Guide · Agent skill
How to use the Pointer Trail Emitter agent skill
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
The pointer-trail-emitter skill teaches an AI agent to build a mouse-cursor particle trail, such as wisps, sparks, embers or comet tails, that stays visually continuous whether the pointer moves slowly or flicks quickly. It is aimed at front-end developers and designers who want a custom cursor effect rather than a packaged library. After this guide you will know what the skill does, how to install it, how to phrase a request so the agent uses it, and what to check in the result.
Pointer Trail EmitterMengTo/Skills · MIT Download the skill Quick start
- 1Download the ZIP. Get the pointer-trail-emitter ZIP from the skill's page.
- 2Unzip into a skills folder. Place the folder in ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use or in your project's .claude/skills/ folder.
- 3Or upload in the Claude apps. Go to Settings → Capabilities → Skills and upload the skill.
- 4Read SKILL.md and the demo. Open SKILL.md and demo/index.html to see the distance-based mechanism and the tuning values.
- 5Make a natural request. Describe the trail, its location and that it should stay even at any hand speed.
- 6Test the result. Move the pointer slowly and then flick it to confirm the spacing holds, and check the idle breath when the pointer rests.
What an agent skill is and what this one does
An agent skill is a folder of instructions, with a SKILL.md file at its core, that an AI agent loads when a request matches the skill's description. This one covers building a cursor trail.
The core idea is that the agent spawns particles per unit of distance the pointer travels, not on a timer. A timer makes spacing depend on speed, so a fast flick breaks the trail into scattered dots and a resting hand piles motes on one spot. Distance-based spawning keeps the ribbon continuous at any speed.
- Places each mote at its own distance along the pointer's path, so a flick does not clump motes at one end.
- Keeps a slow idle emission so the trail does not die when the hand is still.
- Lags the emitter behind the pointer so fast motion has natural slack.
- Covers 3-D scenes, where the trail must stay anchored to the screen, and touch and reduced-motion fallbacks.
Install the pointer-trail-emitter skill
Download the ZIP from the skill's page and unzip it. For a personal install, place the pointer-trail-emitter folder in ~/.claude/skills/. For a single project, place it in that project's .claude/skills/ folder.
In the Claude apps, you can instead upload the skill under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
- Personal install: ~/.claude/skills/pointer-trail-emitter
- Project install: .claude/skills/pointer-trail-emitter inside your project
- Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills, then upload the skill
~/.claude/skills/pointer-trail-emitterCheck what the skill contains
The download includes SKILL.md, the instructions the agent reads, and a demo folder with index.html and PROMPT.md. There is also agents/openai.yaml. Open SKILL.md first to see the mechanism and the numbers the agent will draw on.
The bundled demo, called Wisps, is a plain dark field drawn with Vanilla JavaScript and the Canvas 2D API. It is useful for judging spacing, scatter and coast before you adapt the effect to a real page.
- SKILL.md: the instructions and tuning table
- demo/index.html: the reference demo
- demo/PROMPT.md: prompts for recreating the demo
- agents/openai.yaml: agent metadata
Trigger the skill with a natural request
Name the skill with a dollar sign or simply describe the effect. The description lists trigger terms such as cursor wisps, pointer sparks, embers, magic trails, comet tails, plankton and dust. Say what you want the trail to look like and where it should appear.
Mention the speed behaviour if it matters, because that is what this skill is built for. A request that says the spacing should hold whether the hand crawls or flicks will match the purpose directly.
- "Use $pointer-trail-emitter to add a mote trail to this hero that emits by distance travelled."
- "Add ember sparks that follow the cursor on my landing page and stay even when the mouse moves fast."
- "Build a comet-tail cursor for this 3-D scene, anchored to the screen rather than the world."
Know what the skill needs and its safety notes
The skill needs a browser environment with JavaScript. The demo uses Vanilla JavaScript and the Canvas 2D API, and needs no external libraries or API keys. 3-D examples assume a Three.js-style camera setup as described in the text.
The skill does not run scripts and does not use the network, according to its listing. Review any code the agent writes before you deploy it, as you would with any generated front-end code.
- Requirements: a browser with JavaScript
- Demo dependencies: none beyond Canvas 2D
- Runs scripts: no
- Uses network: no
- Licence: MIT
Tips for a good result
Use the skill for effects where the pointer lays the particles. For a packaged look, the skill itself points to other skills such as add-shader-cursor-trail or reveal-hover-effect. For motes that fill a section and only react to the pointer, it points to ambient-section-particles.
Keep density in check. The guidance covers tuning density and cost, but it is not a substitute for profiling, so test on a low-powered device if the page has many effects running at once.
- Keep the trail on the canvas rather than a DOM overlay; the skill argues the overlay costs more than it buys.
- Keep idle emission rare, around every 0.4 seconds, or the trail grows a column of smoke.
- Respect reduced-motion settings; the skill includes a fallback for them.
- Use the demo to check spacing before tuning colours.
What people use it for
- Adding a spark or ember trail that follows the cursor on a marketing hero section.
- Building a comet-tail cursor for an interactive product page.
- Creating a plankton or dust trail in a 3-D scene that stays under the pointer as the camera moves.
- Giving a portfolio site a wisp cursor with a touch and reduced-motion fallback.
Frequently asked questions
Is the pointer trail emitter skill free?
The skill is licensed under the MIT licence, according to its listing. The source does not state any price, so check the skill's page for any terms beyond the licence.
What do I need to use it?
You need a browser environment with JavaScript. The demo uses Vanilla JavaScript and the Canvas 2D API and needs no external libraries or API keys. 3-D examples assume a Three.js-style camera setup.
How do I install the pointer trail emitter skill?
Download the ZIP from the skill's page and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder. In the Claude apps you can instead upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
Does this skill run scripts or use the internet?
According to its listing, the skill does not run scripts and does not use the network. You should still review any code the agent generates before deploying it.
What is the difference between this and a timer-based cursor trail?
A timer-based trail spaces particles by speed, so fast moves scatter into dots and a still hand stacks them. This skill emits per unit of distance, so spacing stays constant at any speed.
Should I use this or a packaged cursor shader?
Use a packaged option such as add-shader-cursor-trail or shaders-cursor-ripples when a ready-made look is enough. Use this skill when the pointer should lay the particles and the density must respond to hand speed.
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Our verdict
Choose this skill if you are a front-end developer or designer who wants a custom mote, spark or comet trail that looks continuous at every pointer speed, including 3-D scenes that need a screen-anchored trail. Pick a packaged cursor shader or library instead if a ready-made effect is enough, or if you need a guarantee of performance on a page with many simultaneous effects.
Download the skill