Agent Skills for Gemini CLI
Gemini CLI is good at holding a lot of context. Skills keep that context clean: instead of pasting a 900-word brief every time, you install a folder that activates only when the task matches. The agent reads the name and description up front, then loads the body on demand.
Where Gemini CLI looks for skills
| Scope | Path | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Workspace | .gemini/skills/<name>/SKILL.md | Shared with the repo |
| Workspace (alias) | .agents/skills/<name>/SKILL.md | Cross-agent standard |
| User | ~/.gemini/skills/<name>/SKILL.md | Available everywhere |
| User (alias) | ~/.agents/skills/<name>/SKILL.md | Wins over .gemini at the same tier |
Within the same tier, the .agents/skills alias takes precedence. Don't keep two copies of the same skill name — you'll spend an afternoon debugging which one loaded.
Install in 30 seconds
- Copy the skill folder to
.agents/skills/. - Check the path ends with
<name>/SKILL.md. - Start a new session and ask for the output you want.
- On first use, Gemini CLI asks for consent before loading the skill's files — read the path it shows.
Skills that suit long-context work
| Skill | What it produces | Installs |
|---|---|---|
| Chalkboard Infographic | A single-page explainer graphic | 267 |
| Image Narrative Deck | A story-led slide deck | 171 |
| Article Brief Deck | A briefing deck from a long article | 154 |
| Research Talk Deck | An academic talk deck | 134 |
| Summary Line Chart | A clean trend chart | 53 |
| Article Illustration Set | Three consistent illustrations | 58 |
A workflow that fits the CLI
Long documents are the point. Feed a PDF or a repo, ask for a briefing deck, then ask for the OG image and the summary chart in the same session. Three skills, one context, no re-explaining.
FAQ
Do skills count against the context window? Only the metadata is always present; the instructions load when activated.
Can I use Claude Code skills here? If they're plain SKILL.md folders, yes — the format is shared.
Where do I start? Article to deck or OG image.