How to Install Codex Skills From GitHub (2026 Guide)

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To install a Codex skill from GitHub, put the skill's folder in ~/.agents/skills/ and Codex picks it up. The folder must have a SKILL.md file at its root. There is no config file to edit and nothing to build.

git clone https://github.com/GarphenGate/moltline-oss
mkdir -p ~/.agents/skills
cp -r moltline-oss/skills/<skill-name> ~/.agents/skills/

Codex detects new skills on its own. If one does not show up, restart Codex. To check what it loaded, run /skills, or type $ to mention a skill by name.

For OpenAI's curated skills there is a built-in installer. $skill-installer linear adds the Linear skill, and you can ask the same installer to fetch skills from other repositories.

The rest of this guide covers where to find skills worth installing, how to read one before it touches your setup, where Codex looks for skills, and how skills pair with MCP servers. Moltline Studio's 138 free SKILL.md files are the worked example.

What a SKILL.md File Does

A skill is a folder with a SKILL.md file, plus optional scripts and reference files. The file is plain markdown: a frontmatter block with the skill's name and description, then the instructions the agent follows.

---
name: write-commit-message
description: Write a conventional commit message from the staged diff. Use when the user asks for a commit message.
---

## Instructions

Read the staged diff and write one conventional commit message.

The description does the routing. Codex reads the name and description of every installed skill, and loads the full instructions only when a task matches, or when you name the skill with $. A vague description means the skill never fires, however good the instructions are. Write it the way a developer would phrase the task.

Because only names and descriptions load up front, you can keep many skills installed without filling the context window.

OpenAI launched Codex skills experimentally in December 2025. The same SKILL.md format works in other agents too, Claude Code among them, so a well-written skill is not tied to one tool.

Where to Find Codex Skills on GitHub

OpenAI's curated set at github.com/openai/skills. These are the skills $skill-installer installs by name.
GitHub topics. github.com/topics/codex-skills lists every repository tagged with that topic, sortable by stars or by last update.
Curated lists such as composio-community/awesome-codex-skills, plus cross-agent collections that cover Codex alongside Claude Code and Cursor.
Vendor directories such as mcpservers.org/agent-skills, which groups skills by the company that publishes them.
Moltline Studio's 138 free skills at GarphenGate/moltline-oss, each written to pair with one of Moltline's hosted MCP servers.

Read a skill before you install it

Community repositories are unreviewed by default, and Codex does not check where a skill came from. A skill's instructions go straight into your agent's context, so read the file first. Look for outbound network calls, scripts that write outside the project, and instructions that widen what the agent is allowed to do. Plain-text skills are the only kind you can audit this way. Agensi scans the skills it lists, but a scan is not a guarantee.

Where Does Codex Look for Skills?

Scope	Location	Use it for
User	`~/.agents/skills`	Skills you want in every repository
Repository	`.agents/skills` in the folder you launch Codex from, any folder above it, and the repo root	Skills your team checks in with the code
Admin	`/etc/codex/skills`	Shared skills on one machine or container
System	Bundled with Codex	Built-ins such as `skill-creator` and `skill-installer`

These locations come from OpenAI's skills documentation. Some older guides point at ~/.codex/skills. Use the locations above.

Install from any public repository

Clone or download the repository.
Find the skill's folder. SKILL.md must sit at the root of that folder, not deeper.
Copy the folder into ~/.agents/skills/ for yourself, or into .agents/skills/ in a repository for your team.
Start a task that matches the skill's description, or mention it with $.

Check that it loaded

Run /skills. If the skill is missing, confirm the folder sits directly inside a skills location, that SKILL.md is at its root, and that the frontmatter has a name and a description. Then restart Codex. Folder names are case-sensitive on Linux. To remove a skill, delete its folder.

The 138 Free SKILL.md Files at GarphenGate/moltline-oss

GarphenGate/moltline-oss holds 138 SKILL.md files, free to use with any agent for personal or commercial work under the Moltline Free Skills License. Each one is written alongside one of Moltline's 22 hosted MCP servers, so its instructions match what that server's tools actually do. There is no account, no API key and no signup to clone it.

Lint a skill before you install it

The SKILL.md linter is a hosted MCP server, not a CLI: https://mcp.moltlinestudio.com/skillmd-lint. All 6 of its tools are free, with no account or API key. Add it to Codex as a Streamable HTTP server, paste the text of any SKILL.md and ask for a lint. It flags malformed frontmatter and other structural problems. Because it runs inside your agent session, you can check a skill before it ever lands in a skills folder, whoever published it.

Why Do Skills and MCP Servers Pair Together?

A skill tells the agent how to approach a task: the steps, the checks, when to stop and ask. An MCP server gives it the tools to call. One does not replace the other.

Setting up both takes two steps. Copy the skill folder into ~/.agents/skills/. Then add the server to your Codex MCP config as a Streamable HTTP entry, for example https://mcp.moltlinestudio.com/codereview. The skill fires when a task matches. The server's tools show up as soon as the endpoint is registered.

On Moltline, 110 of the 160 tools across the 22 hosted servers are free, with no account and no API key. Paste the endpoint and they work. The other 50 premium tools come with one $19/month All-Access licence that covers every Moltline server, at moltlinestudio.com. Agents can buy the same month themselves over x402, for 19 USDC on Base.

Your Next Step: Install One Skill and One Server

Clone a skill and copy it into ~/.agents/skills/.
Run /skills to confirm Codex sees it.
Add one Moltline endpoint, such as https://mcp.moltlinestudio.com/codereview, to your Codex MCP config and run a real task.
Before you install any community skill, run it through the linter.

Conclusion

Installing a Codex skill from GitHub comes down to one folder in the right place.

Put the skill folder in ~/.agents/skills/ for yourself or .agents/skills/ for your team, with SKILL.md at its root.
Codex picks it up automatically, and $skill-installer handles OpenAI's curated skills for you.
Read every community skill before installing it, and lint it with the free hosted linter.
Pair skills with MCP servers: Moltline's 138 free skills match its 22 hosted servers, and 110 of the 160 tools are free.

Start with the skills in GarphenGate/moltline-oss, then browse the server list for the tools to pair them with.