Where each agent looks for skills and instructions
The skill folders (user and project) and instruction files of Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI and OpenCode, based on their official documentation.
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Each coding agent looks for skills in specific folders, and for its standing instructions in separate files. This page gathers them, based on each vendor's official documentation. When a skill does not load, it is almost always in the wrong place.
A skill is a folder containing a SKILL.md file. The full path is therefore the folder below, then the skill name, then SKILL.md. For what goes inside the file, see the skill format.
Skill folders
The "user" level applies to all your projects on the machine. The "project" level applies to the current repository and is shared with your team through Git.
| Agent | User | Project |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Code | ~/.claude/skills/ | .claude/skills/ |
| Codex | ~/.agents/skills/ | .agents/skills/ |
| Cursor | ~/.agents/skills/, ~/.cursor/skills/ | .agents/skills/, .cursor/skills/ |
| GitHub Copilot | ~/.copilot/skills/, ~/.agents/skills/ | .github/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/ |
| Gemini CLI | ~/.gemini/skills/, ~/.agents/skills/ | .gemini/skills/, .agents/skills/ |
| OpenCode | ~/.config/opencode/skills/, ~/.claude/skills/, ~/.agents/skills/ | .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/ |
Extra folders that are read
Several agents also read another agent's folders, so you do not have to duplicate your skills.
- Cursor also loads
.claude/skills/and.codex/skills/in the project, and~/.claude/skills/and~/.codex/skills/at user level. - OpenCode and GitHub Copilot read
.claude/skills/in the project. - Gemini CLI gives
.agents/skills/priority over.gemini/skills/when the same skill exists in both.
What differs between agents
- Claude Code also loads skills from
.claude/skills/folders in parent directories up to the repository root. Skills in a subfolder load the first time Claude reads or edits a file there. If names collide, an enterprise skill wins over a personal one, which wins over a project one. - Codex scans
.agents/skills/from the directory where you launch it up to the repository root. An administrator location also exists:/etc/codex/skills. - Cursor also discovers
.cursor/skills/and.agents/skills/folders in subdirectories of the repository, and limits those skills to files in that subdirectory. - Gemini CLI: a project skill wins over a user skill with the same name.
Instruction files
These files are not skills: the agent reads them in every session.
| Agent | User | Project |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Code | ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md | ./CLAUDE.md or ./.claude/CLAUDE.md, and ./CLAUDE.local.md for your private preferences |
| Codex | ~/.codex/AGENTS.md (or AGENTS.override.md), folder changeable with CODEX_HOME | AGENTS.md (or AGENTS.override.md), from the project root down to the current directory |
| Cursor | Customize › Rules setting, not a file | .cursor/rules, or AGENTS.md at the root |
| GitHub Copilot | Not covered in the sources used here | .github/copilot-instructions.md, .github/instructions/, AGENTS.md |
| Gemini CLI | ~/.gemini/GEMINI.md | GEMINI.md in the workspace and its parent folders |
| OpenCode | ~/.config/opencode/AGENTS.md, otherwise ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md | AGENTS.md at the root, otherwise CLAUDE.md |
Other agents
Catalog agents not listed above (Kiro, Cline, Windsurf, Amp, Goose and others) have their own folder. It is shown on each agent's page, for example Kiro or Cline. Always check it against the vendor's documentation: these locations change.
Installing in the right place
The npx --yes palatekit@latest install command copies a resource into the chosen folder; with the --agent option, it targets the folder of the named agent. Resources are described in the skills catalog, and the install page covers the three methods.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
Can one folder serve several agents?
Yes: the .agents/skills/ folder is read by Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI and OpenCode, at project level and at user level. Claude Code reads .claude/skills/, which Cursor, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also read.
Where do I put a skill so it applies to all my projects?
In your agent's user folder, for example ~/.claude/skills/ for Claude Code or ~/.agents/skills/ for Codex. A project folder only applies to that repository.
What is the difference between a skill and an instruction file?
An instruction file (CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md, GEMINI.md) is read in every session. A skill is a folder the agent loads when your request matches it.