skillsui icon

skillsui

skillsui is a keyboard-driven terminal UI for managing skills.sh skills across project and global scopes. It reads and writes skill folders and lockfiles on disk, with install, update, move, delete, and search workflows built in.

skillsui

Overview

skillsui is a terminal UI for managing skills.sh skills. It presents project and global skill scopes in two panes and is driven entirely by the keyboard.

The tool does not use a database or config file. Instead, it reads skill folders and CLI lockfiles from disk and writes changes back to those same files when you move, delete, update, fork, or install skills.

Key capabilities

Two-pane terminal layout

Displays project skills on the left and global skills on the right, with keyboard navigation between panes.

Disk-backed state

Reads skill folders and CLI lockfiles directly from disk, then persists actions back to the same files.

Skill management actions

Supports moving, deleting, updating, and forking skills, with batch selection for delete and update across both panes.

Built-in search and install flow

Searches skills.sh and lets you preview a skill before installing it into project or global scope.

Claude Code-friendly install path

Links installed skills into .claude/skills for Claude Code while keeping the canonical copy in .agents/skills.

Installer and updater

Provides release installation and self-update commands, including checksum verification for downloads.

Lockfile-aware status

Recognizes tracked, local, and hidden skills based on lockfile presence and missing folders on disk.

Common use cases

  • Repository-level skill management

    Manage project-scoped skills from within a repository root, with the project pane showing .agents/skills and its corresponding lockfile.

  • Global skill management

    Review and organize a global skills library in ~/.agents/skills, including entries stored under the XDG state location when configured.

  • Search-driven installation

    Search skills.sh, inspect the preview, and install a chosen skill into either project or global scope from the split modal.

  • Bulk maintenance

    Update or delete multiple tracked skills in one pass using batch selection, with confirmation and absolute-path safety for destructive actions.

  • Scope changes and local variants

    Move or fork a skill when you want to change its scope or create a local variant under a new name.

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Keyboard-first workflow with h/j/k/l navigation and action shortcuts.
  • No database or config file is required; state lives in the existing skill folders and lockfiles.
  • Supports both project and global skill scopes.
  • Can preview a skill before installing it.
  • Installer verifies downloads with SHA-256 and supports self-update.
  • Keeps canonical skills in .agents/skills and links them into .claude/skills for Claude Code.

Cons

  • The tool is centered on filesystem-based skill folders and lockfiles, so it is not a general-purpose UI for unrelated content types.
  • On home-directory runs, the project and global panes would be the same location, so the app shows only the global pane instead.

FAQ

What does skillsui manage?

It is a terminal UI for managing skills.sh skills. It reads skill folders and CLI lockfiles from disk and writes changes back to those same files, so the state stays local to the filesystem rather than in a database or config file.

Which platforms are supported?

The README says the release binaries cover macOS and glibc Linux on ARM64 and x64.

Is skillsui open source?

Yes. The project is open source on GitHub, and the repository home shows a public repo with a MIT license in the file listing.

How is it installed and updated?

The README describes installing by running the provided shell installer, which verifies a SHA-256 checksum and writes the binary to ~/.local/bin. It also supports updating with skillsui update.

Can it work with both project and global skill locations?

It is designed for project and global skill scopes. Running from a project root shows both panes; running from a home directory shows only the global pane because both scopes would otherwise point at the same folder.

Quick Facts

Category
Developer Tool
Source domain
github.com
Repository visibility
Public
License
MIT
Primary workflow
Terminal-based skill management for skills.sh
Supported release platforms
macOS and glibc Linux on ARM64 and x64
skillsui - AI Tool, Features, Use Cases & Alternatives | UStack