Agent skill directories: what to check before installing

A large skill directory is a discovery surface, not a trust surface. Use it to find candidates, then make the original source prove maintainership, scope, runtime fit, and permission boundaries.

Start With The Original Source

Open the repository or package page behind the directory row. Check who maintains it, what license applies, which agent runtimes it names, and whether the install path matches your setup.

• Prefer official or team-maintained skills for production workflows.
• Use stars and directory placement as demand signals, not proof of quality.
• Reject entries with unclear source, install path, or runtime support.

Audit The Blast Radius

Skills can bundle scripts, references, assets, and tool dependencies. Before installation, read the SKILL.md, inspect scripts, and look for undocumented network calls or broad tool access.

1. Does the description route one specific task?
2. Are deterministic steps handled by scripts or explicit commands?
3. Are tools and file access scoped to the workflow?
4. Can you remove or roll back the skill cleanly?

Shortlist By Workflow

Choose one workflow before choosing a category: web research, PR review, browser testing, database migration, content operations, or document generation. Pick one primary skill and at most one fallback.

Promote a skill only when it produces an inspectable artifact such as a command result, test output, trace, generated file, or review note that is better than the default agent behavior.

Adopt In A Low-risk Workspace

Run the first task on disposable data. Record the reviewed source version, commands, files touched, owner, update path, permission boundary, failure mode, and removal path before sharing the skill with a team.