud/cloud-run-basics/SKILL.md | head -50

Or open in a browser:

open https://github.com/google/skills/blob/main/skills/cloud/cloud-run-basics/SKILL.md

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Query the Skill Catalog for Programmatic Discovery

For automated workflows, use the machine-readable catalog at index.json. This JSON file maps every skill name to its SKILL.md entrypoint, eliminating the need to guess category paths.

Fetch and Search the Catalog

# Download the full catalog (~75 KB)

curl -sS https://raw.githubusercontent.com/google/skills/main/index.json > skills-index.json

Find a Specific Skill's Entrypoint

# Query for "cloud-run-basics" documentation path

jq -r '.skills[] | select(.name=="cloud-run-basics") | .entrypoint' skills-index.json

Output:

skills/cloud/cloud-run-basics/SKILL.md

One-Liner: Resolve and Open Documentation

# Resolve skill name to URL and open

SKILL_NAME="google-ads-api-quickstart"
ENTRYPOINT=$(curl -sS https://raw.githubusercontent.com/google/skills/main/index.json \
  | jq -r ".skills[] | select(.name==\"$SKILL_NAME\") | .entrypoint")
open "https://github.com/google/skills/blob/main/$ENTRYPOINT"

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Key Files for Finding Google Skill Documentation

File	Location	Purpose
README.md	Repository root	Clickable overview of all published skills
index.json	Repository root	Machine-readable catalog: skill names → entrypoints
SKILL.md	skills/<category>/<skill-name>/	Primary documentation with workflows and examples
references/	skills/<category>/<skill-name>/references/	IAM roles, commands, Terraform snippets, and more
plugins/	plugins/<harness>/	Agent-specific bundles (Claude, Codex, etc.)

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Advanced: Direct Raw Content Access

Skip the GitHub UI entirely by fetching raw content from raw.githubusercontent.com:

# Load any SKILL.md directly without cloning

wget -qO- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/google/skills/main/skills/ads/google-ads-api-quickstart/SKILL.md | less

This method is ideal for:

• CI/CD pipelines that validate skill documentation
• Local indexing or search tools
• Offline reading with terminal markdown renderers

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Summary

• Manual discovery: Navigate to skills/<category>/<skill-name>/SKILL.md in the repository tree
• Programmatic discovery: Query index.json to resolve skill names to entrypoint paths
• Supplemental docs: Check the references/ subfolder for commands, IAM roles, and code snippets
• Authoritative source: All documentation lives in the google/skills repository with no external dependencies

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Frequently Asked Questions

What file contains the main documentation for a Google Skill?

The SKILL.md file contains the primary documentation. It sits at the root of each skill folder under skills/<category>/<skill-name>/ and includes the description, workflow, and usage instructions.

How do I find a skill's documentation without knowing its category?

Use the index.json catalog. This root-level JSON file maps every skill name to its entrypoint path. Query it with jq or any JSON parser to locate documentation programmatically without manually browsing categories.

What is in the references/ folder of a skill?

The references/ subfolder holds supplemental material linked from the main SKILL.md—common contents include shell commands, required IAM roles, Terraform configurations, and API reference snippets.

Can I access Google Skill documentation without cloning the repository?

Yes. Fetch any SKILL.md directly from raw.githubusercontent.com using curl or wget, or open the GitHub web interface using the path from index.json.

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