Getting Started

Get Skillsmith up and running in your development environment in just a few minutes.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:

• An MCP-compatible AI assistant installed and configured
• Node.js 18+ (for npx commands)
• npm or a compatible package manager

Installation

There are two ways to use Skillsmith: as an MCP server (recommended) or via the CLI.

Option 1: MCP Server (Recommended)

The MCP server integrates with any MCP-compatible client, allowing you to search and install skills through natural language.

Add this to your MCP client configuration:

Add this MCP server to my settings.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "skillsmith": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@skillsmith/mcp-server"]
    }
  }
}

After adding the configuration to your ~/.claude/settings.json, restart your MCP client to load the Skillsmith server.

Option 2: CLI Installation

For command-line access, install the CLI globally:

npm install -g @skillsmith/cli

# Or use npx for one-off commands
npx @skillsmith/cli search testing

Verify Installation

MCP Server Verification

Ask your assistant to verify the Skillsmith server is running:

"List available MCP tools"
# You should see skillsmith tools like search, install, recommend

CLI Verification

Check the CLI is installed correctly:

skillsmith --version
# Output: @skillsmith/cli v1.x.x

skillsmith --help
# Shows available commands

API Key Configuration

The MCP server works out of the box without configuration, providing community-tier access (30 requests/minute). For higher rate limits and usage tracking on your account dashboard, configure your personal API key.

Get and Configure Your API Key

Option 1: CLI Login (Recommended — one command)

npm install -g @skillsmith/cli
skillsmith login

This opens www.skillsmith.app/account/cli-token in your browser. Generate a key, copy it, and paste it when prompted. The key is stored securely in your OS keyring (macOS Keychain, GNOME Keyring, Windows Credential Store).

For CI/headless environments, use SKILLSMITH_API_KEY as an environment variable instead.

Option 2: Manual Config File

1. Create a free account (GitHub OAuth)
2. Visit your CLI Token page to generate a key
3. Create ~/.skillsmith/config.json:

mkdir -p ~/.skillsmith && cat > ~/.skillsmith/config.json << 'EOF'
{
  "apiKey": "sk_live_your_key_here"
}
EOF

Option 3: MCP Client Settings (MCP server only)

Add the API key directly to your ~/.claude/settings.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "skillsmith": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@skillsmith/mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "SKILLSMITH_API_KEY": "sk_live_your_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Rate Limits by Tier

Rate limits are per-minute and reset automatically. See Pricing for full details.

Your First Skill Search

Using MCP

Simply ask your assistant to search for skills:

"Search for testing skills"
"Find verified skills for git workflows"
"Show me skills for React development"

Using the CLI

Search for skills from the command line:

# Search by keyword
skillsmith search testing

# Filter by trust tier
skillsmith search git --tier verified

# Filter by category
skillsmith search --category devops

Installing Your First Skill

Using MCP

"Install the jest-helper skill"
"Install community/git-commit"

Using the CLI

# Install by name
skillsmith install jest-helper

# Install by full ID
skillsmith install community/git-commit

Skills are installed to ~/.claude/skills/ by default.

Understanding Skill IDs

Skills are identified by their full ID in the format author/name:

Next Steps

• Configure API Key - Set up authentication for more requests
• CLI Reference - Learn all CLI commands
• MCP Server - Configure advanced server options
• API Reference - Build integrations with the Skillsmith API