Search, Install, and Manage Agent Skills for AI Coding Assistants
GitHub Copilot • Claude Code • Cursor • Windsurf • Cline
Features • Installation • Usage • Copilot Chat • Settings • Development
| Format | Description | IMPORTANT Prompt | Detailed Table | Compressed Index |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ✅ Full | Detailed table only (optimized) | ✅ | ✅ 200 chars | ❌ |
| 📦 Compact | Compressed index with IMPORTANT | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ 100 chars |
| 🕰️ Legacy | Simple table only (OLD) | ❌ | ✅ 200 chars | ❌ |
The full and compact formats include the IMPORTANT prompt that instructs agents to prioritize skill files:
> **IMPORTANT**: Prefer skill-led reasoning over pre-training-led reasoning.
> Read the relevant SKILL.md before working on tasks covered by these skills.<!-- skill-ninja-START -->
## Agent Skills
> **IMPORTANT**: Prefer skill-led reasoning over pre-training-led reasoning.
> Read the relevant SKILL.md before working on tasks covered by these skills.
### Skills
| Skill | Description |
| ------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------- |
| [docx](.github/skills/docx/SKILL.md) | Process Word documents (.docx). Use for .docx files |
| [pdf](.github/skills/pdf/SKILL.md) | PDF manipulation toolkit. Extract text, create PDFs |
<!-- skill-ninja-END -->Settings → Output Format → Select full, compact, or legacy
- Auto-detect SKILL.md files anywhere in workspace
- Automatically sync to instruction file (with
includeLocalSkillssetting) - Manual register / unregister commands
- Create new skill from template
- Search skills by keyword (local & GitHub)
- Multi-keyword Search - Scored by name, path, description relevance
- Parallel Fetch - Fast results with 50 concurrent requests
- Fallback Search - Auto-retry with fewer keywords if no results
- Search results with descriptions & category tags
- Star counts & organization badges
- Install / Preview / Favorite directly from search results
- One-click installation (default:
.github/skills/, configurable in settings) - Auto-update instruction file (AGENTS.md / copilot-instructions.md / CLAUDE.md)
- Table Format - Skills displayed in table with "When to Use" column
- Auto-extract "When to Use" - Extracted from SKILL.md
## When to Usesection - Edit Description - Right-click to customize skill description
- Uninstall functionality
- Reinstall All - Batch reinstall from latest source (with auto index update)
- Install Feedback - NEW badge, status bar notification, auto-select in tree view
- Open Folder - Quick access to installed skill folder
- Index Integrity Check - Auto-detect missing skills and prompt for index update
- Auto-detection of AI tools in workspace (Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, Claude Code, GitHub Copilot)
- Automatic format selection based on detected tool
- Manual override available in settings
- Supported output formats:
- Markdown (AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, copilot-instructions.md)
- Cursor Rules (.cursor/rules/)
- Windsurf Rules (.windsurfrules)
- Cline Rules (.clinerules)
@skillcommands for direct chat operations/search,/install,/list,/recommend- Project-based skill recommendations
- Automatically available as tools in Agent Mode
- 8 Tools:
#searchSkills,#installSkill,#uninstallSkill,#listSkills,#recommendSkills,#updateSkillIndex,#webSearchSkills,#addSkillSource - Trust badges (Official / Curated / Community)
- Auto-update instruction file on install
- Japanese / English UI (auto-detect + manual switch)
- Skill preview in Webview
- Favorites feature
ext install yamapan.agent-skill-ninja
Or search for "Agent Skills Ninja" in VS Code Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X)
- Download
.vsixfrom Releases - In VS Code:
Ctrl+Shift+P→Extensions: Install from VSIX... - Select the downloaded
.vsixfile
Preset index includes skills from official, curated, and community sources out of the box.
| Source | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| anthropics/skills | Official | Anthropic official Claude Skills |
| openai/skills | Official | OpenAI official Codex Skills (1.7k+) |
| github/awesome-copilot | Official | GitHub official Copilot resources |
| MicrosoftDocs/Agent-Skills | Official | Microsoft official Azure agent skills |
| ComposioHQ/awesome-claude-skills | Curated | Curated Claude Skills list |
| obra/superpowers | Community | High-quality skills & agents |
| muratcankoylan/Agent-Skills-for-Context-Engineering | Community | Context Engineering skills (5k+) |
| danielmiessler/Personal_AI_Infrastructure | Community | PAI Packs - Skills & Features |
| EveryInc/compound-engineering-plugin | Community | Compound Engineering (3.5k+) |
| Wirasm/PRPs-agentic-eng | Community | PRP (Prompt Recipe Patterns) |
| qdhenry/Claude-Command-Suite | Community | Claude commands & skills |
Use
Update Indexto refresh the latest skills and metadata from these sources.
