migrate-to-skills · diff
git:20260208.38fcbda to git:20260923.cf348bd
18 added, 27 removed. Audit A to A.
---
name: migrate-to-skills
description: Convert 'Applied intelligently' Cursor rules (.cursor/rules/*.mdc) and slash commands (.cursor/commands/*.md) to Agent Skills format (.cursor/skills/). Use when the user wants to migrate rules or commands to skills, convert .mdc rules to SKILL.md format, or consolidate commands into the skills directory.
disable-model-invocation: true
+ effort: low
---
# Migrate Rules and Slash Commands to Skills
Convert Cursor rules ("Applied intelligently") and slash commands to Agent Skills format.
- **CRITICAL: Preserve the exact body content. Do not modify, reformat, or "improve" it - copy verbatim.**
+ Copy each body verbatim — byte for byte, whitespace and typos included. The content is the user's, and an exact copy is what makes the migration reversible.
## Locations
| Level | Source | Destination |
|-------|--------|-------------|
| Project | `{workspaceFolder}/**/.cursor/rules/*.mdc`, `{workspaceFolder}/.cursor/commands/*.md` |
| User | `~/.cursor/commands/*.md` |
Notes:
- - Cursor rules inside the project can live in nested directories. Be thorough in your search and use glob patterns to find them.
+ - Cursor rules inside the project can live in nested directories; glob `**/.cursor/rules/*.mdc` from the workspace root so none are missed.
- Ignore anything in ~/.cursor/worktrees
- Ignore anything in ~/.cursor/skills-cursor. This is reserved for Cursor's internal built-in skills and is managed automatically by the system.
## Finding Files to Migrate
**Rules**: Migrate if rule has a `description` but NO `globs` and NO `alwaysApply: true`.
**Commands**: Migrate all - they're plain markdown without frontmatter.
## Conversion Format
### Rules: .mdc → SKILL.md
```markdown
# Before: .cursor/rules/my-rule.mdc
---
description: What this rule does
globs:
alwaysApply: false
---
# Title
Body content...
```
```markdown
# After: .cursor/skills/my-rule/SKILL.md
---
name: my-rule
description: What this rule does
---
# Title
Body content...
```
Changes: Add `name` field, remove `globs`/`alwaysApply`, keep body exactly.
### Commands: .md → SKILL.md
```markdown
# Before: .cursor/commands/commit.md
# Commit current work
Instructions here...
```
```markdown
# After: .cursor/skills/commit/SKILL.md
---
name: commit
description: Commit current work with standardized message format
disable-model-invocation: true
---
# Commit current work
Instructions here...
```
Changes: Add frontmatter with `name` (from filename), `description` (infer from content), and `disable-model-invocation: true`, keep body exactly.
- **Note:** The `disable-model-invocation: true` field prevents the model from automatically invoking this skill. Slash commands are designed to be explicitly triggered by the user via the `/` menu, not automatically suggested by the model.
+ **Note:** `disable-model-invocation: true` keeps the model from invoking the skill on its own and keeps its description out of the always-on skill roster that every request pays for. Slash commands are user-triggered from the `/` menu, so migrated commands carry it.
## Notes
- `name` must be lowercase with hyphens only
- `description` is critical for skill discovery
- - Optionally delete originals after verifying migration works
+ - The workflow below deletes originals after the skill file is written; the user can ask to undo, which restores them
### Migrate a Rule (.mdc → SKILL.md)
1. Read the rule file
2. Extract the `description` from the frontmatter
3. Extract the body content (everything after the closing `---` of the frontmatter)
4. Create the skill directory: `.cursor/skills/{skill-name}/` (skill name = filename without .mdc)
5. Write `SKILL.md` with new frontmatter (`name` and `description`) + the EXACT original body content (preserve all whitespace, formatting, code blocks verbatim)
6. Delete the original rule file
### Migrate a Command (.md → SKILL.md)
1. Read the command file
2. Extract description from the first heading (remove `#` prefix)
3. Create the skill directory: `.cursor/skills/{skill-name}/` (skill name = filename without .md)
4. Write `SKILL.md` with new frontmatter (`name`, `description`, and `disable-model-invocation: true`) + blank line + the EXACT original file content (preserve all whitespace, formatting, code blocks verbatim)
5. Delete the original command file
- **CRITICAL: Copy the body content character-for-character. Do not reformat, fix typos, or "improve" anything.**
-
## Workflow
- If you have the Task tool available:
- DO NOT start to read all of the files yourself. That function should be delegated to the subagents. Your job is to dispatch the subagents for each category of files and wait for the results.
