Skip to main content

sync

Push skills from source to all targets.

Why is sync a separate command?

Operations like install and uninstall only modify source — sync propagates to targets. This lets you batch changes, preview with --dry-run, and control when targets update. See Why Sync is a Separate Step.

When to Use​

  • After installing, uninstalling, or editing skills — propagate changes to all targets
  • After changing a target's sync mode — apply the new mode
  • Periodically to ensure all targets are in sync

Command Overview​

TypeCommandDirection
Local syncsync / collectSource ↔ Targets
Remote syncpush / pullSource ↔ Git Remote
  • sync = Distribute from Source to Targets
  • collect = Collect from Targets back to Source
  • push = Push to git remote
  • pull = Pull from git remote and sync

Overview​

CommandDirectionDescription
syncSource → TargetsPush skills to all targets
collect <target>Target → SourceCollect skills from target to source
pushSource → RemoteCommit and push to git
pullRemote → Source → TargetsPull from git, then sync

Project Mode​

When .skillshare/config.yaml exists in the current directory, sync auto-detects project mode:

cd my-project/
skillshare sync          # Auto-detected project mode
skillshare sync -p       # Explicit project mode

Project sync defaults to merge mode (per-skill symlinks), but each target can be set to copy or symlink mode via skillshare target <name> --mode copy -p. Backup is not created (project targets are reproducible from source).

.skillshare/skills/                 .claude/skills/
├── my-skill/          ────────►    ├── my-skill/ → (symlink)
├── pdf/               ────────►    ├── pdf/      → (symlink)
└── ...                             └── local/    (preserved)

Sync​

Push skills from source to all targets.

skillshare sync              # Sync to all targets
skillshare sync --dry-run    # Preview changes
skillshare sync -n           # Short form
skillshare sync --force      # Overwrite all managed skills
skillshare sync -f           # Short form
FlagShortDescription
--dry-run-nPreview changes without writing
--force-fOverwrite all managed entries regardless of checksum (copy mode) or replace existing directories with symlinks (merge mode)

What Happens​

Example Output​

sync demo

Collect​

Collect skills from a target back to source.

skillshare collect claude           # Collect from Claude
skillshare collect claude --dry-run # Preview
skillshare collect --all            # Collect from all targets

When to use: You created/edited a skill directly in a target (e.g., ~/.claude/skills/) and want to bring it to source.

After collecting:

skillshare collect claude
skillshare sync  # ← Distribute to other targets

Pull​

Pull from git remote and sync to all targets.

skillshare pull              # Pull from git remote
skillshare pull --dry-run    # Preview

When to use: You pushed changes from another machine and want to sync them here.

Push​

Commit and push source to git remote.

skillshare push                  # Auto-generated message
skillshare push -m "Add pdf"     # Custom message

Conflict handling:

  • If remote is ahead, push fails → run pull first

Sync Modes​

ModeBehaviorUse case
mergeEach skill symlinked individuallyDefault. Preserves local skills.
copyEach skill copied as real filesCompatibility-first setups, vendoring skills into a project repo, or environments where symlink behavior is unreliable.
symlinkEntire directory is one symlinkExact copies everywhere.

Per-target override remains the primary tuning knob:

skillshare target <name> --mode copy
skillshare sync

When sync prints a compatibility hint, the example target is chosen in this priority: cursor → antigravity → copilot → opencode. If none of these targets exist (or they already run copy), no compatibility hint is shown.

See Sync Modes for a neutral decision matrix.

Per-target include/exclude filters​

In merge and copy modes, each target can define include / exclude patterns in config:

targets:
  codex:
    path: ~/.codex/skills
    include: [codex-*]
  claude:
    path: ~/.claude/skills
    exclude: [codex-*]
  • Matching is against flat target names (for example team__frontend__ui)
  • include is applied first, then exclude
  • diff, status, doctor, and UI drift all use the filtered expected set
  • In symlink mode, filters are ignored
  • In copy mode, filters work the same way as merge mode
  • sync removes existing source-linked or managed entries that are now excluded

See Configuration for full details.

Filter behavior examples​

Assume source contains:

  • core-auth
  • core-docs
  • codex-agent
  • codex-experimental
  • team__frontend__ui

include only​

targets:
  codex:
    path: ~/.codex/skills
    include: [codex-*, core-*]

After sync, codex receives:

  • core-auth
  • core-docs
  • codex-agent
  • codex-experimental

Use this when a target should receive only a curated subset.

exclude only​

targets:
  claude:
    path: ~/.claude/skills
    exclude: [codex-*, *-experimental]

After sync, claude receives:

  • core-auth
  • core-docs
  • team__frontend__ui

Use this when a target should get "almost everything" except specific groups.

include + exclude​

targets:
  cursor:
    path: ~/.cursor/skills
    include: [core-*, codex-*]
    exclude: [*-experimental]

After sync, cursor receives:

  • core-auth
  • core-docs
  • codex-agent

codex-experimental is first included, then removed by exclude.

What gets removed when filters change​

When a filter is updated and sync runs:

  • Source-linked entries (symlink/junction) that are now filtered out are pruned
  • Local non-symlink folders already in target are preserved

Merge Mode (Default)​

Source                          Target (claude)
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
skills/                         ~/.claude/skills/
├── my-skill/        ────────►  ├── my-skill/ → (symlink)
├── another/         ────────►  ├── another/  → (symlink)
└── ...                         ├── local-only/  (preserved)
                                └── .skillshare-manifest.json

Copy Mode​

Source                          Target (cursor)
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
skills/                         ~/.cursor/skills/
├── my-skill/        ────copy►  ├── my-skill/    (real files)
├── another/         ────copy►  ├── another/     (real files)
└── ...                         ├── local-only/  (preserved)
                                └── .skillshare-manifest.json

Both merge and copy modes write .skillshare-manifest.json to track managed skills. In copy mode, checksums enable incremental sync (unchanged skills are skipped); --force overwrites all.

Source                          Target (claude)
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
skills/              ────────►  ~/.claude/skills → (symlink to source)
├── my-skill/
├── another/
└── ...

Change Mode​

skillshare target claude --mode merge
skillshare target claude --mode copy
skillshare target claude --mode symlink
skillshare sync  # Apply change

Safety Warning​

In symlink mode, deleting through target deletes source!

rm -rf ~/.claude/skills/my-skill  # ❌ Deletes from SOURCE
skillshare target remove claude   # ✅ Safe way to unlink

Backup​

Backups are created automatically before sync and target remove.

Location: ~/.local/share/skillshare/backups/<timestamp>/

Manual Backup​

skillshare backup              # Backup all targets
skillshare backup claude       # Backup specific target
skillshare backup --list       # List all backups
skillshare backup --cleanup    # Remove old backups
skillshare backup --dry-run    # Preview

Example Output​

$ skillshare backup --list

Backups
─────────────────────────────────────────
  2026-01-20_15-30-00/
    claude/    5 skills, 2.1 MB
    cursor/    5 skills, 2.1 MB
  2026-01-19_10-00-00/
    claude/    4 skills, 1.8 MB

Restore​

Restore targets from backup.

skillshare restore claude                              # Latest backup
skillshare restore claude --from 2026-01-19_10-00-00   # Specific backup
skillshare restore claude --dry-run                    # Preview

See Also​