skilldb

skilldb

CLI, TypeScript SDK, and MCP Server for SkillDB — discover, install, and manage AI agent skills.

5,000+ expert skills across 327 packs for Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, and any MCP-compatible AI tool.

MCP Server (NEW in v0.4.0)

Connect SkillDB directly to your AI coding tool via the Model Context Protocol:

# Step 1: Install globally (one time)
npm install -g skilldb

# Step 2: Get your free API key at https://skilldb.dev/api-access

# Step 3: Add to Claude Code (with API key for full content)
claude mcp add skilldb -- skilldb-mcp --api-key sk_live_YOUR_KEY

⚠️ Without an API key, you can search and browse skills (metadata only). With a free API key, you get full skill content — the actual markdown instructions your agent uses. Get your key in 30 seconds at skilldb.dev/api-access.

Cursor — add to .cursor/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "skilldb": {
      "command": "skilldb-mcp"
    }
  }
}

Windsurf — add to mcp_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "skilldb": {
      "command": "skilldb-mcp",
      "args": ["--api-key", "sk_live_xxx"]
    }
  }
}

Once connected, your AI assistant can search and load skills natively. Just ask:

• "Search SkillDB for React performance patterns"
• "Load the code review skill"
• "What skills should I use for this project?"

5 tools exposed: skilldb_search, skilldb_get, skilldb_list, skilldb_suggest, skilldb_recommend

Quick Start (CLI)

# Search for skills (with inline preview)
npx skilldb search "code review"

# Install a skill pack
npx skilldb add software-skills

# Activate a smart profile (only loads what you need)
npx skilldb use frontend

# Or auto-detect from your project
npx skilldb use auto

Install

npm install -g skilldb

Or use npx skilldb without installing.

The Memory Problem (And How We Solve It)

Loading 500 skills into your agent's context is worse than loading the right 5. SkillDB uses a 3-layer architecture to manage this:

.skilldb/
├── skills/          ← Full cache (everything downloaded)
├── active/          ← Active profile (what your agent sees — 5-15 focused skills)
├── slim/            ← Compressed cheat sheets (10x smaller)
├── config.json      ← Profile + budget settings
└── manifest.json    ← What's installed

Your CLAUDE.md or .cursorrules points at .skilldb/active/, not the full cache. The agent gets focused, relevant skills — not noise.

CLI Commands

Core

skilldb init

Detect your IDE (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex CLI, OpenClaw), create .skilldb/, and add integration config.

skilldb init

skilldb search <query>

Search skills by keyword. Shows inline slim preview so you know what you're getting before downloading.

skilldb search "debugging"
skilldb search "api design" --category "Technology & Engineering"
skilldb search "testing" --limit 10

skilldb add <pack>

Download a skill pack to local cache. Idempotent — skips already-cached skills.

skilldb add software-skills
skilldb add autonomous-agent-skills
skilldb add vibe-coding-security-skills

skilldb get <id>

Download a single skill.

skilldb get software-skills/code-review

skilldb info <id>

Show metadata, slim summary, and full preview for a skill.

skilldb info software-skills/code-review

skilldb list

List available categories, packs, and skills.

skilldb list
skilldb list --category "Autonomous Agents"
skilldb list --pack software-skills

skilldb login

Save your API key for authenticated access.

skilldb login

Smart Loading

skilldb use <profile>

Activate a focused profile — only loads relevant skills into .skilldb/active/.

skilldb use frontend          # React, testing, web-polish, accessibility
skilldb use backend           # API design, databases, security, performance
skilldb use devops            # Kubernetes, Docker, CI/CD, monitoring
skilldb use security          # Trust audit, input validation, credentials
skilldb use data              # SQL, pipelines, analytics, visualization
skilldb use fullstack         # Frontend + backend combined
skilldb use ai-agent          # Autonomous agent meta-skills
skilldb use auto              # Auto-detect from your project files
skilldb use --list            # Show available profiles
skilldb use --current         # Show active profile
skilldb use none              # Deactivate (clear active/)

auto mode scans your package.json, file extensions, and imports to recommend the right profile.

skilldb budget

Set a maximum context budget so your agent doesn't get overloaded.

skilldb budget                # Show current usage
skilldb budget set 5000       # Max 5,000 lines
skilldb budget set 50k        # Max 50,000 tokens
skilldb budget optimize       # Re-rank and trim active skills to fit

skilldb slim

Generate compressed cheat-sheet versions of skills (~30 lines instead of 300).

skilldb slim                  # Slim all active skills
skilldb slim software-skills  # Slim a specific pack
skilldb slim --ratio 0.3      # Keep 30% of content

Management

skilldb update

Check for newer versions of installed skills and update them.

skilldb update                # Update everything
skilldb update software-skills  # Update one pack

skilldb remove

Uninstall skills from local cache.

skilldb remove software-skills/code-review    # Remove single skill
skilldb remove software-skills                # Remove entire pack
skilldb remove --unused                       # Remove skills not in active profile

skilldb doctor

Health check and audit of your skill setup.

skilldb doctor

Shows: outdated skills, unused skills, missing dependencies, budget status, coverage gaps.

skilldb stats

Local statistics dashboard.

skilldb stats

Shows: installed count, total lines, tokens, active profile, categories covered.

skilldb diff <id>

Compare your local (possibly customized) version with the latest remote.

skilldb diff software-skills/code-review
skilldb diff                  # Diff all installed

Sharing & Export

skilldb export

Export your setup for sharing or IDE integration.

skilldb export claude         # CLAUDE.md snippet with skill references
skilldb export cursor         # .cursorrules block
skilldb export profile        # Shareable .skilldb-profile.json
skilldb export inject <id>    # Print skill to stdout (for piping)

skilldb recommend

Scan your project and get personalized skill recommendations.

skilldb recommend             # Analyze project and suggest
skilldb recommend --install   # Auto-install recommendations

SDK Usage

import { createClient } from 'skilldb';

const db = createClient(); // auto-loads key from env/config

// Search with slim previews
const results = await db.search('code review');
for (const skill of results.skills) {
  console.log(skill.title);
  console.log(skill.slim); // Quick summary
}

// Get full skill content
const skill = await db.get('software-skills/code-review.md');
console.log(skill.content);

// List with filters
const listing = await db.list({ category: 'Autonomous Agents', limit: 10 });

Authentication

The SDK and CLI resolve your API key in order:

• SKILLDB_API_KEY environment variable (CI-friendly)
• .skilldbrc in project root (project-specific)
• ~/.skilldbrc in home directory (user-wide)

Browsing and searching works without authentication. Full skill content requires a Pro or Studio key.

Profiles

Built-in profiles map to curated skill sets:

Profile	Skills loaded	Best for
frontend	react-patterns, web-polish, testing, accessibility	React/Vue/Angular apps
backend	api-design, databases, security, performance	Node/Python/Go services
devops	kubernetes, docker, ci-cd, monitoring, cloud	Infrastructure & deployment
security	trust-audit, input-validation, credentials, hardening	Security review & hardening
data	sql, pipelines, analytics, visualization	Data engineering & analysis
fullstack	frontend + backend combined	Full-stack applications
ai-agent	autonomous-agent-skills, task-decomposition, planning	Building AI agents
auto	Detected from project	Any project

Requirements

• Node.js >= 18

License

MIT