# Install

> Install selected skills. Check the files and keep existing installations safe.

Use the shell installer to copy committed skill instructions into `~/.gemini/skills`. It preserves folder structure and skips existing destinations. No npm package is needed.

## Prerequisites

- Bash, Git, and curl available in your terminal.
- Network access to `skills.n3wth.com` and GitHub.
- Write access to your home directory, or a staging directory you choose.
- An assistant configured to read the installed instructions. Installation does not install the assistant itself.

The general target is `gemini`, displayed in the catalog as Antigravity CLI. Other target names are rejected, except `all`, which currently selects that same single target.

## Install a selected skill

Download and inspect the script before running it:

```bash
curl -fsSL https://skills.n3wth.com/install.sh -o /tmp/n3wth-skills-install.sh
less /tmp/n3wth-skills-install.sh
bash /tmp/n3wth-skills-install.sh gemini gsap-animations
test -s "$HOME/.gemini/skills/gsap-animations/SKILL.md"
sed -n '1,45p' "$HOME/.gemini/skills/gsap-animations/SKILL.md"
```

The script clones `n3wth/n3wth` at its default branch into a temporary directory, reads `apps/skills/skills`, and removes the clone when finished. It does not pin a commit or install a catalog version.

Supply multiple IDs to install a subset:

```bash
bash /tmp/n3wth-skills-install.sh gemini pdf skill-creator
```

These two skills use flat files, so verify `~/.gemini/skills/pdf.md` and `~/.gemini/skills/skill-creator.md`. IDs may contain lowercase letters, digits, and hyphens. The script validates the entire selection before changing the assistant directory. It accepts an ID when either `<id>.md` or `<id>/SKILL.md` exists in the cloned source.

To copy every top-level entry in the skill source directory, omit IDs:

```bash
bash /tmp/n3wth-skills-install.sh gemini
```

This installs repository contents, including files not necessarily exposed by a catalog download link.

## Stage an installation

`SKILLS_INSTALL_HOME` overrides the home directory used by this shell script. Use it to inspect files before placing them in the assistant's directory:

```bash
skill_stage=$(mktemp -d)
SKILLS_INSTALL_HOME="$skill_stage" bash /tmp/n3wth-skills-install.sh gemini pdf
sed -n '1,60p' "$skill_stage/.gemini/skills/pdf.md"
```

The override does not configure the assistant, the website's curl commands, or the separate CLI. A staged skill will not automatically appear in your normal assistant session.

## Claude Code: skill-creator only

The catalog provides this additional recipe specifically for `skill-creator`:

```bash
mkdir -p "$HOME/.claude/skills/skill-creator"
curl -fsSL \
  https://raw.githubusercontent.com/n3wth/n3wth/main/apps/skills/skills/skill-creator.md \
  -o "$HOME/.claude/skills/skill-creator/SKILL.md"
test -s "$HOME/.claude/skills/skill-creator/SKILL.md"
```

This direct download overwrites that destination file. Inspect it, then start a new Claude Code session as the catalog recipe instructs. Do not extrapolate this exception into catalog-wide Claude Code compatibility; the general installer still accepts only `gemini` and `all`.

## Existing files, updates, and removal

The shell installer skips a destination when it already exists, including symbolic links. Rerunning it is therefore not an update operation. To compare an update, install into a staging directory, diff the staged copy against your installed file or folder, and deliberately replace it after preserving local changes.

The shell installer does not create an uninstall registry. Remove only the exact file or folder you installed. The separate CLI cannot discover these installations through `list --installed`; its tracking file is independent.

## Troubleshooting

| Symptom | Check or action |
| --- | --- |
| `Supported target: gemini` | Put `gemini` before skill IDs; `claude` is not a target |
| `Invalid skill ID` | Use a bare lowercase ID, not a path or URL |
| `Skill is not available` | Confirm the flat file or folder exists in the repository's default branch |
| `already exists, skipping` | Compare with a staged copy; the installer intentionally preserves the destination |
| Clone failure | Check Git installation, GitHub connectivity, and access to `n3wth/n3wth` |
| File exists but assistant ignores it | Inspect its content and path; confirm discovery in the assistant before treating installation as successful activation |
| Direct download has no sibling resources | Use the shell installer for a folder skill; a single curl download copies only the referenced Markdown file |

## Sources

- [Shell installer](https://github.com/n3wth/n3wth/blob/main/apps/skills/public/install.sh)
- [Installer regression checks](https://github.com/n3wth/n3wth/blob/main/apps/skills/scripts/install.test.mjs)
- [Skill Creator's additional install recipe](https://github.com/n3wth/n3wth/blob/main/apps/skills/src/data/skills.ts)