Skillmo adds skill repos to your project as git submodules inside .claude/skills/. Unlike copy-based tools, the link stays -- versioned, updatable, and trackable in git history.

The Problem

npx skills add copies files into your project. After that:

• No link back to the source repo
• No version pinning -- no record of what you copied
• No update path -- re-run overwrites blindly
• Drift is invisible across repos

Skillmo uses git submodules under the hood, giving you persistent links with friendly UX.

Quick Start

# Install globally
npm install -g skillmo

# Add a skill from GitHub
skillmo add myorg/security-rules

# Add pinned to a specific version
skillmo add myorg/base-context --ref v2.0.0

# See what's installed
skillmo status

# Update a skill to latest
skillmo update security-rules

# Remove a skill
skillmo remove security-rules

Or use without installing:

npx skillmo add myorg/security-rules

How It Works

When you run skillmo add myorg/repo, it:

1. Resolves myorg/repo to [email protected]:myorg/repo.git
2. Runs git submodule add into .claude/skills/repo
3. Claude Code reads the skill natively -- no compile step needed

The submodule reference is committed to your repo. Teammates get the skill when they clone. If they forget --recurse-submodules:

skillmo init

That initializes all skillmo-managed submodules.

Commands

| Command | Description | |---------|-------------| | skillmo init | Initialize all submodules (safety net for clones) | | skillmo add <repo> | Add a skill from GitHub shorthand or full git URL | | skillmo add <repo> --ref <tag> | Add pinned to a branch or tag | | skillmo add <repo> --name <name> | Add with a custom directory name | | skillmo remove <name> | Remove a skill and clean up the submodule | | skillmo update [name] | Update one or all skills to latest | | skillmo status | Show detailed info on all installed skills | | skillmo list | Compact listing of installed skills |

Repo Format

myorg/repo expands to [email protected]:myorg/repo.git.

Full URLs are also accepted:

skillmo add [email protected]:myorg/rules.git
skillmo add https://github.com/myorg/rules.git

What a Skill Repo Looks Like

Any git repo with a SKILL.md works. Same format Claude Code already reads:

myorg/security-rules/
  SKILL.md
  README.md       # optional

---
name: security-rules
description: Organization security policies for AI agents
---

# Security Rules
- All secrets via environment variables, never hardcoded
- No curl piping to shell in scripts
- Always validate input at API boundaries

No special format. No build step. If it works as a Claude skill manually, it works with Skillmo.

vs. npx skills

Both tools install skills from GitHub repos. The difference is what happens after.

| | npx skills add | npx skillmo add | |---|---|---| | Mechanism | Clone repo, copy files | git submodule add | | After install | Files in your project, no link to source | Live git link to source repo | | Version tracking | Content hash in skills-lock.json | Git submodule pinned to exact commit | | Detect changes | Compare hash (did source change?) | git submodule status (am I behind?) | | Update | Re-clone, overwrite files | git submodule update --remote (merge) | | Update diff | No diff -- old files replaced | Full diff visible in git log and PRs | | Git history | Skill changes invisible in repo history | Submodule pointer changes show in commits | | Teammates | Get copied files on clone | Get skills on clone --recurse-submodules |

Use npx skills when you want a quick, one-off install and don't need to track changes over time.

Use npx skillmo when you want skills that stay linked to their source -- updatable with diffs, visible in PRs, and trackable in git history. Especially useful for org-wide skills shared across many repos.

Why Not Just Use Submodules Directly?

You can. Skillmo just makes it pleasant:

• GitHub shorthand: skillmo add myorg/repo instead of git submodule add [email protected]:myorg/repo.git .claude/skills/repo
• Clean removal: skillmo remove name handles deinit, git rm, and .git/modules cleanup in one command
• Readable status: skillmo status shows skill names, versions, and URLs instead of raw SHA hashes
• Teammate safety net: skillmo init initializes submodules for people who forgot --recurse-submodules

Development

git clone https://github.com/jonzarecki/skillmo.git
cd skillmo
npm install
npm run build

# Run
npm test              # 18 tests
npm run lint          # eslint
npm run dev           # watch mode

# Demo
npm run demo          # interactive demo
npm run demo:record   # record demo video (requires VHS)

See ARCH.md for the full architecture.

Requirements

• Node.js >= 18
• Git >= 2.25

License

MIT