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Agent Skill Loader

by back1ply

Loads Claude Code skills from configured folders so agents can discover, read, and install them on demand.

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Install Agent Skill Loader

Pick your client, then add it in one click or paste the config.

STDIONode.js
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
claude_desktop_config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "back1ply-agent-skill-loader": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "agent-skill-loader"
      ],
      "env": {
        "MCP_SKILL_PATHS": "YOUR_VALUE_HERE",
        "MCP_WORKSPACE_ROOT": "YOUR_VALUE_HERE",
        "MCP_NO_WATCH": "YOUR_VALUE_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Settings → Developer → Edit Config, merge this into mcpServers, then fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop.

Values are written into the snippet above so you can paste it as is. They never leave your browser.

We couldn’t confirm it starts correctly

We ran the install command but it didn't respond within our test window — this can mean a slow first-time install rather than a real problem.

npx -y agent-skill-loader

No response to initialize.

This is an experimental automated check and can have false negatives — missing environment variables, a slow cold install, etc. It doesn’t necessarily mean something’s wrong. Last checked 10d ago.

Overview

The back1ply/agent-skill-loader MCP server exposes Claude Code skills to MCP-compatible agents without copying the source library. It scans configured directories for SKILL.md files, makes skills available through MCP prompts and tools, and can watch for additions or removals. Reach for it when agents need on-demand access to a shared skill collection, runtime search-path management, or persistent installation into a workspace.

Use cases

  • Discover relevant Claude Code skills from shared directories
  • Load SKILL.md instructions only when an agent needs them
  • Install selected skills into a project workspace
  • Manage skill search paths without editing configuration files
  • Diagnose missing or unreadable skill directories

Key features

  • Discovers skills from configured directories
  • Reads SKILL.md instructions on demand
  • Exposes skills as MCP prompts
  • Watches for skill additions and removals
  • Installs skills within the current workspace
  • Reports search-path and discovery diagnostics

Tools2

What Agent Skill Loader lets your agent do. Expand a tool for its parameters.

Self-reported~4 tokens of context

Security & health

What it can reach and how reliably it runs — from our own checks, not the maintainer’s claims.

ActiveLast checked 2d ago

Recent health check succeeded.

5/5 checks healthy over the last 79d

Supply-chain signal

No high-severity advisories surfaced by our automated scan.

Critical 0High 0Medium 0Low 0

Scanned 11d ago via OSV.dev · agent-skill-loader (npm)

Adoption & maintenance

Factual signals from GitHub, npm, and our automated checks — not a rating.

GitHub stars15Stargazers on the source repository.
npm downloads248Package downloads in the last 30 days.
Last commit13d agoMost recent push to the default branch.
Install checkInconclusiveDidn't respond in our test window — often a slow first install.
Tools exposed2Callable tools this server registers over MCP.
Directory activity3 viewsConfig copies, upvotes, and views on AllMCPs.

How Agent Skill Loader works

What back1ply/agent-skill-loader MCP server does

The back1ply/agent-skill-loader MCP server connects a collection of Claude Code skills with MCP clients such as Claude Desktop and Cursor. It discovers skill folders containing SKILL.md files, extracts their available descriptions, and exposes the results for agent use. Agents can locate a relevant skill, load its markdown instructions, and optionally copy the skill into the current project.

Skills can be presented as MCP Prompts, which allows clients that support prompts to show them as slash commands. They are also available through programmatic MCP operations. This makes the server suitable for shared skill directories where agents should choose instructions at runtime rather than receive a manually maintained copy.

How it works

At startup, the server combines its standard Claude plugin cache location with paths from configuration. It can also read additional locations from skill-paths.json in the workspace. The effective paths are scanned for skills, and an optional search query can filter the discovered results by name or description.

After finding a skill, an agent can retrieve the contents of its SKILL.md. Installation copies the selected skill folder into .agent/skills/<name>. The destination must remain inside the current workspace, providing a path boundary for this operation. Search paths can be added, removed, or listed while the server is running.

A file watcher monitors configured directories by default. When skills are added or removed, the server sends a list-change notification so supporting clients can refresh their available prompts. Set MCP_NO_WATCH=1 when file watching is unsuitable, such as in a CI environment.

Setup and configuration

Node.js 18 or newer is required. The documented npm setup installs the package globally:

Terminal
npm install -g agent-skill-loader

Register the agent-skill-loader command in the MCP client's configuration. Alternatively, clone the repository, install its dependencies, and run its build process; the resulting build/index.js can be launched with Node.js.

Configuration accepts MCP_SKILL_PATHS, which can contain a JSON array or a semicolon- or comma-separated list of extra skill directories. MCP_WORKSPACE_ROOT overrides automatic workspace detection. The default search location is %USERPROFILE%\\.claude\\plugins\\cache, and runtime path changes are stored in skill-paths.json.

Tools and capabilities

Discovery supports an optional case-insensitive substring filter. Diagnostic output reports the workspace root, configured paths, whether each path exists and is readable, discovered skill count, and scan warnings.

The README additionally describes operations named list_skills, read_skill, install_skill, manage_search_paths, and debug_info; verify the names exposed by the version you deploy before writing client-side tool calls.

Limitations and notes

Prompt-based use depends on the MCP client supporting MCP Prompts. Installation is restricted to the active workspace, and invalid or unreadable search paths are reported as warnings rather than silently treated as valid sources.

The project is distributed under the MIT license and does not document an API key or external paid service requirement. Its npm package requires Node.js 18 or later. The back1ply/agent-skill-loader MCP server can disable watching, but the material does not describe a separate remote-hosted deployment mode.

Read the full README View source on GitHub

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Frequently Asked Questions about Agent Skill Loader

Use Node.js 18 or newer and run `npm install -g agent-skill-loader`, then register the `agent-skill-loader` command in the MCP client configuration.

Yes. Claude Desktop is listed as a supported MCP client, and clients with MCP Prompt support can display discovered skills as slash commands.

Set `MCP_SKILL_PATHS`, configure `skill-paths.json`, or use the runtime search-path management operation to add directories.

Set `MCP_NO_WATCH=1` to disable the file watcher.

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