> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.portkey.ai/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Skills Registry
> Create versioned, team-shared skills in Portkey and sync them to Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, and more with one command.
Agent Skills is available on all Portkey [plans](https://portkey.ai/pricing). The sync CLI requires Node.js 18+.
[Agent Skills](https://agentskills.io) are the standard for giving AI coding assistants domain-specific knowledge. A skill is a `SKILL.md` file that tells your agent how your team works — coding standards, review checklists, security patterns, API conventions.
Portkey is a skills registry for your team. Create and version skills in Prompt Engineering Studio, sync them to any agent with one command. When you publish an update, every engineer gets it on their next sync.
***
## How it works
Skills in Portkey are stored as versioned, team-shared assets. The sync CLI pulls them down and writes them to the correct directory for each agent automatically:
| Agent | Skills directory |
| -------------- | ------------------- |
| Claude Code | `.claude/skills/` |
| Cursor | `.cursor/skills/` |
| Codex | `.codex/skills/` |
| OpenCode | `.opencode/skills/` |
| GitHub Copilot | `.github/skills/` |
No additional configuration needed — the agent discovers `SKILL.md` files and uses the `description` field to decide when to activate each skill.
***
## Quick start
Using Claude Code or Codex? The [Portkey CLI](/guides/coding-agents/agent-cli) sets up gateway routing, MCP servers, and skills in one command:
```bash theme={"system"}
npx portkey
```
### Step 1: Create a skill in Portkey
In [Prompt Engineering Studio](https://app.portkey.ai/prompts), create a new Partial. Skills are stored as Prompt Partials with a YAML frontmatter block:
```markdown theme={"system"}
---
name: code-reviewer
description: Expert code review assistant. Use when reviewing code, identifying bugs, or suggesting improvements.
---
# Code Review Expert
Your instructions here...
```
The `name` field becomes the directory name on disk (`code-reviewer/SKILL.md`). The `description` tells the agent when to activate the skill.
### Step 2: Sync to your machine
```bash theme={"system"}
PORTKEY_API_KEY=your-key npx portkey skills sync
```
Full CLI reference — gateway routing, MCP, and all options
***
## Authoring skills
### The SKILL.md format
Every skill must start with YAML frontmatter containing `name` and `description`:
```markdown theme={"system"}
---
name: your-skill-name
description: What this skill does and when the agent should use it. Be specific — the agent reads this to decide when to activate the skill.
---
# Skill Title
Your instructions here...
```
**`name`** — lowercase, hyphens only, max 64 characters. Becomes the directory name on disk.
**`description`** — tells the agent when to activate this skill. Write it like a trigger condition: *"Use when reviewing Python code, or when the user asks about code quality, performance, or testing."*
## Versioning
Skills follow the same versioning workflow as all Portkey Prompt Partials:
1. **Edit** — make changes in the partial editor
2. **Save** — creates a new draft version (doesn't affect what's published)
3. **Publish** — promotes a version to production; everyone who syncs next gets it
### Rolling back
If a new version causes issues:
1. Open the skill in Portkey → Version History
2. Select the previous version → **Publish**
3. Team re-runs `sync` → rolled back immediately
***
## Using skills in agents
After syncing, skills are written to the agent's skills directory and discovered automatically at session start.
**Claude Code** reads from `.claude/skills/` — skills are available immediately in your next Claude Code session.
**Cursor** reads from `.cursor/skills/` — skills appear as active context in Cursor's rule system.
**Codex** reads from `.codex/skills/` — skills are loaded when Codex starts a session in the project.
## Next steps
Gateway routing, MCP, and skills for Claude Code
Add skills to Cursor's rule system
Load skills into Codex sessions
Cline, Roo Code, Goose, opencode, and more