# How to Clone the patent-disclosure-skill Repository for Cursor: Complete Setup Guide

> Easily clone the patent-disclosure-skill repository for Cursor with this setup guide. Learn to integrate the skill for global or project-local access and restart Cursor to enable it.

- Repository: [handsomestWei/patent-disclosure-skill](https://github.com/handsomestWei/patent-disclosure-skill)
- Tags: how-to-guide
- Published: 2026-09-01

---

**Clone the patent-disclosure-skill repository into `~/.cursor/skills/` for global access or `.cursor/skills/` for project-local use, then restart Cursor to auto-discover the skill via the [`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/handsomestWei/patent-disclosure-skill/blob/main/SKILL.md) entry point.**

The `handsomestWei/patent-disclosure-skill` repository implements the **Agent Skills** protocol that Cursor recognizes automatically when placed in the correct directory structure. This guide shows you exactly how to clone the patent-disclosure-skill repository for Cursor and verify it registers properly, covering both global and project-local installation patterns.

## Understanding Cursor Skill Discovery

Cursor scans specific directory conventions to discover skills. According to the repository's [`INSTALL.md`](https://github.com/handsomestWei/patent-disclosure-skill/blob/main/INSTALL.md), the location determines whether the skill is available globally or restricted to a single workspace.

### Global vs Project-Local Installation

- **Global scope**: Place the repository in `~/.cursor/skills/patent-disclosure-skill/`. Cursor scans this path on startup and registers any folder containing a top-level [`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/handsomestWei/patent-disclosure-skill/blob/main/SKILL.md).
- **Project-local scope**: Place it in `<project-root>/.cursor/skills/patent-disclosure-skill/`. Cursor treats any [`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/handsomestWei/patent-disclosure-skill/blob/main/SKILL.md) inside a `.cursor/skills/` subfolder as a workspace-specific skill when you open that folder.
- **Direct open**: Open the repository root itself as the workspace, provided the environment variable `CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR` points to that directory.

## Cloning the Repository

Choose your installation scope based on whether you need the skill available across all projects or just one workspace.

### Global Installation (Linux/macOS)

Create the skills directory and clone directly into the target location:

```bash
mkdir -p ~/.cursor/skills
git clone https://github.com/handsomestWei/patent-disclosure-skill.git ~/.cursor/skills/patent-disclosure-skill

```

### Global Installation (Windows PowerShell)

Use the `$env:USERPROFILE` variable to ensure the correct home directory:

```powershell
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path "$env:USERPROFILE\.cursor\skills"
git clone https://github.com/handsomestWei/patent-disclosure-skill.git "$env:USERPROFILE\.cursor\skills\patent-disclosure-skill"

```

### Project-Local Installation

For workspace-specific use, clone into the current project's `.cursor` directory:

```bash
mkdir -p .cursor/skills
git clone https://github.com/handsomestWei/patent-disclosure-skill.git .cursor/skills/patent-disclosure-skill

```

After cloning into any location, **restart Cursor** or reload the workspace window. The skill appears under the **Skills** panel and becomes invokable via the `/` command menu (e.g., `/patent-disclosure-skill`).

## Verifying the Installation

Confirm Cursor successfully registered the skill by checking the settings:

1. Open **Settings → Rules** in Cursor.
2. Look for `patent-disclosure-skill` under **Detected skills**.
3. If present, the routing logic in [`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/handsomestWei/patent-disclosure-skill/blob/main/SKILL.md) is active and the skill is ready for use.

## Repository Architecture Overview

Understanding the file structure helps you navigate the skill's capabilities after installation. The repository divides into three logical layers:

### SKILL.md Entry Point

The [`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/handsomestWei/patent-disclosure-skill/blob/main/SKILL.md) file at the repository root serves as the minimal router. It declares the skill name, version, and entry points that Cursor uses to map user commands to prompt files.

### Prompts Directory Structure

The `prompts/` folder contains human-readable instruction sets organized by workflow:
- `prompts/disclosure/` – Invention disclosure intake and prior art search flows.
- `prompts/reader/` – Plain-language patent reading modes.
- `prompts/evolution/` – Policy sniffing and skill evolution workflows.
- `prompts/oa/` – Office Action assistance prompts.

For example, [`prompts/disclosure/intake.md`](https://github.com/handsomestWei/patent-disclosure-skill/blob/main/prompts/disclosure/intake.md) defines the first step for gathering project context and determining patent type.

