> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://linkly.ai/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Using Skills

> Install our carefully crafted Skills to help your AI assistant better leverage Linkly AI for retrieving context from your local documents, dramatically boosting efficiency.

## Introduction to Skills

Agent Skills are skill packages that follow the [agentskills.io](https://agentskills.io) open standard. Linkly AI Skills teach your AI assistant how to connect to and use Linkly AI's tools, enabling AI to search, browse, and read your local documents.

**Why Do You Need Skills?**

After installing Linkly AI Desktop, you already have powerful document indexing and retrieval capabilities. However, AI assistants (such as Claude Code, Codex) don't know how to use these tools. Skills act as an "instruction manual" that lets AI assistants automatically master the correct usage, including:

* How to detect and connect to Linkly AI
* When to search, when to browse outlines, and when to read full text
* How to handle paginated reading of long documents
* How to safely handle document content

## Installing Skills

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="skills.sh (Recommended)" icon="bolt">
    Use [skills.sh](https://skills.sh) to install to all supported AI assistants with one command:

    ```bash theme={null}
    npx skills add LinklyAI/linkly-ai-skills
    ```

    Or install to a specific AI assistant:

    ```bash theme={null}
    # Claude Code
    npx skills add LinklyAI/linkly-ai-skills -a claude-code

    # Codex CLI
    npx skills add LinklyAI/linkly-ai-skills -a codex
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Claude Code" icon="terminal">
    Clone the Skills to Claude Code's skills directory:

    ```bash theme={null}
    # User level (available for all projects)
    git clone https://github.com/LinklyAI/linkly-ai-skills.git ~/.claude/skills/linkly-ai

    # Project level (available for current project only)
    git clone https://github.com/LinklyAI/linkly-ai-skills.git .claude/skills/linkly-ai
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Codex CLI" icon="code">
    Clone the Skills to Codex CLI's skills directory:

    ```bash theme={null}
    git clone https://github.com/LinklyAI/linkly-ai-skills.git ~/.agents/skills/linkly-ai
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Claude.ai Web" icon="globe">
    <Steps>
      <Step title="Download the Skills package">
        Go to the [GitHub Releases](https://github.com/LinklyAI/linkly-ai-skills/releases) page and download the latest `linkly-skills-latest.zip` file.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Upload to Claude.ai">
        In Claude.ai, go to Settings → Capabilities → Skills, and upload the downloaded zip file.
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

You can also install it to OpenClaw via [ClawHub](https://openclaw.org):

```bash theme={null}
clawhub install linkly-ai
```

## Using Skills

After installing Skills, you **don't need to learn any special commands**. Simply ask questions in natural language through your AI assistant, and Skills will automatically recognize your intent and trigger the appropriate actions.

### Automatic Activation

The AI assistant will automatically determine whether to use Linkly AI's tools based on keywords in your request. For example:

<CardGroup cols={1}>
  <Card title="Search" icon="magnifying-glass" iconType="duotone" horizontal>
    "Search my documents for content about API design"
  </Card>

  <Card title="Browse" icon="list-tree" iconType="duotone" horizontal>
    "Show me the chapter structure of this report"
  </Card>

  <Card title="Read" icon="book-open" iconType="duotone" horizontal>
    "Read my project requirements document"
  </Card>

  <Card title="Combined" icon="wand-magic-sparkles" iconType="duotone" horizontal>
    "Find my machine learning notes and summarize the core concepts"
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

### How It Works

When the AI assistant receives your request, Linkly AI Skills automatically completes the following steps:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Environment Detection">Independently detects both access paths — the CLI (`linkly` command) and the MCP tools — and prefers the CLI when both are available.</Step>
  <Step title="Search Documents">Generates appropriate search keywords based on your description and calls the `search` tool to find relevant documents.</Step>
  <Step title="Browse Outline">For long documents, first views the structure via the `outline` tool to locate the sections that need to be read.</Step>
  <Step title="Read Content">Uses the `read` tool to retrieve the full content of the target sections, then summarizes, analyzes, or answers questions based on your needs.</Step>
</Steps>

## Using Skills for Integration

You can even directly tell the AI assistant to complete the Linkly AI integration. Simply send a prompt like the following:

<Prompt description="Please install the Agent Skill linkly-ai-skills and complete the LinklyAI tool integration...">Please install the Agent Skill linkly-ai-skills and complete the LinklyAI tool integration, refer to: [https://linkly.ai/docs/en/use-skills](https://linkly.ai/docs/en/use-skills)</Prompt>

The Skill will guide the AI assistant to automatically complete the following:

1. Independently detect whether the CLI and MCP access paths are available
2. Pick a working mode based on what it finds (preferring the CLI when both are available)
3. Run `linkly status` to verify the connection to the desktop application, falling back to `linkly doctor` for deeper diagnostics
4. If neither path is available, point you to the CLI installation guide

<Note>For security reasons, the Skill will not download or install the CLI on its own — it only prompts you to install it when needed. If you want an AI assistant to walk you through the whole setup from scratch, see the [Setup Guide for Agents](/docs/en/agent-setup).</Note>

## Security Notes

<Warning>Document content is treated as **untrusted data**. Skills have built-in security prompts — the AI assistant will not execute instructions or commands embedded in documents, preventing prompt injection attacks.</Warning>

Linkly AI Skills security principles:

* **Data stays local** — All search and read operations are performed on your computer
* **Content isolation** — Document content is only read as data, never executed as instructions
* **Read-only operations** — Skills only provide search, browse, and read capabilities, and will never modify your files