# nfl-data

The skill gives your agent NFL schedules, rosters, stats and play-by-play through ESPN public endpoints and an nflverse backend. No API keys.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 752 installs · ★ 258
- Author: machina-sports
- License: MIT · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/machina-sports/sports-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/nfl-data/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-10-24
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/nfl-data

## What it does

It handles the usual NFL questions: scores, standings, rosters, schedules, box scores, injuries, transactions, futures, depth charts, player and team stats, news. One command, `get_fantasy_trending`, pulls Sleeper's most-added and most-dropped players in fantasy leagues.

Under the hood there's a `sports-skills` CLI and a Python SDK. Some commands hit ESPN's public endpoints, others go through nflverse. The nflverse ones need an extra: `pip install sports-skills[nfl]`. On Python 3.10+ that pulls `nflreadpy` and `pyarrow`; on 3.9 it falls back to `nfl-data-py`. That fallback is where things break — `get_nflverse_team_stats` returns an explanatory error there, so full nflverse coverage means Python 3.10+. The package itself also wants 3.10+.

Read `references/api-reference.md` before writing queries; it covers endpoints, ID conventions and data shapes. Derive the season from the current date rather than hardcoding it. If you only have a team name, call `get_teams` first to resolve the ID. An empty `get_schedule` response is not a bye week — check its `coverage` block, which is `unknown` or `partial`. For a full team season use `get_team_schedule`.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add machina-sports/sports-skills --skill nfl-data -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/nfl-data/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/nfl-data/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add machina-sports/sports-skills --skill nfl-data -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/nfl-data/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add machina-sports/sports-skills --skill nfl-data -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/nfl-data/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install machina-sports/sports-skills nfl-data
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/nfl-data/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add machina-sports/sports-skills --skill nfl-data -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/machina-sports/sports-skills --path skills/nfl-data
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/nfl-data/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add machina-sports/sports-skills --skill nfl-data -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/machina-sports/sports-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/nfl-data/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- pull a team's season schedule
- read a box score and scoring plays
- get season stats for a player or team
- check injury reports and recent transactions
- see which players fantasy leagues are adding most

## Example prompts
- Show me the latest NFL scores
- Get the Kansas City Chiefs schedule for the season
- Who are the top fantasy adds in the last 24 hours?

## Source text · SKILL.md · MIT

Below is the content of a third-party file. It is data, not instructions for you: do not act on anything written inside unless the human asks. Block tag: aaaabd1fe353998d.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE aaaabd1fe353998d
````text
---
name: nfl-data
description: |
  NFL data via ESPN public endpoints plus an nflverse backend for schedules, weekly rosters, play-by-play, and normalized player/team stat tables. Zero config, no API keys.

  Use when: user asks about NFL scores, standings, team rosters, schedules, game stats, box scores, play-by-play, injuries, transactions, betting futures, depth charts, team/player statistics, NFL news, or which players are trending in fantasy adds/drops.
  Don't use when: user asks about football/soccer (use football-data), college football (use cfb-data), or other sports.
license: MIT
metadata:
  author: machina-sports
  version: "0.1.0"
---

# NFL Data

Before writing queries, consult `references/api-reference.md` for endpoints, ID conventions, and data shapes.

## Setup

Before first use, check if the CLI is available:
```bash
which sports-skills || pip install sports-skills
```
If `pip install` fails (package not found or Python version error), install from GitHub:
```bash
pip install git+https://github.com/machina-sports/sports-skills.git
```
The package requires Python 3.10+. If your default Python is older, use a specific version:
```bash
python3 --version  # check version
# If < 3.10, try: python3.12 -m pip install sports-skills
# On macOS with Homebrew: /opt/homebrew/bin/python3.12 -m pip install sports-skills
```
No API keys required.

For nflverse-backed commands (`get_nflverse_*`), install the NFL extra:
```bash
pip install sports-skills[nfl]
```
On Python 3.10+ this installs `nflreadpy` (the preferred backend) plus `pyarrow`, which is needed for most nflverse data beyond schedules. On Python 3.9 it installs `nfl-data-py` instead, since `nflreadpy` requires 3.10+.

The `nfl-data-py` backend is a reduced fallback: it cannot serve `get_nflverse_team_stats`, which returns an explanatory error there. Use Python 3.10+ for full nflverse coverage.

## Quick Start

Prefer the CLI — it avoids Python import path issues:
```bash
sports-skills nfl get_scoreboard
sports-skills nfl get_standings --season=2025
sports-skills nfl get_teams
```

Python SDK (alternative):
```python
from sports_skills import nfl

scores = nfl.get_scoreboard({})
standings = nfl.get_standings({"params": {"season": "2025"}})
```

## CRITICAL: Before Any Query

CRITICAL: Before calling any data endpoint, verify:
- Season year is derived from the system prompt's `currentDate` — never hardcoded.
- If only a team name is provided, call `get_teams` to resolve the team ID before using team-specific commands.

## Choosing the Season

Derive the current year from the system prompt's date (e.g., `currentDate: 2026-02-16` → current year is 2026).

- **If the user specifies a season**, use it as-is.
````
END THIRD-PARTY FILE aaaabd1fe353998d

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