Two-pane terminal layout
Displays project skills on the left and global skills on the right, with keyboard navigation between panes.
skillsui
skillsui is a keyboard-driven terminal UI for managing skills.sh skills across project and global scopes. Reads and writes skill folders and lockfiles on disk, with install, update, move, delete, and search built in.
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
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
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