How to Install Generated Skills in Claude Code or Cursor: A Step-by-Step Guide

Copy the generated skill directory from the build output to your project's .claude/skills/ or .cursor/skills/ folder using the cp -r command documented in the Cangjie Skill templates.

The kangarooking/cangjie-skill repository is an open-source framework that generates structured skill packages for AI coding assistants. After the pipeline completes the delivery stage, you must manually install the generated skills into Claude Code or Cursor before they become available to the IDE's agent.

Where Generated Skills Are Located

When the build process finishes, each skill is packaged as a self-contained directory containing a SKILL.md descriptor and supporting assets. According to the methodology documentation in methodology/07-stage5-deliver.md, the delivery artifact is written to:

books/<book-slug>/<skill-slug>/

This folder structure represents the complete, installable skill unit. The SKILL.md file inside contains the skill's front-matter metadata, description, and operational instructions that Claude Code or Cursor parse to understand how to invoke the skill.

Installing Skills in Claude Code

Claude Code reads skills from a .claude/skills/ directory within your project root. The installation template in templates/INDEX.md.template specifies the exact copy command:

cp -r <skill-slug> <your-project>/.claude/skills/

Complete Installation Steps

1. Navigate to the generated skill directory
2. Execute the copy command with your actual project path
3. Verify the skill appears in Claude Code's skills panel

# Example: installing a skill named "principle-extractor"

cd books/my-book/
cp -r principle-extractor ~/my-project/.claude/skills/

# Verify installation

ls ~/my-project/.claude/skills/principle-extractor/

# Expected: SKILL.md and any supporting files

Installing Skills in Cursor

Cursor follows the same pattern but uses a .cursor/skills/ directory instead. The repository structure implies identical copy semantics:

cp -r <skill-slug> <your-project>/.cursor/skills/

Cursor Installation Example

# From the build output directory

cd books/my-book/
cp -r principle-extractor ~/my-project/.cursor/skills/

# Confirm the skill is recognized

ls ~/my-project/.cursor/skills/

Post-Installation Verification

After copying the skill folder, restart or reload your IDE to trigger skill indexing. The SKILL.md file inside your copied directory must contain valid front-matter with these required fields:

• name: The skill's display name
• description: What the skill does
• version: Semantic version string

Both Claude Code and Cursor parse this metadata to populate their skill discovery interfaces. If the skill does not appear, check that SKILL.md exists and contains properly formatted YAML front-matter delimited by --- markers.

Key Source Files and Their Roles

File Path	Purpose
templates/INDEX.md.template	Contains the canonical cp -r installation command referenced throughout the documentation
methodology/07-stage5-deliver.md	Defines the delivery stage where generated skills become installable artifacts
SKILL.md (generated)	The mandatory skill descriptor that both IDEs parse for metadata and behavior
README.md	Overview of the full pipeline including the manual installation requirement

Summary

• Generated skills live in books/<book-slug>/<skill-slug>/ after the delivery stage completes
• Claude Code: Copy to <project>/.claude/skills/ using cp -r
• Cursor: Copy to <project>/.cursor/skills/ using cp -r
• The SKILL.md file must be present in the copied directory for proper IDE recognition
• Restart the IDE after installation to trigger skill indexing

Frequently Asked Questions

Why doesn't the skill appear immediately after copying?

Both Claude Code and Cursor cache their skill manifests at startup. After copying the skill directory, restart the IDE or use the reload skills command in the IDE's command palette to force a re-scan of the .claude/skills/ or .cursor/skills/ directories.

Can I install multiple skills at once?

Yes. Copy each skill directory individually, or copy an entire parent directory containing multiple skills. The cp -r command works recursively, so cp -r books/my-book/*/ ~/my-project/.claude/skills/ installs all skills from that book simultaneously.

What happens if I modify the skill after installation?

Skills are read at IDE startup or during explicit reload operations. Changes to SKILL.md or supporting files in the installed directory take effect only after the next reload. For development workflows, consider symlinking the skill directory instead of copying to avoid repeated copy operations.

Does the skill folder structure matter?

The folder name must match the name field in SKILL.md for reliable detection. Nested asset directories are supported and referenced relatively from SKILL.md. Do not flatten the directory structure when copying—preserve all subdirectories and files exactly as generated.

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