Install and use Skills in Cursor

Install into the shared local directory

npx --yes https://howai.build/cli/howai-cli-0.1.5.tgz install cobalt-system-deck --api https://howai.build

Node.js 22 or newer is required for HowAI CLI. The output reports the installed version and path. Public packages can be installed anonymously; restricted ones need HowAI authorization.

~/.agents/skills/cobalt-system-deck/SKILL.md

Check discovery and the name

Open Customize → Skills in Cursor to inspect discovered Skills. If the package does not appear, reload or start a new chat after checking its folder. Keep SKILL.md and its supporting files together.

Check the name and description in the file's frontmatter. Cursor expects a valid Skill name and description, with the name matching its directory. A malformed header or unexpected extra folder can hide an otherwise complete package.

---
name: project-update
description: Prepare a project update from a supplied brief and evidence.
---

# Project update
Read the brief, identify missing inputs, then follow the documented procedure.

Choose the Skill before judging its output

Select it in the available-Skills UI, or use the supported /skill-name invocation. Start with a short brief and verify that Cursor loaded the intended instructions. Then inspect the files it actually created, including any placeholders or missing evidence.

Prepare cloud and project environments separately

Cursor's local shared directory does not automatically transfer to Cloud Agents. For cloud use, follow the current official sync setup for ~/.cursor/skills, or use reviewed project Skills available in the repository. Only distribute files you are permitted to share.

npx --yes https://howai.build/cli/howai-cli-0.1.5.tgz install cobalt-system-deck --api https://howai.build --target "$PWD/.cursor/skills"

Use --target without --agent. A repository copy supplies instructions and files, not environment secrets or every runtime dependency.

Rules and Skills serve different scopes

Keep ongoing project conventions in your rules or project instructions. Put the reusable task procedure in the Skill. If several Skills overlap, select one explicitly while testing and reduce ambiguous descriptions in packages you maintain.

Use HowAI list and update with the same target as installation. If you copied a ZIP by hand, maintain that copy manually rather than asking the CLI to take over an unmanaged folder.

FAQ

Official references

• Cursor: Agent Skills