- Click the spiral shuriken icon in the Activity Bar
- Workspace Skills - Installed & local skills list
- Installed skills (green icon) with source name
- Local skills (unregistered, yellow icon)
- Newly installed skills (temporary badge)
- Toolbar: Instruction File / Create / Refresh / Settings
- Menu: Reinstall All / Uninstall All / Multiple selection
- Open skill folder (right-click menu)
- Remote Skills - Browse skills by source
- Favorites section at top
- Sources sorted: Official → Curated → Community
- Shows installed status with green icons
- One-click install from list
| Icon | Meaning |
|---|---|
| check (green) | Installed skill |
| circle (yellow) | Local skill (not registered in instruction file) |
| NEW badge | Recently installed (temporary badge) |
| star-full (yellow) | Favorites section |
| verified (blue) | Official source (Anthropic, OpenAI, GitHub, Microsoft) |
| star (yellow) | Curated awesome-list |
| repo | Community repository |
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
Agent Skills Ninja: Search Skills |
Search and install skills |
Agent Skills Ninja: Update Index |
Update index from all sources |
Agent Skills Ninja: Search on GitHub |
Search skills on GitHub |
Agent Skills Ninja: Add Source Repository |
Add new source repository |
Agent Skills Ninja: Remove Source Repository |
Remove source repository |
Agent Skills Ninja: Uninstall Skill |
Uninstall a skill |
Agent Skills Ninja: Show Installed Skills |
Show installed skills |
Agent Skills Ninja: Create New Skill |
Create new local skill |
Agent Skills Ninja: Register Local Skill |
Register local skill to instruction file |
Agent Skills Ninja: Unregister Local Skill |
Unregister from instruction file |
Agent Skills Ninja: Reinstall All |
Reinstall all skills from latest source |
Agent Skills Ninja: Uninstall All |
Uninstall all skills (with confirmation) |
Agent Skills Ninja: Uninstall Multiple |
Select multiple skills to uninstall |
Agent Skills Ninja: Reinstall Multiple |
Select multiple skills to reinstall |
Agent Skills Ninja: Update Instruction |
Update instruction file manually |
Agent Skills Ninja: Open Skill Folder |
Open installed skill folder in OS |
1. Ctrl+Shift+P → "Agent Skills Ninja: Search Skills"
2. Enter keywords (e.g., "pdf", "azure", "git")
3. Select skill → Choose action (Install / Preview / Favorite / GitHub)
4. Done! Auto-registered in instruction file
| Example | Effect |
|---|---|
azure |
Keyword search |
azure devops |
Multiple keywords, ranked by relevance |
username keyword |
First word searched as username |
user:anthropics |
Explicit user search |
repo:owner/repo |
Repository search |
If no results found, keywords are automatically reduced and retried.
Use @skill in GitHub Copilot Chat for skill operations:
@skill /search MCP server # Search skills
@skill /install github-mcp # Install skill
@skill /list # List installed
@skill /recommend # Project-based recommendations
@skill what tools for Python? # Natural language search
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
/search <query> |
Search skills by keyword |
/install <name> |
Install a skill |
/list |
List installed skills |
/recommend |
Recommendations based on workspace |
Search results include install buttons for direct installation
In GitHub Copilot's Agent Mode, tools are automatically available.
| Tool Reference | Description |
|---|---|
#searchSkills |
Search skills by keyword |
#installSkill |
Install a skill |
#uninstallSkill |
Uninstall a skill |
#listSkills |
List installed skills |
#recommendSkills |
Get project-based recommendations |
#updateSkillIndex |
Update skill index |
#webSearchSkills |
Web search skills on GitHub |
#addSkillSource |
Add new skill source |
💬 "Find Azure-related skills"
→ #searchSkills automatically invoked, displays results
💬 "Install the bicep-mcp skill"
→ #installSkill installs, auto-updates instruction file
💬 "Search GitHub for MCP servers"
→ #webSearchSkills searches GitHub repositories
💬 "What skills would you recommend for this project?"
