How to Use AI Skills (No Coding Required)

What Are AI Skills?

Think of skills like apps for your phone, but for your AI assistant. Just like you download a weather app to get forecasts, you add a skill to teach your AI something new.

For example:

A tax skill teaches your AI to help with Israeli income tax forms
A localization skill teaches your AI to write proper Hebrew and handle right-to-left text
A government services skill teaches your AI to work with systems like the Population Authority and National Insurance

Skills IL hosts over 120 verified Israeli skills across 12 categories, all free and open source.

What You Need

Just two things:

An AI tool (an AI-powered assistant) like Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Windsurf, or any other AI tool that supports skills
A browser to browse the Skills IL website

That's it. No programming knowledge, no developer account, no extra tools to install.

Step 1: Find a Skill

Head to the skills directory and look for a skill that fits your needs.

Tips for finding the right skill:

Use the search bar to look for keywords (e.g., "tax" or "Hebrew")
Filter by category in the sidebar (tax, localization, government services, and more)
Check the trust score, skills with higher scores have passed more thorough security reviews
Look at the install count, popular skills tend to work well

Step 2: Install a Skill

On the skill page, you'll find an install command. It looks like this:

npx skills-il add skills-il/localization --skill hebrew-date

What to do with it:

Copy the command (there's a copy button on the side)
Open your AI tool
Paste the command
Done, the skill is installed

The command automatically detects which AI tool you have and installs the skill accordingly.

Step 3: Use It

After installation, just chat with your AI as usual. It will use the skill automatically when the task is relevant.

Examples:

Installed a tax skill? Ask your AI "help me fill out Form 101" and it'll know exactly what to do
Installed a localization skill? Ask "translate this text to Hebrew" and you'll get natural Hebrew, not machine translation
Installed a government services skill? Ask "what's the process for renewing a passport?" and you'll get up-to-date information

Frequently Asked Questions

Nothing happened after I pasted the command?

Make sure your AI tool supports skills. Most modern AI tools do, including Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, and Windsurf. If the command doesn't work, try running it again or check that your tool is updated to the latest version.

Which AI tools does this work with?

Skills work with a variety of AI tools: Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Windsurf, OpenClaw, OpenCode, Codex, Antigravity, and more. On each skill's page, you can see the exact list of supported tools.

Is it safe?

We invest significant effort in security: every skill goes through an automated security review that includes static code analysis, external scanning, and manual review. Each skill receives a trust score so you can assess its safety level. Skills are instruction files only, they don't run code on your machine independently. That said, no review process can guarantee the complete absence of vulnerabilities. We recommend always checking the trust score and security details on the skill page before use. For full details, see our Terms of Service.

The skill isn't responding, what do I do?

Try closing the session (conversation) and opening a new one. Some AI tools only load skills at the start of a new session, so closing and reopening usually solves the issue.

How do I know the skill is working?

After installation, ask your AI to perform a task related to the skill and check that the response is accurate and relevant. For example, if you installed a tax skill, ask a question about tax forms and verify that the answer includes Israel-specific information rather than a generic response. If the AI answers generically without referencing the skill's topic, the skill may not have loaded properly and it's worth trying a new session.