---
name: skillsmp-search
description: Use when finding, browsing, or installing community skills, or when a needed capability might exist as a marketplace skill. Triggers on "find a skill", "search skills", "install skill", "skillsmp", or "marketplace".
---

# SkillsMP Search & Installer

Search 11,000+ community skills and install them locally.

## When to Use

- User asks to find/search/install a skill
- User needs a capability that likely exists as a community skill

**Not for:** Project-specific conventions (CLAUDE.md), already-installed skills.

## Quick Reference

| Step | Action |
|------|--------|
| Search | `GET https://skillsmp.com/api/skills?q=<query>&sortBy=recent` |
| Present | Show top 3-5 results with name, author, description, install count |
| Install | `npx skills add <author>/<repo>` or copy to `~/.claude/skills/` |
| Verify | Ask Claude "What skills are available?" |

## API Config

- **Base**: `https://skillsmp.com/api/v1/skills`
- **Key**: `$SKILLSMP_API_KEY` environment variable
- **Auth**: `Authorization: Bearer $SKILLSMP_API_KEY` | **Limit**: 500/day

## Search

**Keyword** (fast, ~500ms) - specific terms, sort by stars:
```bash
curl -s "https://skillsmp.com/api/v1/skills/search?q=QUERY&limit=30&sortBy=stars" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SKILLSMP_API_KEY"
```
Response: `data.skills[]` → `id`, `name`, `author`, `description`, `githubUrl`, `stars`, `updatedAt`

**AI Semantic** (smart, ~5s) - natural language, conceptual queries:
```bash
curl -s "https://skillsmp.com/api/v1/skills/ai-search?q=QUERY" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SKILLSMP_API_KEY"
```
Response: `data.data[]` → `score` (0-1) + `skill` object. **Skip entries with `skill: null`.**

| Query type | Mode |
|------------|------|
| Specific tech ("react testing") | Keyword, `sortBy=stars` |
| Natural language / vague | AI semantic |
| "newest", "latest", "recent skills" | Keyword, `sortBy=recent` |

Fall back to keyword if AI returns few results.

## Present & Choose

Show **ALL** found skills in the ranked table — never truncate or omit results. Then **use `AskUserQuestion` to let user pick** - never auto-select.

Always include a **"Compare to find best"** option in addition to numbered skill choices:

```
| # | Skill | Author | Stars | Description |
|---|-------|--------|-------|-------------|
| 1 | name  | @author | 42   | ...         |
```

Include relevance score for AI results.

AskUserQuestion options: numbered skills + **"Compare to find best"**

### Compare to find best

When user selects "Compare to find best":

1. **Gather criteria**: Ask user to expand needs/priorities (optional)
2. **Load evaluation rubric**: Read `external/writing-skills-rubric.md` for the full scoring framework (6 dimensions, 0-2 each, /12 total)
3. **Fetch & evaluate**: Download SKILL.md from top candidates, score per rubric dimensions:
   - Description quality (CSO) | Token efficiency | Structure & organization
   - Degrees of freedom | Domain value | Code & examples
4. **Present comparison**: Side-by-side table with per-dimension scores (total /12), SKILL.md word count (`wc -w`), and 1-sentence key finding per candidate
5. **Final decision**: Use `AskUserQuestion` to let user pick the winner

Consult `external/anthropic-skills-best-practices.md` for edge-case evaluation details only.

## Install

After user picks:
1. **Transform URL**: `github.com/U/R/tree/B/P` → `raw.githubusercontent.com/U/R/B/P/SKILL.md` (replace domain, remove `/tree` from `/tree/BRANCH` leaving `/BRANCH`)
2. **Fetch**: `curl -s "RAW_URL"`
3. **Ask scope** via `AskUserQuestion`: global (`~/.claude/skills/`) or project-local (`.claude/skills/`)
4. **Save** as `{name}/SKILL.md`, verify frontmatter, confirm activation

## Mistakes & Errors

| Issue | Fix |
|-------|-----|
| Auto-selecting without asking | Always `AskUserQuestion` for user choice |
| Raw URL 404 | Verify `/tree` removed, domain replaced; try lowercase `skill.md` |
| `skill: null` in AI results | Filter out before presenting |
| 0-star vs high-star conflict | Cross-check both search modes; review content of 0-star skills before installing |
| 401 | Check `$SKILLSMP_API_KEY` is set — run `echo $SKILLSMP_API_KEY` |
| 429 | Daily quota hit, retry tomorrow |
| Curl exit 56 | Transient network error, retry |

## Common Mistakes

| Mistake | Fix |
|---------|-----|
| Installing without checking existing skills | Run "What skills are available?" first |
| Using wrong install path | Skills go in `~/.claude/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md` |
| Searching too broadly ("testing") | Be specific: "playwright e2e testing" |
| Installing multiple overlapping skills | Check descriptions for overlap before installing |
| Forgetting to verify after install | Always confirm skill loaded with a test prompt |