Skills
ClaudeCursor
Intermediate
Skill Discovery: Claude vs Cursor
Where each tool looks for skills and how discovery differs
26 of 66
Discovery paths
Each tool scans different directories for skills:
Claude Code
~/.claude/skills/*/SKILL.md-- global user skills.claude/skills/*/SKILL.md-- project-level skills.agents/skills/*/SKILL.md-- shared convention
Cursor
~/.cursor/skills/*/SKILL.md-- global user skills.cursor/skills/*/SKILL.md-- project-level (via rules).agents/skills/*/SKILL.md-- shared convention
Cross-tool compatibility
The .agents/skills/ directory works with both tools. Use it for skills you want portable across Claude and Cursor.
Key differences
| Aspect | Claude Code | Cursor |
|---|---|---|
| Invocation | Reads SKILL.md on demand | Listed in agent skills panel |
| Triggers | Pattern-matched from skill description | Matched via skill metadata |
| Scope | Session-based | Persistent across sessions |
Recommendation
For maximum portability, always place skills in .agents/skills/. Add symlinks or copies to tool-specific directories only when the skill uses tool-specific features.