Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about AI Skills Manager
What are Agent Skills?
Skills are reusable instruction sets that extend Claude Code's capabilities. They consist of a SKILL.md file with frontmatter metadata and markdown instructions that Claude follows when the skill is activated.
Does ASM support agents other than Claude Code?
Currently, ASM is focused on Claude Code Agent Skills. However, support for other agents is planned: VS Code/GitHub Copilot and OpenAI Codex are both on the roadmap. Follow those issues for updates.
Where are skills stored?
Skills can be stored in two locations: .claude/skills/ for project-specific skills, or ~/.claude/skills/ for personal skills that are available across all projects.
What's in a .skill package?
A .skill package is a ZIP archive containing the SKILL.md file and any supporting scripts. It excludes development artifacts like .git, node_modules, and editor files.
How does validation work?
ASM validates skills against the Agent Skills specification, checking for required fields, proper YAML frontmatter, valid name formats, and correct directory structure.
Is there CI/CD support?
Yes! The validate command supports --output json for machine-readable output and --quiet for pass/fail only. Exit codes are designed for pipeline integration.
What happens if an install fails?
ASM performs post-installation validation and automatically rolls back if the installed skill is invalid. Updates also create backups that can be restored if needed.
Can I preview changes before applying?
Yes! The install, update, and uninstall commands all support --dry-run to preview what would happen without making changes.
Is there an example project I can learn from?
Yes! Check out lwndev-agent-skills, a reference implementation showing how to develop and manage custom Agent Skills. It demonstrates the complete workflow including skill creation, building, and installation with working skills that form a feature development pipeline.
What happened to the agent template?
As of v1.8.0, the agent template type has been removed from asm scaffold. Skills and agents are distinct concepts in the Claude Code ecosystem — agent configuration belongs in .claude/agents/, not in skill files. The four remaining templates (basic, forked, with-hooks, internal) cover all skill use cases. If you have existing skills created with the agent template, they will continue to work, but the agent-only frontmatter fields (memory, model, etc.) are no longer validated.
How do I report bugs or contribute?
Visit the GitHub repository to report issues, request features, or contribute to the project.