skill-forge MCP — Use Cases, Install & Live Demo

Why use it

Key features

5-stage workflow: plan, build, review, evolve, publish
0-100 health score across 6 quality categories
Four tiers: single-file, multi-file, agent-assisted, enterprise
3-layer architecture: Directive + Orchestration + Execution
Packages to .skill archives with install scripts

Live Demo

What it looks like in practice

skill-forge-skill.replay ▶ ready

0/0

Install

Pick your client

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json · Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "skill-forge-skill": {
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/AgriciDaniel/skill-forge",
        "~/.claude/skills/skill-forge"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config. Restart after saving.

~/.cursor/mcp.json · .cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "skill-forge-skill": {
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/AgriciDaniel/skill-forge",
        "~/.claude/skills/skill-forge"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Cursor uses the same mcpServers schema as Claude Desktop. Project config wins over global.

VS Code → Cline → MCP Servers → Edit

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "skill-forge-skill": {
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/AgriciDaniel/skill-forge",
        "~/.claude/skills/skill-forge"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Click the MCP Servers icon in the Cline sidebar, then "Edit Configuration".

~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "skill-forge-skill": {
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/AgriciDaniel/skill-forge",
        "~/.claude/skills/skill-forge"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Same shape as Claude Desktop. Restart Windsurf to pick up changes.

~/.continue/config.json

{
  "mcpServers": [
    {
      "name": "skill-forge-skill",
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/AgriciDaniel/skill-forge",
        "~/.claude/skills/skill-forge"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Continue uses an array of server objects rather than a map.

~/.config/zed/settings.json

{
  "context_servers": {
    "skill-forge-skill": {
      "command": {
        "path": "git",
        "args": [
          "clone",
          "https://github.com/AgriciDaniel/skill-forge",
          "~/.claude/skills/skill-forge"
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to context_servers. Zed hot-reloads on save.

claude mcp add skill-forge-skill -- git clone https://github.com/AgriciDaniel/skill-forge ~/.claude/skills/skill-forge

One-liner. Verify with claude mcp list. Remove with claude mcp remove.

Use Cases

Real-world ways to use skill-forge

Go from idea to published skill in one session

👤 Developers who keep copy-pasting the same prompt and want to ship it as a reusable skill ⏱ ~90 min intermediate

When to use: You have a workflow you repeat (e.g. code review, PR description writing) and want it automated into a skill.

Prerequisites

Skill cloned — git clone https://github.com/AgriciDaniel/skill-forge ~/.claude/skills/skill-forge

Flow

Plan

/skill-forge plan — I want a skill that does structured code review comments on PRs. Use cases, sub-skills, I/O.✓ Copied

→ Architecture with sub-skills enumerated
Build

/skill-forge build code-review-commenter — scaffold the tree per the plan.✓ Copied

→ SKILL.md + sub-files generated
Review

/skill-forge review code-review-commenter — give me the 100-point audit.✓ Copied

→ Score + findings per category
Evolve + publish

Fix each finding then /skill-forge publish — make a .skill archive.✓ Copied

→ Installable archive

Outcome: A shippable skill in your skills directory that passes the audit.

Pitfalls

Over-scoping — trying to make a monster skill — Start at tier 1 (single-file). Promote tiers only when real needs push you there

Combine with: filesystem · github

Audit and improve a skill someone else wrote

👤 Platform engineers curating an internal skills library ⏱ ~45 min beginner

When to use: You inherited a skill and want to know if it meets the bar.

Flow

Run the audit

/skill-forge review path/to/skill — give me the scorecard and top 5 issues.✓ Copied

→ Score + prioritized fix list
Evolve

/skill-forge evolve — fix the top 5 findings and re-score.✓ Copied

→ Higher score, changelog

Outcome: An upgraded skill with measurable quality improvement.

Design a coordinated pack of skills for a domain

👤 Teams standardizing how AI agents work in their domain ⏱ ~180 min advanced

When to use: You need 5–10 related skills that hand off cleanly to each other.

Flow

Plan ecosystem

/skill-forge plan domain=customer-support — design 6 coordinated skills with clear hand-off boundaries.✓ Copied

→ Diagram + per-skill spec
Build in parallel

/skill-forge build — all 6 skills, same sprint.✓ Copied

→ Skills generated with shared conventions

Outcome: A consistent pack rather than a collection of mismatched skills.

Pitfalls

Duplicating capabilities across skills — The plan step detects overlap — revisit if flagged

Combinations

Pair with other MCPs for X10 leverage

skill-forge-skill + filesystem

Edit the generated skill files directly in the same session

After /skill-forge build, hand-edit the SKILL.md tone — the filesystem skill keeps Claude editing in-place.✓ Copied

skill-forge-skill + github

Publish skill to a public GitHub repo for distribution

Publish and push the .skill archive to a new GitHub release.✓ Copied

Tools

What this MCP exposes

Tool	Inputs	When to call
/skill-forge plan	domain or use case	Start of any new skill project
/skill-forge build	skill name (+ plan)	After plan is approved
/skill-forge review	skill path	After any significant change
/skill-forge evolve	findings to fix	Improvement loop
/skill-forge publish	skill path	Ready to ship

Cost & Limits

What this costs to run

API quota: None
Tokens per call: Large — scaffolding and review are token-heavy (15–40k per phase)
Monetary: Free
Tip: Plan in a cheap model, then switch to Opus for build and review

Security

Permissions, secrets, blast radius

Credential storage: None in the skill itself

Data egress: None

Generated skills are your responsibility — run the review step before shipping and never auto-publish without human sign-off.

Troubleshooting

Common errors and fixes

Review score stays low despite fixes

Read the findings carefully — some are structural (tier mismatch) and need redesign, not patching

Build step creates skill but Claude doesn't pick it up

Ensure SKILL.md frontmatter is valid and the skill sits directly under ~/.claude/skills/<name>/

Verify: ls ~/.claude/skills/<name>/SKILL.md

Alternatives

skill-forge vs others

Alternative	When to use it instead	Tradeoff
gsd-skill-creator	You want skills to be auto-suggested from observed patterns	More framework, higher learning curve
Hand-authoring SKILL.md	Single, simple skill you understand fully	No review layer, easy to miss conventions

More

Resources

📖 Read the official README on GitHub

🐙 Browse open issues

🔍 Browse all 400+ MCP servers and Skills