→ #recommendSkills analyzes workspace and recommends
- Trust Badges: Shows Official / Curated / Community
- Recommended Skills: Suggests best skills from search results
- Index Update Info: Shows last update date with warnings if outdated
- Settings Integration: Respects
autoUpdateInstruction/includeLocalSkills - Token Efficiency: Save conversation context by using MCP tools
If you don't need MCP tools, you can disable them from GitHub Copilot Chat:
- Copilot Chat panel → Settings → Tools
- Toggle off "Agent Skills Ninja" tools
| Order | Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | skillNinja.autoUpdateInstruction |
true |
Auto-update instruction file on install |
| 2 | skillNinja.instructionFile |
AGENTS.md |
Instruction file format (requires Auto Update) |
| 3 | skillNinja.customInstructionPath |
"" |
Custom path (only when 'custom' selected) |
| 4 | skillNinja.includeLocalSkills |
true |
Include local skills in instruction file |
| 5 | skillNinja.skillsDirectory |
.github/skills |
Directory to install skills |
| 6 | skillNinja.githubToken |
"" |
GitHub Token (for API rate limit) |
| 7 | skillNinja.language |
auto |
UI language (auto / en / ja) |
| 8 | skillNinja.outputFormat |
full |
Output format (full / compact / legacy) |
| 9 | skillNinja.enableToolDetection |
true |
Auto-detect AI tools in workspace |
Settings are displayed in the order above
| Format | Content | Best For |
|---|---|---|
full |
IMPORTANT + Detailed table only (200 chars) | Complete information (default) |
compact |
IMPORTANT + Compressed (100 chars) | Token-efficient prompts |
legacy |
Simple table only (no IMPORTANT) | Backward compatibility |
When autoUpdateInstruction is enabled:
- Install/Uninstall skill → Instruction file is automatically updated
- Local SKILL.md detected → Added to instruction file (if
includeLocalSkillsis true) - Register/Unregister command → Manual control for local skills
The instruction file contains a managed section with IMPORTANT prompt and Description column:
<!-- skill-ninja-START -->
## Agent Skills
> **IMPORTANT**: Prefer skill-led reasoning over pre-training-led reasoning.
> Read the relevant SKILL.md before working on tasks covered by these skills.
### Skills
| Skill | Description |
| ------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------ |
| [skill-name](.github/skills/skill-name/SKILL.md) | Description text \| When to use text |
<!-- skill-ninja-END -->Description column format: {description:80} | {whenToUse:80} (max 160 chars total)
| Value | File Path | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
AGENTS.md |
AGENTS.md (root) |
Recommended: General |
.github/copilot-instructions.md |
.github/copilot-instructions.md |
GitHub Copilot |
.github/instructions/SkillList.instructions.md |
.github/instructions/SkillList.instructions.md |
Copilot Instructions folder |
CLAUDE.md |
CLAUDE.md (root) |
Claude Code |
custom |
Any path (set in customInstructionPath) | Custom |
Important: GitHub Token is required for GitHub Search. Without it, API rate limits (60 requests/hour) will be exhausted quickly and searches will fail.
Set up a GitHub Token to enable full search functionality:
Find Agent Skills Ninja: GitHub Token in settings and enter your token:
{
"skillNinja.githubToken": "ghp_xxxxxxxxxxxx"
}👉 Create a GitHub Token (Required scopes: repo, read:org)
gh auth loginIf GitHub CLI is installed, the token is automatically retrieved (no configuration needed)
# Install dependencies
npm install
# Compile
npm run compile
# Build in watch mode
npm run watch
# Package
npm run package
# Lint
npm run lint- Press
F5in VS Code - Test the extension in a new VS Code window
- Run
Agent Skills Ninjacommands from Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P)
- Fork this repository
- Create a feature branch (
git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature) - Commit changes (
git commit -m 'Add amazing feature') - Push to branch (
git push origin feature/amazing-feature) - Open a Pull Request
- Free for non-commercial use, modification, and redistribution
- Commercial use requires permission
- Microsoft employees may use for work purposes
Use of this content for AI/ML training, data mining, or other analytical purposes is prohibited.
- anthropics/skills - Official Claude Skills
- github/awesome-copilot - Official Copilot Resources
- microsoft/skills - Upstream Microsoft Skills reference (not bundled in preset)
- MicrosoftDocs/Agent-Skills - Official Azure Agent Skills (bundled in preset)
- ComposioHQ/awesome-claude-skills - Curated Skills List
yamapan (https://github.com/aktsmm)
