tiger-skills — Claude Code MCP server: what it does, how to install
MCP server that adds skills to an agent — modular packages with instructions, scripts and references for specific tasks. Loads skills from local directories or GitHub repositories.
claude mcp add --env GITHUB_TOKEN=<GITHUB_TOKEN> --env SKILLS_FILE=<SKILLS_FILE> --transport stdio tiger-skills -- npx -y @tigerdata/tiger-skills-mcp-serverWhat tiger-skills does
The server implements Anthropic's skill format for any MCP-compatible IDE. A skill is a directory with a SKILL.md file describing the workflow, and optionally scripts in scripts/, reference docs in references/, and templates in assets/. The agent sees metadata for all skills, loads instructions when triggered, and reads or runs bundled files as needed.
Configuration is done via a skills.yaml file, where each skill is specified as a local directory (type: local) or a GitHub repository (type: github for a single skill, github_collection for a set). GitHub skills require a GITHUB_TOKEN environment variable. You can disable individual skills via disabled_skills or keep only selected ones via enabled_skills.
The server caches loaded skills for 5 minutes (override with SKILLS_TTL). Skill names must be unique: duplicates are ignored with a warning.
What it helps with
- load a set of specialized instructions for the agent from a local directory or GitHub
- add a skill with ready-made scripts the agent runs without rewriting
- keep reference documentation and schemas in separate files, loading them only when needed
- reuse Anthropic skills in any IDE with MCP support
- configure which skills from a collection are enabled and which are disabled
Example prompts for the agent
- Show the list of available skills and their descriptions
- Load the
financial-modelsskill and build a revenue forecast using the template fromreferences/finance.md - Run the
scripts/rotate_pdf.pyscript to rotate pages inreport.pdf
How to install tiger-skills
Platform CLI
claude mcp add --env GITHUB_TOKEN=<GITHUB_TOKEN> --env SKILLS_FILE=<SKILLS_FILE> --transport stdio tiger-skills -- npx -y @tigerdata/tiger-skills-mcp-serverReplace <…> with your own values
Platform CLI
codex mcp add tiger-skills --env GITHUB_TOKEN=<GITHUB_TOKEN> --env SKILLS_FILE=<SKILLS_FILE> -- npx -y @tigerdata/tiger-skills-mcp-serverReplace <…> with your own values
Config file
{
"mcpServers": {
"tiger-skills": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@tigerdata/tiger-skills-mcp-server"
],
"env": {
"GITHUB_TOKEN": "<GITHUB_TOKEN>",
"SKILLS_FILE": "<SKILLS_FILE>"
}
}
}
}Replace <…> with your own values
Config file
{
"servers": {
"tiger-skills": {
"type": "stdio",
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@tigerdata/tiger-skills-mcp-server"
],
"env": {
"GITHUB_TOKEN": "<GITHUB_TOKEN>",
"SKILLS_FILE": "<SKILLS_FILE>"
}
}
}
}Replace <…> with your own values
Platform CLI
gemini mcp add -e GITHUB_TOKEN=<GITHUB_TOKEN> -e SKILLS_FILE=<SKILLS_FILE> tiger-skills npx -y @tigerdata/tiger-skills-mcp-serverReplace <…> with your own values
Step by step, with commands for each platform: How to add an MCP server to Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, VS Code, Gemini CLI and more
Questions about tiger-skills
How do I install tiger-skills in Claude Code?
Run claude mcp add tiger-skills -e GITHUB_TOKEN=<GITHUB_TOKEN> -- npx -y @tigerdata/tiger-skills-mcp-server, substituting your GitHub token. If you need a custom config file, add --env SKILLS_FILE=<SKILLS_FILE>.
What does tiger-skills do?
The server adds skills to the agent — modular instructions with optional scripts and references. Skills are loaded from local directories or GitHub repositories, configured via a YAML file. The agent sees skill metadata, loads the SKILL.md body when triggered, and reads bundled files as needed.
What is required to load skills from GitHub?
A GITHUB_TOKEN environment variable with a personal GitHub token. In the skills.yaml file, specify type github or github_collection, owner and repository name, and optionally the path to the skill directory or collection.
