Skills

A set of reusable instruction files that guide AI coding agents through alignment, testing, and design.

Stars: 310k
Forks: 26.1k
Licence: MIT
Language: Shell
Last update: 5 days ago
Type: Other

What it is

This is a collection of 'skills', which are plain instruction files that tell AI coding agents like Claude Code or Codex how to work on a project. The author says they use them daily, and they cover things like asking detailed questions before coding, writing tests first, debugging in set phases, and keeping a shared project glossary. People use them to get more predictable results from coding agents than they get from giving open-ended prompts.

Run /grill-me before starting a change so the agent asks detailed questions about what you want
Use /tdd to have the agent write a failing test, then make it pass, in a red-green-refactor loop
Use /diagnosing-bugs to work through a bug in disciplined, gated phases
Use /grill-with-docs to build a shared glossary (CONTEXT.md) and record decisions in ADRs

Great for

Developers already using Claude Code, Codex, Copilot, Gemini CLI, or similar coding agents
Engineers who want the agent to ask clarifying questions before writing code
Teams that want a shared project glossary and test-first habits for agents
People who want editable, adaptable instruction files rather than a locked process

Not ideal for

People who want a full managed process or methodology, since the README contrasts these skills with frameworks like GSD, BMAD, and Spec-Kit that own the workflow
Non-developers, because the skills assume familiarity with coding agents, tests, and codebases
Users who want automatic, zero-config behavior, since setup requires running a setup command per repo and choosing an issue tracker and labels

Step-by-step guide: how to use SkillsInstall, first run, examples, tips and FAQs

Skills vs Spec Kit

How to get it

1
See the README
You'll need: A supported coding agent such as Claude Code, Codex, GitHub Copilot, or Gemini CLI
Claude Code plugin install
claude plugin install mattpocock-skills@claude-plugins-official
Codex marketplace add
codex plugin marketplace add mattpocock/skills
Codex plugin add
codex plugin add mattpocock-skills@mattpocock
2
Run it
- Install the skills for your agent using the command listed for it in the README
- In your agent, run /setup-matt-pocock-skills once per repo
- Answer the prompts about your issue tracker, triage labels, and where to save docs
- Start a change with /grill-me or /grill-with-docs
3
Get the most out of it
- Use /grill-with-docs to build a shared language (CONTEXT.md) that cuts down on agent verbosity
- Pair /tdd with a red-green-refactor loop for better feedback on generated code
- Use /diagnosing-bugs for debugging when the code does not work as expected
- Configure the GitHub Copilot autoUpdate setting in ~/.copilot/settings.json if you want daily updates

Downloads

Source code (.zip)main branch · straight from GitHub Release v1.3.2Release notes and source Official website & docsaihero.dev/skills

Strengths

Small, editable files that the README says are designed to be adapted and composable
The README states they work with any model and cover several agents
Focused on specific failure modes such as misalignment, verbosity, and untested code

Trade-offs

Installation differs for each agent, and the README warns that installing both plugin and manual versions gives duplicate skills
Manual-install versions must be updated by hand, while plugin versions update automatically
The README does not describe measured results, so the benefits are the author's experience rather than tested outcomes

How it compares

Project	Stars	Type	Level	Updated	Best for
skills (this)	310k	Other	beginner	5 days ago	Developers already using Claude Code, Codex, Copilot, Gemini CLI, or similar coding agents
spec-kit	145k	Dev tool	intermediate	6 days ago	Developers who use an AI coding agent and want more predictable results from it

Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.