-
- 1. [ ] Create the skills directories if they don't exist (`.cursor/skills/` for project, `~/.cursor/skills/` for user)
- 2. Dispatch three fast general purpose subagents (NOT explore) in parallel to do the following steps for project rules (pattern: `{workspaceFolder}/**/.cursor/rules/*.mdc`), user commands (pattern: `~/.cursor/commands/*.md`), and project commands (pattern: `{workspaceFolder}/**/.cursor/commands/*.md`):
- I. [ ] Find files to migrate in the given pattern
- II. [ ] For rules, check if it's an "applied intelligently" rule (has `description`, no `globs`, no `alwaysApply: true`). Commands are always migrated. DO NOT use the terminal to read files. Use the read tool.
- III. [ ] Make a list of files to migrate. If empty, done.
- IV. [ ] For each file, read it, then write the new skill file preserving the body content EXACTLY. DO NOT use the terminal to write these files. Use the edit tool.
- V. [ ] Delete the original file. DO NOT use the terminal to delete these files. Use the delete tool.
- VI. [ ] Return a list of all the skill files that were migrated along with the original file paths.
- 3. [ ] Wait for all subagents to complete and summarize the results to the user. IMPORTANT: Make sure to let them know if they want to undo the migration, to ask you to.
- 4. [ ] If the user asks you to undo the migration, do the opposite of the above steps to restore the original files.
+ Use the read, edit, and delete tools for these files rather than the terminal: they preserve bytes exactly and keep every change undoable.
+ If you have the Task tool available, delegate the file work so the main context stays free of file contents. Dispatch three general-purpose subagents in parallel (not Explore — it is read-only), one each for project rules (`{workspaceFolder}/**/.cursor/rules/*.mdc`), user commands (`~/.cursor/commands/*.md`), and project commands (`{workspaceFolder}/**/.cursor/commands/*.md`). The work is mechanical; low effort is enough. Each subagent:
+ I. [ ] Finds files to migrate in its pattern
+ II. [ ] For rules, keeps only "applied intelligently" rules (has `description`, no `globs`, no `alwaysApply: true`). Commands are always migrated.
+ III. [ ] Lists the files to migrate. If empty, done.
+ IV. [ ] For each file, reads it, then writes the new skill file with the body verbatim.
+ V. [ ] Deletes the original file.
+ VI. [ ] Returns the migrated skill paths with their original paths.
- If you don't have the Task tool available:
1. [ ] Create the skills directories if they don't exist (`.cursor/skills/` for project, `~/.cursor/skills/` for user)
- 2. [ ] Find files to migrate in both project (`.cursor/`) and user (`~/.cursor/`) directories
- 3. [ ] For rules, check if it's an "applied intelligently" rule (has `description`, no `globs`, no `alwaysApply: true`). Commands are always migrated. DO NOT use the terminal to read files. Use the read tool.
- 4. [ ] Make a list of files to migrate. If empty, done.
- 5. [ ] For each file, read it, then write the new skill file preserving the body content EXACTLY. DO NOT use the terminal to write these files. Use the edit tool.
- 6. [ ] Delete the original file. DO NOT use the terminal to delete these files. Use the delete tool.
- 7. [ ] Summarize the results to the user. IMPORTANT: Make sure to let them know if they want to undo the migration, to ask you to.
- 8. [ ] If the user asks you to undo the migration, do the opposite of the above steps to restore the original files.
+ 2. [ ] Dispatch the subagents and wait for all of them
+ 3. [ ] Summarize the results and tell the user they can ask you to undo the migration
+ 4. [ ] If asked to undo, reverse the steps to restore the original files
+
+ If you don't have the Task tool available, do I–V yourself across both project (`.cursor/`) and user (`~/.cursor/`) directories, then steps 3–4.