What Are Skills in Cursor?

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Introduction

Cursor is an AI-powered code editor designed to help developers write, understand, and maintain software more efficiently. One of its most powerful customization features is skills.

Skills allow developers to teach the Cursor agent how to perform specific workflows. Instead of explaining a process every time in chat, you can define the instructions once and reuse them whenever needed.

This makes skills a practical way to automate common development tasks.

What Skills Are

A skill in Cursor is a reusable set of instructions that describes how to complete a particular workflow. These instructions are stored in a markdown file and can be invoked by the agent when relevant.

Skills are typically used for tasks that involve multiple steps or require consistent execution.

Examples include:

• running test suites
• deploying applications
• generating unit tests
• reviewing code changes
• performing dependency audits

By defining these workflows as skills, developers can reduce repetitive prompts and maintain consistent processes across projects.

How Skills Work

When Cursor starts, it scans specific directories for skill files. For a concise overview of directories and invocation, see how skills work. Any skill that it discovers becomes available to the agent.

The agent can then use these skills in two ways:

1. Automatically when it determines a skill is relevant to a task.
2. Manually when the user invokes the skill in chat.

This allows skills to function as reusable building blocks for more advanced workflows.

Where Skills Are Stored

Skills are organized in directories that Cursor scans when the editor launches.

Common skill locations include:

.agents/skills/
.cursor/skills/
~/.cursor/skills/

These directories allow skills to exist at different scopes:

• project-level skills that apply to a specific repository
• global skills available across all projects

Cursor also supports compatibility with other AI tools by loading skills from additional directories:

.claude/skills/
.codex/skills/
~/.claude/skills/
~/.codex/skills/

Skill File Structure

Each skill is stored in its own folder containing a SKILL.md file.

Example structure:

.cursor/
└── skills/
    └── write-tests/
        └── SKILL.md

The SKILL.md file contains the instructions that guide the agent through the workflow.

Example skill:

# Write Unit Tests

1. Identify the function or component to test.
2. Generate unit tests using the project's testing framework.
3. Include edge cases and error handling.
4. Ensure tests follow the project's naming conventions.

Skills can also include additional resources such as scripts or templates if the workflow requires them.

Invoking a Skill

Once a skill is available, it can be used directly in the agent chat.

To run a skill, type a slash followed by the skill name:

/write-tests

The agent reads the instructions from the skill file and follows the defined steps.

You can also attach a skill as context using the @ symbol:

@write-tests

This gives the agent access to the instructions without immediately executing the workflow.

Skills vs Rules

Cursor provides both rules and skills to customize how the agent behaves.

Rules are short guidelines that apply automatically during conversations. They are typically used for coding standards or preferences.

Skills, on the other hand, define detailed procedures for completing tasks. They are invoked when needed rather than applied to every interaction.

For example:

Rule example:

Use TypeScript for all new files.

Skill example:

Deploy the application:
1. Run tests
2. Build the production bundle
3. Deploy to staging
4. Verify health checks

Rules guide behavior, while skills define workflows.

Creating a Skill

Cursor provides a built-in command that helps developers create skills quickly. For a full step-by-step guide, see creating skills in Cursor.

In the agent chat, type:

/create-skill

The agent will guide you through defining the name, purpose, and structure of the skill.

You can also create skills manually by adding a SKILL.md file inside the .cursor/skills/ directory.

Benefits of Using Skills

Skills provide several advantages for developers and teams:

• reusable workflows
• consistent processes across projects
• reduced prompt repetition
• improved collaboration
• easier onboarding for new developers

By storing workflows as skills, teams can build libraries of common tasks that every developer can use.

Conclusion

Skills transform Cursor from a simple AI assistant into a customizable development partner. To see why they matter for teams, read why we need skills in Cursor; to explore examples, check out best skills in Cursor. By encoding workflows into reusable instructions, developers can extend the agent with domain-specific knowledge and automate complex tasks.

As AI-assisted development tools continue to evolve, skills are becoming an important way to standardize and share development processes across teams and projects.