SkillVault
Turn your GitHub repository into a structured, queryable library of AI instruction skills — right inside VS Code.
Browse, apply, create, and share reusable coding instructions across projects without leaving your editor.
Features
- Sidebar skill library — Browse all your skills with search, tabs, favorites, and tags
- One-click apply/remove — Toggle skills on and off for any workspace
- Multi-IDE support — Auto-detects and writes to the correct file for GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Claude Code, Windsurf, and Cline
- GitHub Copilot integration — 11 tools available directly in Copilot Chat (search, apply, create, update, delete skills via natural language)
- Git-backed — Skills live in your GitHub repo with full version history
- No cloning needed — Fetches files on demand via GitHub API
- Favorites — Pin up to 5 frequently used skills for quick access
- Diff & sync — Detects when remote skills have changed and lets you sync
- Form-based editing — Create and edit skills with a full visual form
- Human-in-the-loop — All write operations (create, update, delete) require explicit user confirmation
Quick Start
- Install the extension from the VS Code Marketplace
- Click the SkillVault icon in the activity bar
- Click Configure Repository and enter your GitHub skills repo (e.g.
username/my-skills)
- Sign in with GitHub when prompted
- Browse your skills → click ✓ to apply, click again to remove
SkillVault registers 11 tools accessible from Copilot Chat via # references or automatically in Agent mode:
| Tool |
Type |
Description |
#skillvault_search_skills |
Read |
Search skills by name, tag, or technology |
#skillvault_list_skills |
Read |
List all skills in the repo |
#skillvault_get_skill |
Read |
Fetch full content of a skill |
#skillvault_list_applied |
Read |
List skills active in this workspace |
#skillvault_refresh_skills |
Read |
Refresh from GitHub |
#skillvault_apply_skill |
Write |
Apply a skill to the workspace (confirmation required) |
#skillvault_remove_applied |
Write |
Remove an applied skill (confirmation required) |
#skillvault_create_skill |
Git Write |
Create a new skill in the repo (confirmation required) |
#skillvault_update_skill |
Git Write |
Update an existing skill (confirmation required) |
#skillvault_delete_skill |
Git Write |
Delete a skill from the repo (confirmation required) |
#skillvault_toggle_favorite |
Local |
Toggle a skill as a favorite |
Example prompts
"Search my skills for anything related to React testing"
"Apply the TypeScript best practices skill"
"Create a new skill called 'Python FastAPI' with tags: python, api"
"What skills are currently active in this workspace?"
"Update the react-hooks skill to include useReducer patterns"
"Delete the deprecated lodash skill"
All Git-level operations (create, update, delete) show a confirmation dialog before making changes.
Supported AI Assistants
SkillVault detects which AI tool is active and writes to the correct instruction file:
| Assistant |
Target File |
| GitHub Copilot |
.github/copilot-instructions.md |
| Cursor |
.cursorrules |
| Claude Code |
CLAUDE.md |
| Windsurf |
.windsurfrules |
| Cline |
.clinerules |
Skills are markdown files with YAML frontmatter stored in your GitHub repo:
---
name: "React Testing"
version: "1.2"
tags: ["testing", "best-practices"]
tech: ["react", "jest", "testing-library"]
ai: ["copilot", "cursor"]
---
## Guidelines
Write unit tests for all React components using Testing Library.
Prefer `userEvent` over `fireEvent` for user interactions.
...
Commands
| Command |
Description |
SkillVault: Refresh Skills |
Refresh the skill list from GitHub |
SkillVault: Apply Skill |
Apply a skill to the workspace |
SkillVault: Remove Applied Skill |
Remove an applied skill |
SkillVault: Configure Repository |
Set your GitHub skills repository |
SkillVault: Sign in with GitHub |
Authenticate with GitHub |
SkillVault: Create New Repository |
Create a new skills repo on GitHub |
SkillVault: Generate Manifest |
Scan repo and generate manifest.json |
SkillVault: Add a Skill |
Open the skill creation form |
SkillVault: Edit Skill |
Open a skill for editing |
SkillVault: Delete Skill |
Delete a skill from the repo |
SkillVault: Toggle Favorite |
Add/remove a skill from favorites |
SkillVault: Sync Outdated Skill |
Update a skill with remote changes |
SkillVault: Open Applied Instructions File |
Open the local instructions file |
Settings
| Setting |
Default |
Description |
skillvault.repo |
"" |
Your GitHub skills repository (e.g. username/my-skills) |
skillvault.pollInterval |
15 |
How often to check for skill updates (minutes) |
Requirements
- VS Code 1.99 or later
- A GitHub account
- A GitHub repository containing skill markdown files
License
This project is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 (AGPL-3.0).
| You can... |
You must... |
| ✅ Use it personally |
📋 Keep it open source |
| ✅ Modify and distribute |
📋 Disclose your source code |
| ✅ Use it commercially |
📋 License derivatives under AGPL-3.0 |
| ✅ Patent use |
📋 State changes you made |
If you want to use SkillVault in a proprietary product, reach out for a dual-license arrangement.
Contributing
See CONTRIBUTING.md for development setup, architecture details, and how to submit changes.
