Short answer
A Cursor skill is a folder with SKILL.md at .cursor/skills/<name>/SKILL.md. Install one version with aipm add @scope/name@version --target cursor, then review the files. Keep rules short, and put repeatable workflows in skills.
Claude Code vs Cursor vs Codex
This page is the Cursor column. The other columns are here so you can see the path and the install flag before you pick a tool.
| Claude Code | Cursor | Codex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Anthropic's coding agent in the terminal or an IDE | A code editor with a built-in coding agent | OpenAI's coding agent |
| Skills path | .claude/skills/<name>/SKILL.md | .cursor/skills/<name>/SKILL.md | .agents/skills/<name>/SKILL.md |
| How skills load | Name and description first. Full file when the task matches. | Name and description first. Full file when the task matches, or when you type /skill-name. | Name and description first. Full file when the task matches. |
| AIPM target flag | --target claude | --target cursor | --target codex |
| Install command | aipm add @scope/name@version --target claude | aipm add @scope/name@version --target cursor | aipm add @scope/name@version --target codex |
| Good for | Claude Code sessions in a repo | Day-to-day editing in Cursor | Codex sessions in a repo |
Install into Cursor
AIPM writes .cursor/skills/<name>/SKILL.md. Run this from the project folder, then read the files it adds.
aipm add @scope/name@version --target cursorWhat AIPM does differently
- You install a named version, such as @scope/name@1.2.0. The project file aipm.package.json remembers it, so the next person gets the same skill.
- AIPM writes the skill files into the repo. You can read them before anyone relies on them.
- The same skill can be installed for Claude Code, Cursor, or Codex. Change the --target flag and the folder changes with it.