Skills

Skills are reusable packages that extend Cosine’s capabilities. They provide pre-built prompts, tools, and behaviors for specific tasks or domains. Think of skills as plugins that teach Cosine new tricks.

What Are Skills?

Skills are distributed as npm-compatible packages that can be installed from:

• Git repositories - Install directly from GitHub, GitLab, etc.
• Local paths - Install from your local filesystem
• npm registry - Install published packages

Each skill can provide:

• System prompts - Specialized instructions for the AI
• Tools - Custom functions and capabilities
• Templates - Pre-defined task patterns
• Configuration - Default settings and behaviors

Installing Skills

From a Git Repository

The most common way to install skills is from a Git repository:

# Install all skills from a repo
cos skills add github.com/username/cosine-skills

# Install specific skills only
cos skills add github.com/username/cosine-skills --skill skill1 --skill skill2

# Install with auto-confirmation
cos skills add github.com/username/cosine-skills -y

From a Local Path

For development or private skills:

# Install from local directory
cos skills add /path/to/local/skills

# Install specific skill from local path
cos skills add /path/to/local/skills --skill my-skill

From npm

Install published skills packages:

# Using npx (recommended)
npx skills add @myorg/cosine-skills

# Or with cos directly
cos skills add npm:@myorg/cosine-skills

Install Scopes

Skills can be installed at different scopes:

Project Scope (Recommended)

Best for: Team-shared skills, project-specific workflows

Installs skills to the nearest cosine.toml with is_topmost_config = true.

# Install for current project
cos skills add github.com/username/skills --project

Skills are stored in .cosine/skills/ within your project.

Tip

Project-scoped skills are shared with your team via version control if you commit the .cosine/skills directory.

Global Scope

Best for: Personal skills you use across all projects

Installs skills to ~/.cosine/skills/ in your home directory.

# Install globally
cos skills add github.com/username/skills --global

Global skills are available in all Cosine CLI sessions regardless of project.

Note

Global skills are personal to your user account and won’t be shared with teammates.

Local Scope

Best for: Testing, temporary use

Installs skills to a local .cosine/skills/ directory without requiring a cosine.toml.

This is the default if no scope is specified and there’s no topmost config.

# Install locally (default behavior)
cos skills add github.com/username/skills

Interactive Scope Selection

If you don’t specify a scope, you’ll be prompted:

$ cos skills add github.com/username/skills
Select install scope:
  1) Project (nearest cosine.toml with is_topmost_config = true)
  2) Global (~/.cosine/skills)
Enter choice [1-2]:

Skill Commands Reference

cos skills add

Install skills from a source.

Usage:

cos skills add <source> [flags]

Arguments:

Argument	Description
source	Repository URL, local path, or npm package

Flags:

Flag	Short	Description
--global	-g	Install globally
--project		Install for current project
--yes	-y	Skip confirmation prompts
--skill		Install only specific skill (repeatable)
--cwd		Working directory for project installs

Examples:

# Basic installation
cos skills add github.com/cosineai/skills

# Install specific skills
cos skills add github.com/cosineai/skills --skill python --skill react

# Global installation with auto-confirm
cos skills add github.com/cosineai/skills -g -y

# From local path
cos skills add ~/my-skills --project

Command Parsing

The skills command can also parse full npm-style commands:

# These are equivalent:
cos skills add github.com/user/skills
cos skills add npx skills add github.com/user/skills

# With flags:
cos skills add "npx skills add github.com/user/skills --skill python --global"

Managing Installed Skills

Viewing Installed Skills

Skills are stored in different locations based on scope:

Scope	Location
Project	./.cosine/skills/
Global	~/.cosine/skills/
Local	./.cosine/skills/

Listing Skills

# List project skills
ls .cosine/skills/

# List global skills
ls ~/.cosine/skills/

Removing Skills

Currently, remove skills by deleting their directories:

# Remove a project skill
rm -rf .cosine/skills/skill-name

# Remove a global skill
rm -rf ~/.cosine/skills/skill-name

Updating Skills

To update a skill to the latest version:

# Re-install the skill (overwrites existing)
cos skills add github.com/user/skills --skill skill-name -y

Using Skills

Once installed, skills are automatically available in your Cosine sessions. The AI will:

1. Load skill contexts - System prompts and configurations
2. Use skill tools - Custom tools provided by skills
3. Follow skill patterns - Templates and behaviors

Activating Skills

Skills are automatically activated based on context. You can also explicitly reference them:

You: Use the python skill to analyze this codebase
Cosine: I'll use the Python skill to analyze your code.