### Tools and Utilities

The `tools/` directory implements the heavy lifting through Python scripts:
- [`tools/shared/browser.py`](https://github.com/handsomestWei/patent-disclosure-skill/blob/main/tools/shared/browser.py) – Playwright wrapper for headless Chrome/Edge operations.
- [`tools/shared/mermaid_render.py`](https://github.com/handsomestWei/patent-disclosure-skill/blob/main/tools/shared/mermaid_render.py) – Generates PNG/SVG from Mermaid diagrams.
- [`tools/patent_reader/extract/fetch_patent_pdf.py`](https://github.com/handsomestWei/patent-disclosure-skill/blob/main/tools/patent_reader/extract/fetch_patent_pdf.py) – Downloads or reads patent PDFs and extracts raw pages.
- [`tools/crawl/cnipa_epub_search.py`](https://github.com/handsomestWei/patent-disclosure-skill/blob/main/tools/crawl/cnipa_epub_search.py) – Performs CNIPA EPUB prior-art searches.
- [`tools/oa/ingest_case.py`](https://github.com/handsomestWei/patent-disclosure-skill/blob/main/tools/oa/ingest_case.py) and [`tools/oa/search_cases.py`](https://github.com/handsomestWei/patent-disclosure-skill/blob/main/tools/oa/search_cases.py) – Handle Office Action case ingestion and vector-based similarity search.

## Practical Usage Examples

Once you clone the patent-disclosure-skill repository for Cursor, you can invoke workflows through the UI or command line.

### Running Disclosure Workflows

Navigate to the skill directory and install dependencies:

```bash
cd ~/.cursor/skills/patent-disclosure-skill
pip install -r requirements.txt

```

Verify the browser automation layer:

```bash
python tools/shared/browser.py --probe

# Expected output: ok=true

```

Trigger the invention disclosure intake via the Cursor command palette (`Ctrl+Space`), type `/patent-disclosure-skill`, and select the disclosure workflow. Cursor executes the prompts in `prompts/disclosure/` sequentially, including the prior-art search step that invokes [`tools/crawl/cnipa_epub_search.py`](https://github.com/handsomestWei/patent-disclosure-skill/blob/main/tools/crawl/cnipa_epub_search.py).

### Patent PDF Extraction

To extract a patent and import it into Obsidian:

```bash
export PATENT_READER_OBSIDIAN_VAULT="$HOME/ObsidianVault"
python tools/patent_reader/extract/fetch_patent_pdf.py \
  --pub CN1234567A \
  -o tmp/patent_reader/RUN

python tools/patent_reader/vault/write_patent_obsidian_note.py \
  --input tmp/patent_reader/RUN \
  --vault "$PATENT_READER_OBSIDIAN_VAULT"

```

## Summary

- Clone into `~/.cursor/skills/` for global availability or `.cursor/skills/` for project-local use.
- Restart Cursor after cloning to trigger automatic discovery via [`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/handsomestWei/patent-disclosure-skill/blob/main/SKILL.md).
- Verify registration in **Settings → Rules** under Detected skills.
- The repository structure splits into [`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/handsomestWei/patent-disclosure-skill/blob/main/SKILL.md) (router), `prompts/` (workflows), and `tools/` (Python automation).
- Key utilities include [`browser.py`](https://github.com/handsomestWei/patent-disclosure-skill/blob/main/browser.py) for web automation and [`fetch_patent_pdf.py`](https://github.com/handsomestWei/patent-disclosure-skill/blob/main/fetch_patent_pdf.py) for document extraction.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Where does Cursor look for skills?

Cursor scans `~/.cursor/skills/` for global skills and `<workspace>/.cursor/skills/` for project-local skills. It recognizes any directory containing a [`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/handsomestWei/patent-disclosure-skill/blob/main/SKILL.md) file at its root.

### Can I use this skill on Windows?

Yes. Use the PowerShell commands provided in the repository's [`INSTALL.md`](https://github.com/handsomestWei/patent-disclosure-skill/blob/main/INSTALL.md) to create the directory structure under `$env:USERPROFILE\.cursor\skills\` and clone the repository there.

### What is the purpose of the [`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/handsomestWei/patent-disclosure-skill/blob/main/SKILL.md) file?

[`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/handsomestWei/patent-disclosure-skill/blob/main/SKILL.md) acts as the entry point that Cursor reads to register the skill. It declares the skill name, version, and routing logic that maps slash commands (like `/patent-disclosure-skill`) to specific prompt files in the `prompts/` directory.

### How do I trigger the patent reader functionality?

After cloning, set the `PATENT_READER_OBSIDIAN_VAULT` environment variable to your vault path, then run `python tools/patent_reader/extract/fetch_patent_pdf.py` with the publication number. Alternatively, invoke it through Cursor's UI by typing `/patent-disclosure-skill` and selecting the reader mode.