AI Tool Consultant
Search for "Claude skills" and you'll find everything from Anthropic's own document skills to directories listing tens of thousands of community skills, GitHub lists, and people selling packs for specific jobs. They're not equivalent. Some sources are reviewed, some are checked by nobody, and the format makes them all look the same.
This guide compares the places to find a Claude skills marketplace or library in October 2026: what you get from each, how much review happens, how you install from it, and how to decide what's worth installing at all.
At a glance
- Anthropic's sources: the
anthropics/skillsrepository (examples and document skills) and the official Claude Code plugin marketplace,claude-plugins-official, which Claude Code adds automatically.1 2 - Claude Marketplace on the web lists plugins with install counts and marks some as "Anthropic verified".1
- Community and open directories have far more choice and far less review. Anthropic doesn't review third-party marketplaces.1
- Paid packs come from independent sellers. They're worth it only when they contain something Claude doesn't already know, and they deserve the same security audit.
- Whatever the source, read the files before installing. Skills can run code.
Anthropic's own sources
The anthropics/skills repository on GitHub is Anthropic's public collection. Its skills range "from creative applications (art, music, design) to technical tasks (testing web apps, MCP server generation) to enterprise workflows".2 Many are Apache 2.0 licensed; the PowerPoint, Excel, Word and PDF skills are source-available rather than open source. The repository is explicit that its skills are "provided for demonstration and educational purposes only", so treat them as patterns to learn from and test before relying on them.2 In Claude Code you can add it as a marketplace with /plugin marketplace add anthropics/skills.
The official plugin marketplace, claude-plugins-official, is added automatically the first time you start an interactive Claude Code session.1 It contains plugins Anthropic maintains (such as commit-commands and code-review) plus plugins from partners and other authors, often tool vendors connecting Claude Code to their services. You browse it in the Discover tab of /plugin, or on the web at Claude Marketplace, which "shows install counts and marks some plugins Anthropic verified".1
Built-in skills. Claude.ai already includes Anthropic's PowerPoint, Excel, Word and PDF skills, with no install needed.3
Community marketplaces and author marketplaces
Anthropic also runs a community marketplace, claude-community, for "third-party plugins that their authors submitted to Anthropic". You add it with /plugin marketplace add anthropics/claude-plugins-community.1
Beyond that, many popular plugins live in their authors' own marketplaces: a GitHub repository with a marketplace.json file. Anthropic's documentation is clear that it "doesn't review third-party marketplaces", and asks you to read its plugin security guidance before adding one.1
Open directories
Open directories collect skills from anyone, which makes them the biggest catalogs and the least checked. The best known is skills.sh, a directory and leaderboard that goes with Vercel's open-source skills command-line tool, which installs skill repositories into many agents at once, for example with npx skills add owner/repo.4
Scale is the attraction and the risk. When Snyk analysed 3,984 skills from two public directories in February 2026, it confirmed 76 malicious payloads, and found critical issues in 13.4% of the skills it examined.5 Use open directories to discover skills, and the ten-minute skill audit before installing any of them.
GitHub lists and repositories
Curated "awesome" lists and individual repositories are where many good skills start, often written by practitioners for their own work. Quality varies with the author. Check the license (some have none, which means you have no right to reuse them), the commit history, and whether anyone maintains it.
Paid skill packs
Independent sellers offer packs aimed at one job or profession, usually as a one-time purchase delivered as zips or through a private repository. This site is one of them, so here's the honest version of when paying makes sense:
- Pay for knowledge Claude doesn't have. A pack that wraps general advice ("write good SEO titles") gives you what Claude would do anyway. A pack built from real failures (the check someone learned the hard way) changes the outcome.
- Ask to see the files. A seller should show what each skill contains and what its scripts do. You'll audit them anyway.
- Check maintenance. Models and platforms change. Ask how updates are delivered and whether they're included.
- Check the license. Paid packs usually allow personal and client use but not redistribution.
How do the options compare?
| Source | What you get | Review | Cost | Install |
|---|---|---|---|---|
anthropics/skills | Examples and document skills | Anthropic's, but labelled demo and educational | Free | /plugin marketplace add anthropics/skills |
| Official marketplace | Anthropic and partner plugins | Some marked "Anthropic verified" | Mostly free | Built in; /plugin → Discover |
| Community marketplace | Author-submitted plugins | Submitted to Anthropic | Free | /plugin marketplace add anthropics/claude-plugins-community |
| Author marketplaces | Whatever the author publishes | Not reviewed by Anthropic | Varies | /plugin marketplace add owner/repo |
| Open directories | Very large catalogs | Minimal | Free | Download or npx skills add |
| Paid packs | Niche workflows | The seller's own | One-time or subscription | Zip, folder or private marketplace |
Practical takeaway
Judge a skill by one question before anything else: does it contain something Claude wouldn't have done by itself? If not, it doesn't matter where it came from; you don't need it.
Or write your own
For workflows specific to your team, the best skill is often one you write from your own failures. Claude can produce the format in a minute; the value is in the rules and checks you add. The method is in how to write a Claude skill that triggers and beats Claude's defaults.
FAQ
Is there an official Claude skills marketplace?
For Claude Code plugins, yes: Anthropic's official marketplace, claude-plugins-official, browsable in Claude Code and on Claude Marketplace. For standalone skills, Anthropic's public repository is anthropics/skills, and Claude.ai has a directory of plugins that syncs to Claude Code.1 2
Are skills on GitHub free to use?
Only if their license says so. Many use permissive licenses like MIT or Apache 2.0; a repository without a license doesn't grant you reuse rights. Anthropic's own document skills are source-available, not open source.2
Do skills from one marketplace work in other tools?
Usually. Skills follow the open Agent Skills format, so a skill folder works in Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot and others. Plugins, which bundle skills with hooks and MCP servers, are Claude Code specific.
How do I know a marketplace skill is safe?
You don't, until you've read it. Use the ten-minute audit, install with narrow permissions, and try new skills somewhere without your real credentials.
Sources
- Anthropic's marketplaces, Claude Code documentation.
- anthropics/skills, Anthropic on GitHub.
- Agent Skills overview, Claude Platform documentation.
- Agent Skills, Vercel documentation.
- Exploring the threat landscape of agent skills, Snyk Labs, 5 February 2026.
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