Cursor skills
How to use Skills in Cursor: where Cursor reads them, how they differ from Rules, and a curated list with authors. The same Skill runs in Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, and every other Agent skilld targets.
Agents
npx skilld run owner/repo/skillCursor reads Agent Skills from .cursor/skills, next to the Rules you may already keep in .cursor/rules. A Skill is a SKILL.md file with instructions the Agent loads when a task calls for it. skilld gives you a curated set of Skills, each written by a person in their own repository, and one command that puts a Skill in front of Cursor.
How Skills work in Cursor
- Project:
.cursor/skills/<skill>/SKILL.md - Global:
~/.cursor/skills/<skill>/SKILL.md
Cursor lists the Skills it found under Settings, then Rules. The Agent loads a Skill when your request matches the Skill description.
Install a Skill for Cursor
npx skilld install owner/repo/skill --agent cursorThe Skill lands in .cursor/skills. Add --global to install to ~/.cursor/skills instead. skilld detects the Agents in your project and on your machine. If it finds only one, omit --agent.
Restart Cursor after an install. The Skill then appears in Settings.
Run a Skill without installing it
npx skilld run owner/repo/skillskilld run prints the Skill and writes no file. Give the command to the Cursor Agent. It reads the Skill and follows it for this session. Nothing lands in your repository, and no lockfile changes.
Rules vs Skills
A Rule is always on, or attaches to files that match a glob. Cursor puts the whole Rule in context on every matching request.
A Skill loads on demand. Cursor keeps only the name and description in context. When a task matches, it reads the full SKILL.md and any supporting files.
- Use a Rule for a short standing instruction: a naming convention, a banned import.
- Use a Skill for a procedure with steps, examples, or reference files: a release checklist, a testing approach for one library.
Skills are portable. The same directory works in Claude Code, Codex, and the other Agents skilld targets. A .mdc Rule works in Cursor only.
Curated Skills for Cursor
Most Cursor readers build interfaces, so these Skills cover design and front-end polish. Skills here come from the curated registry; a person admitted each one.
This skill encodes Emil Kowalski's philosophy on UI polish, component design, animation decisions, and the invisible details that make software feel great.
Design engineering principles for making interfaces feel polished. Use when building UI components, reviewing frontend code, implementing animations, hover states, shadows, borders, typography, icons, micro-interactions, enter/exit animations, or any visual detail work. Supports quick and full review modes. Triggers on UI polish, design details, "make it feel better", "feels off", stagger animations, border radius, optical alignment, font smoothing, tabular numbers, image outlines, box shadows, icons, icon stroke weight, icon states, motion restraint.
Use when the user wants to design, redesign, shape, critique, audit, polish, simplify, harden, animate, or otherwise improve a frontend interface: websites, landing pages, dashboards, product UI, components, forms, settings, onboarding, empty states, and native iOS or Android screens. Handles UX review, hierarchy, layout, typography, color, motion, UX copy, accessibility, responsive behavior, edge cases, and capturing or documenting design systems (DESIGN.md, tokens). Also for making bland UI bolder, loud UI quieter, or ambitious visual effects. Not for backend-only or non-UI tasks.
Review UI code for Web Interface Guidelines compliance. Use when asked to "review my UI", "check accessibility", "audit design", "review UX", or "check my site against best practices".
Audit and fix animation performance issues including layout thrashing, compositor properties, scroll-linked motion, and blur effects. Use when animations stutter, transitions jank, or reviewing CSS/JS animation performance.
Audit and fix HTML accessibility issues including ARIA labels, keyboard navigation, focus management, color contrast, and form errors. Use when adding interactive controls, forms, dialogs, or reviewing WCAG compliance.
Anti-AI-slop design skill for greenfield pages, audits, redesigns, and design extraction from URLs or screenshots. Use when the user asks to build a new app or landing page, wants to redesign something, invokes Hallmark by name, or uses audit/redesign/study.
Manages shadcn components and projects — adding, searching, fixing, debugging, styling, and composing UI, including chat interfaces. Provides project context, component docs, and usage examples. Applies when working with shadcn/ui, component registries, presets, --preset codes, or any project with a components.json file. Also triggers for "shadcn init", "create an app with --preset", "switch to --preset", and for building a design system or applying a DESIGN.md or brand spec to shadcn/ui.
All 60 Skills in Design and interface work
Cursor can also search the registry itself, with the skilld Skill or the skilld MCP server. See the setup
Read before you run. A Skill is instructions for your Agent. Open the source file first. What skilld verifies, and what it never claims .