Nori Skillsets Client

CLI Client for installing and managing Nori Skillsets

The Nori Skillsets Client connects you to noriskillsets.dev, a registry of verified agent Skills and packaged agent configurations. Install complete Skillsets or individual Skills that have been reviewed for effectiveness, clarity, and proper implementation.

The client supports a wide range of coding agents (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot, OpenCode, Goose, Kilo, Kimi CLI, Pi, OpenClaw, Droid). Each agent receives a translation of the same skillset into the format it expects on disk.

For complete documentation and to browse available Skillsets, visit:

• Skillsets Registry: noriskillsets.dev
• Documentation: noriskillsets.dev/docs

What is a Skillset?

A Skillset is a complete, unified configuration that defines how your coding agent behaves. Skillsets can include:

• Skills: Step-by-step instructions that encode specific agent behaviors (TDD, debugging, code review, git workflows)
• AGENTS.md / CLAUDE.md: Custom instructions and workflow preferences that guide the agent
• Subagents: Specialized agents for specific tasks (codebase search, documentation, research)
• Slash Commands: Quick actions that invoke Skills and workflows
• MCP servers: Bundled Model Context Protocol server configs translated into each agent's expected format at install time (e.g., .mcp.json for Claude, config.toml for Codex, settings.json for Gemini, mcp.json for Cursor)

Installation

Install the client:

npm install -g nori-skillsets

Run init to set up a skillsets folder at cwd/.nori/profiles and capture your existing configs. Note that this will set up in the folder that you run the command in, allowing you to scope skillsets by project.

nori-skillsets init

Download a skillset from noriskillsets.dev.

nori-skillsets download senior-swe

Switch to using the new skillset.

nori-skillsets switch senior-swe

How Skillsets Work

Skillsets are stored in ~/.nori/profiles/ as your library of available configurations. When you switch to a Skillset, the client writes its contents into the relevant locations for each configured agent (e.g., .claude/ for Claude Code, .cursor/ for Cursor, .codex/ for Codex, .gemini/ for Gemini CLI). Configure which agents to target with nori-skillsets config.

Skillset Structure:

~/.nori/profiles/my-skillset/
├── AGENTS.md              # Custom instructions (CLAUDE.md also supported)
├── nori.json              # Skillset manifest (name, version, dependencies, requiredEnv)
├── skills/                # Skill definitions
│   ├── my-skill/
│   │   └── SKILL.md
│   └── another-skill/
│       └── SKILL.md
├── subagents/             # Subagent configurations
├── slashcommands/         # Custom slash commands
└── mcp/                   # Canonical MCP server configs (one JSON file per server)

When you activate a Skillset:

1. The client cleans any existing configuration in each configured agent's directory
2. Translates the skillset into the format each agent expects and writes it to the corresponding agent directory
3. Each agent reads the new configuration in its next session

This separation lets you maintain multiple Skillsets, target multiple agents at once, and switch between them without losing any configuration.

Requirements

• Node.js 22 or higher
• At least one supported coding agent CLI installed (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, Gemini CLI, etc.)
• Mac or Linux operating system

Creating custom skillsets or making changes to skillsets

1. Create the skillset directory:

   mkdir -p ~/.nori/profiles/my-skillset
   

2. Add an AGENTS.md file with your custom instructions:

   # My Custom Skillset
   
   Add your workflow preferences here:
   - Testing requirements
   - Git automation rules
   - Code style guidelines
   - Any repeating instructions
   

3. Activate your skillset:

   nori-skillsets switch my-skillset
   

Manual changes made to an agent's installed directory (e.g., .claude/, .cursor/, .codex/) will be removed when switching skillsets. Manual changes should be made in the ~/.nori/profiles/<skillset-name>/ directory instead.

Writing content for more than one agent

Agents name their tools differently — Claude Code has TaskCreate, Codex has update_plan. Rather than forking a skill per agent, mark the differences inline and Nori keeps only the part that applies to whichever agent it is installing for:

Track work with {{claude-code TaskCreate}}{{codex update_plan}}{{else your plan tool}} first.

For anything longer than a phrase, use the block form:

{{#claude-code}}
Multi-line guidance for Claude Code.
{{else codex}}
Multi-line guidance for Codex.
{{else}}
Guidance for everyone else.
{{/}}

The same file installed for Claude Code and for Codex produces two different results. Tags naming anything that is not a known agent are left alone, and fenced code blocks are never touched.

Run nori-skillsets syntax for the full reference, including comma lists, negation, and the {{skills_dir}}-style path placeholders.

Private Skillsets for Teams

Teams can set up private registries to share custom Skillsets across the organization. With private registries:

• Full access control - only your organization can view and install
• Package working configurations and publish internally
• Teammates install the exact setup that proved successful
• Optional Skills Review service: professional evaluation before publication

Contact us at noriagentic.com to set up a private registry for your team.

Resources

• Skillsets Registry: noriskillsets.dev
• Documentation: noriskillsets.dev/docs
• GitHub: github.com/tilework-tech/nori-skillsets
• npm: npmjs.com/package/nori-skillsets
• Contact: noriagentic.com