Combining Skills

Multiple skills can be active simultaneously:

# Install Python and React skills
cos skills add github.com/user/skills --skill python
cos skills add github.com/user/skills --skill react

Now both skill contexts are available when working on Python/React projects.

Creating Skills

You can create your own skills for personal use or to share with the community.

Skill Structure

A skill package has this structure:

skill-name/
├── skill.toml          # Skill manifest
├── prompts/
│   └── system.md       # System prompt additions
├── tools/
│   └── tool.js         # Custom tool implementations
└── templates/
    └── template.md     # Reusable prompt templates

Skill Manifest (skill.toml)

[skill]
name = "python"
description = "Python development best practices"
version = "1.0.0"
author = "Your Name"

[compatibility]
cosine_version = ">=2.0.0"

[prompts]
system = "prompts/system.md"

[tools]
lint = "tools/lint.py"
format = "tools/format.py"

Publishing Skills

To share your skills:

1. Git repository: Push to GitHub/GitLab and share the URL
2. npm registry: Publish as an npm package
3. Internal registry: Use private npm registries for company skills

Example Skill Use Cases

Language-Specific Skills

Python Skill:

cos skills add github.com/cosineai/python-skill

Provides:

• Python best practices in prompts
• Linting and formatting tools
• Package management helpers

React Skill:

cos skills add github.com/cosineai/react-skill

Provides:

• React/TypeScript patterns
• Component generation templates
• Testing best practices

Framework Skills

Django Skill:

cos skills add github.com/cosineai/django-skill

FastAPI Skill:

cos skills add github.com/cosineai/fastapi-skill

Domain-Specific Skills

Data Science Skill:

cos skills add github.com/cosineai/datascience-skill

DevOps Skill:

cos skills add github.com/cosineai/devops-skill

Best Practices

1. Use Project Scope for Teams

When working in a team, prefer project scope so everyone has the same skills:

cos skills add github.com/company/skills --project
# Commit .cosine/skills/ to git
git add .cosine/skills/
git commit -m "Add Cosine skills"

2. Use Global Scope for Personal Tools

Keep personal productivity skills global:

# Your personal favorites
cos skills add github.com/user/my-favorites -g

3. Pin Specific Versions

For reproducibility, reference specific commits or tags:

# Install from a specific tag
cos skills add github.com/user/skills@v1.2.3

# Install from a specific commit
cos skills add github.com/user/skills#abc123

4. Select Only Needed Skills

Don’t install everything—select only what you need:

# Good: Install only what you need
cos skills add github.com/user/skills --skill python

# Avoid: Installing all skills unnecessarily
cos skills add github.com/user/skills  # Installs everything

5. Document Your Skills

If you create skills, include a good README:

# My Cosine Skill

## What it does
Description of the skill's purpose.

## Installation
\`\`\`bash
cos skills add github.com/user/skill
\`\`\`

## Usage
Examples of how to use the skill.

## Tools
- `tool1`: Description
- `tool2`: Description

Troubleshooting

Installation Failures

If skill installation fails:

1. Check the source URL:

   # Verify the repo exists
   git ls-remote github.com/user/skills

2. Check network access:

   # Test connectivity
   curl -I https://github.com

3. Check npm/npx availability:

   # Verify npx works
   npx --version

Skills Not Loading

If installed skills aren’t available:

1. Verify installation location:

   # Check project skills
   ls -la .cosine/skills/
   
   # Check global skills
   ls -la ~/.cosine/skills/

2. Restart Cosine CLI: Some skill changes require a fresh session.

3. Check skill.toml: Ensure the skill has a valid manifest file.

Conflicting Skills

If multiple skills conflict:

1. Remove conflicting skills
2. Re-install only needed ones
3. Use --skill flag to install specific skills

Next Steps

• MCP Configuration - Add external tool integrations
• Configuration - Learn about CLI configuration options
• CLI Overview - Return to CLI documentation index