VS Code Extension
The Skillsmith VS Code extension brings skill discovery, install, and authoring into the editor. It is a visual surface over the same MCP server you use from Claude Code or the CLI — install the extension and you get a sidebar tree, commands, and a guided walkthrough without leaving VS Code.
Install
Install Skillsmith from theVS Code Marketplace, or run from the editor:
code --install-extension skillsmith.skillsmith-vscodeThe extension activates on startup. On first activation, it connects to a local Skillsmith MCP server (spawned via npx) and loads your installed skills tree.
Activity bar and views
The extension contributes a Skillsmith entry in the activity bar. Click it to open two views:
- Skills — tree view of the skills currently installed in your runtime's skills directory (default
~/.claude/skills; configurable viaskillsmith.skillsDirectory). - Search Results — populated when you run theSearch Skills command. Collapsed by default.
Commands
All commands are listed in the Command Palette under theSkillsmith category (Cmd+Shift+P on macOS,Ctrl+Shift+P on Windows / Linux).
| Command | Command ID | Lifecycle stage | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search Skills | skillsmith.searchSkills | Discover | Open a quick-pick to search the registry; results land in the Search Results view. |
| View Skill Details | skillsmith.viewSkillDetails | Evaluate | Open a webview panel with the selected skill's full details. |
| Install Skill | skillsmith.installSkill | Install | Install the selected skill into the configured skills directory. |
| Refresh Skills | skillsmith.refreshSkills | Maintain | Re-scan the skills directory and refresh the tree view. |
| Create Skill | skillsmith.createSkill | Author | Scaffold a new skill via the CLI; opens a terminal with the prompt sequence. |
| Uninstall Skill | skillsmith.uninstallSkill | Retire | Remove the selected installed skill. |
| Connect / Reconnect to MCP Server | skillsmith.mcpReconnect | (maintenance) | Manually reconnect to the MCP server. Useful after restarting the server externally. |
Walkthrough
First-time users see a guided walkthrough at Welcome → Get Started with Skillsmith. It has three steps:
- Discover skills — search the registry by keyword, category, or trust tier.
- Install a skill — install any skill with one click from the Search Results view.
- Create your own skill — scaffold a new skill via the CLI from inside VS Code.
Re-open the walkthrough at any time via the Command Palette: Welcome: Open Walkthrough → Get Started with Skillsmith.
Configuration keys
Configure the extension via Settings (Cmd+, on macOS,Ctrl+, elsewhere) or directly in settings.json.
| Key | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
skillsmith.skillsDirectory | string | ~/.claude/skills | Directory where skills are installed. |
skillsmith.apiEndpoint | string | (empty) | Custom API endpoint for skill search. Leave empty for the default registry. |
skillsmith.mcp.serverCommand | string | npx | Command to run the MCP server. |
skillsmith.mcp.serverArgs | array | ["@skillsmith/mcp-server"] | Arguments for the MCP server command. |
skillsmith.mcp.autoConnect | boolean | true | Automatically connect to the MCP server on extension activation. |
skillsmith.mcp.autoReconnect | boolean | true | Automatically reconnect when the connection is lost. |
skillsmith.mcp.connectionTimeout | number | 30000 | Connection timeout in milliseconds. |
skillsmith.mcp.minServerVersion | string | 0.4.9 | Minimum required @skillsmith/mcp-server version. When the connected server is older, an informational toast prompts to run npm install -g @skillsmith/mcp-server@latest. Non-blocking. |
skillsmith.telemetry.enabled | boolean | true | Send anonymous usage telemetry. Also respects VS Code's globaltelemetry.telemetryLevel setting — either being off disables telemetry. |
skillsmith.telemetryEndpoint | string | (empty) | Telemetry endpoint URL. Leave empty to disable network calls. Events POST as { event, anonymous_id, metadata }. |
Lifecycle stage coverage
The VS Code extension covers most lifecycle stages with a visual surface; some stages remain CLI-only because they are inherently filesystem- or terminal-led.
| Stage | VS Code support | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Discover | Yes | Search Skills command + Search Results view. |
| Evaluate | Yes (partial) | View Skill Details opens a details panel; compare and diff are MCP / CLI only. |
| Install | Yes | Install Skill command from the Search Results view. |
| Use | Runtime-dependent | VS Code itself is not the agent runtime; use Claude Code, Continue, Copilot, or Cursor inside VS Code as the runtime layer. |
| Maintain | Partial | Refresh Skills re-scans the tree; pin / audit collisions remain CLI-only. |
| Author | Yes (CLI-driven) | Create Skill command opens a terminal with skillsmith create. |
| Govern | No | Audit query and SIEM export are MCP only — drive them from Claude Code or curl. |
| Retire | Yes | Uninstall Skill command from the Skills tree. |
Troubleshooting
"MCP server not connecting"
The extension spawns the MCP server via npx by default. If your shell does not have npx on its PATH (rare on developer machines), set skillsmith.mcp.serverCommand to an absolute path. Use the Command Palette's Connect / Reconnect to MCP Server command to retry.
"Skills tree is empty but I have skills installed"
Check skillsmith.skillsDirectory — the default~/.claude/skills is correct for Claude Code, but Cursor, Copilot, and Windsurf use different paths. Set the directory to your runtime's skills location and refresh the tree.
"MCP server version mismatch toast"
The extension checks the connected server's version againstskillsmith.mcp.minServerVersion. The toast is informational only — features still work — but upgrading the server is recommended. Run npm install -g @skillsmith/mcp-server@latest.
"Telemetry"
The extension respects VS Code's global telemetry setting in addition to its own skillsmith.telemetry.enabled flag. Either being off disables telemetry. Events post to skillsmith.telemetryEndpointif configured; the empty default means no network calls.
Source
The extension is source-available under theElastic License 2.0. Source lives underpackages/vscode-extensionin the main repository.
Where to next
The lifecycle tutorials show every stage end-to-end; if you prefer a CLI-led path, theCLI reference covers the same surface from the terminal. The MCP Server referencedocuments the underlying tools the extension drives.