Installing Skills
Install skills locally for offline access or let the MCP server load them on demand.
Install a Skill
Use the aster install command:
aster install @asterism/pdf-toolsSkills are installed into the detected agent's skills directory — e.g. ~/.claude/skills/ for Claude Code (or ./.claude/skills/ in-project).
Choose Your Agent
Asterism supports 35+ AI coding assistants. Skills are installed to the appropriate location for each agent:
aster install pdf-tools --agent cursor# Install for Cursoraster install pdf-tools --agents cursor,windsurf,claude-code# Multiple agentsaster install pdf-tools --all-detected# All installed agentsRun aster install --list-agents to see all 35+ supported agents and which are detected on your system.
Install from Different Sources
Install skills from the Asterism registry, GitHub, or other sources:
aster install pdf-tools# Asterism registryaster install github:anthropics/claude-code-skills# Direct from GitHubaster install skills.sh:name# From skills.shGitHub skills are security-scanned before installation. Use --scan to see the security report first, or --force to bypass the minimum score requirement.
Specify a Version
Install a specific version using the @ syntax:
aster install @asterism/pdf-tools@2.1.0aster install @asterism/pdf-tools@^2.0.0aster install @asterism/pdf-tools@latestList Installed Skills
See all locally installed skills:
aster listAdd --json for machine-readable output.
Update Skills
Update a specific skill to the latest version:
aster install @asterism/pdf-tools@latestOr reinstall to get the latest version matching your version constraint.
Uninstall Skills
Remove a skill from your local installation:
aster uninstall @asterism/pdf-toolsView Skill Details
Get detailed information about a skill before installing:
aster info @asterism/pdf-toolsThis shows the skill's description, version, author, security score, capabilities, and download count.
Local vs. On-Demand Loading
You have two options for using skills:
Local Installation
- + Works offline
- + Faster loading
- + Version pinning
- - Manual updates
- - Uses disk space
MCP On-Demand
- + Always up to date
- + No disk usage
- + Discover new skills
- - Requires internet
- - Slightly slower
Many users combine both approaches: install frequently-used skills locally and use the MCP server for discovery and occasional needs.
Security Considerations
Before installing a skill, review:
- Security score — Higher is better (80+ is excellent)
- Capabilities — What permissions does it need?
- Author — Is the publisher trusted?
- Downloads — Popular skills are often more vetted
Important: While all skills are security-scanned, automated scanning cannot catch everything. Review skill source code for sensitive operations. See our Terms of Service for details.
Audit Installed Skills
Run a security audit on your installed skills:
aster auditThis scans all installed skills and reports any security concerns.