Skillmo

Linked skills for AI agents.

---

Skillmo adds skill repos to your project as git submodules inside .claude/skills/. Unlike copy-based tools, the link stays -- versioned, updatable, and trackable in git history.

The Problem

npx skills add copies files into your project. After that:

• No link back to the source repo
• No version pinning -- no record of what you copied
• No update path -- re-run overwrites blindly
• Drift is invisible across repos

Skillmo uses git submodules under the hood, giving you persistent links with friendly UX.

Quick Start

# Install globally
npm install -g skillmo

# Add a skill from GitHub
skillmo add myorg/security-rules

# Add pinned to a specific version
skillmo add myorg/base-context --ref v2.0.0

# See what's installed
skillmo status

# Update a skill to latest
skillmo update security-rules

# Remove a skill
skillmo remove security-rules

Or use without installing:

npx skillmo add myorg/security-rules

How It Works

When you run skillmo add myorg/repo, it:

1. Resolves myorg/repo to git@github.com:myorg/repo.git
2. Runs git submodule add into .claude/skills/repo
3. Claude Code reads the skill natively -- no compile step needed

The submodule reference is committed to your repo. Teammates get the skill when they clone. If they forget --recurse-submodules:

skillmo init

That initializes all skillmo-managed submodules.

Commands

Command	Description
skillmo init	Initialize all submodules (safety net for clones)
skillmo add <repo>	Add a skill from GitHub shorthand or full git URL
skillmo add <repo> --ref <tag>	Add pinned to a branch or tag
skillmo add <repo> --name <name>	Add with a custom directory name
skillmo remove <name>	Remove a skill and clean up the submodule
skillmo update [name]	Update one or all skills to latest
skillmo status	Show detailed info on all installed skills
skillmo list	Compact listing of installed skills

Repo Format

myorg/repo expands to git@github.com:myorg/repo.git.

Full URLs are also accepted:

skillmo add git@gitlab.com:myorg/rules.git
skillmo add https://github.com/myorg/rules.git

What a Skill Repo Looks Like

Any git repo with a SKILL.md works. Same format Claude Code already reads:

myorg/security-rules/
  SKILL.md
  README.md       # optional

---
name: security-rules
description: Organization security policies for AI agents
---

# Security Rules
- All secrets via environment variables, never hardcoded
- No curl piping to shell in scripts
- Always validate input at API boundaries

No special format. No build step. If it works as a Claude skill manually, it works with Skillmo.

vs. npx skills

Both tools install skills from GitHub repos. The difference is what happens after.

	npx skills add	npx skillmo add
Mechanism	Clone repo, copy files	git submodule add
After install	Files in your project, no link to source	Live git link to source repo
Version tracking	Content hash in skills-lock.json	Git submodule pinned to exact commit
Detect changes	Compare hash (did source change?)	git submodule status (am I behind?)
Update	Re-clone, overwrite files	git submodule update --remote (merge)
Update diff	No diff -- old files replaced	Full diff visible in git log and PRs
Git history	Skill changes invisible in repo history	Submodule pointer changes show in commits
Teammates	Get copied files on clone	Get skills on clone --recurse-submodules

Use npx skills when you want a quick, one-off install and don't need to track changes over time.

Use npx skillmo when you want skills that stay linked to their source -- updatable with diffs, visible in PRs, and trackable in git history. Especially useful for org-wide skills shared across many repos.

Why Not Just Use Submodules Directly?

You can. Skillmo just makes it pleasant:

• GitHub shorthand: skillmo add myorg/repo instead of git submodule add git@github.com:myorg/repo.git .claude/skills/repo
• Clean removal: skillmo remove name handles deinit, git rm, and .git/modules cleanup in one command
• Readable status: skillmo status shows skill names, versions, and URLs instead of raw SHA hashes
• Teammate safety net: skillmo init initializes submodules for people who forgot --recurse-submodules

Development

git clone https://github.com/jonzarecki/skillmo.git
cd skillmo
npm install
npm run build

# Run
npm test              # 18 tests
npm run lint          # eslint
npm run dev           # watch mode

# Demo
npm run demo          # interactive demo
npm run demo:record   # record demo video (requires VHS)

See ARCH.md for the full architecture.

Requirements

• Node.js >= 18
• Git >= 2.25

License

MIT