remove-background — Claude Code skill: cut out image backgrounds
A skill that strips backgrounds from photos through the Pilio API: portraits, product shots, transparent cutouts. Runs from your agent's terminal.
npx skills add pilioai/skills --skill remove-background -a claude-codeWhat remove-background does
The skill drives the Pilio CLI, so the official SDK handles the file upload and task creation. One command does the work: pnpm dlx @pilio/cli remove-background --input ./portrait.png. What comes back is a task payload.
If that task is still pending or processing, wait on it with pnpm dlx @pilio/cli task wait <task_id>. A single call won't hand you the finished image.
You need PILIO_API_KEY set in the environment beforehand. Don't paste keys into the chat, and the skill won't ask you to. There's also a web version of the same workflow if you want to eyeball the result first.
What it helps with
- cut a person out of a photo onto a transparent background
- strip backgrounds from product shots for a catalog
- wait for a background removal task to finish
- batch background removal from the terminal
Example prompts for the agent
- remove the background from ./portrait.png with Pilio
- make a transparent background for this product photo
- run remove-background and wait for the task
How to install remove-background
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add pilioai/skills --skill remove-background -a claude-code2Manually: put the files in place
~/.claude/skills/remove-background/SKILL.mdCopy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/remove-background/
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add pilioai/skills --skill remove-background -a codex2Manually: put the files in place
.agents/skills/remove-background/SKILL.mdFor all projects use ~/.agents/skills/
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add pilioai/skills --skill remove-background -a cursor2Manually: put the files in place
.cursor/skills/remove-background/SKILL.mdCursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/
1GitHub CLI
gh skill install pilioai/skills remove-background2Manually: put the files in place
.github/skills/remove-background/SKILL.md1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add pilioai/skills --skill remove-background -a gemini-cli2Platform CLI
gemini skills install https://github.com/pilioai/skills --path skills/remove-backgroundManually: put the files in place
.devin/skills/remove-background/SKILL.mdThe legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works
Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add pilioai/skills --skill remove-background -a opencodeClaude.ai
Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills
Step by step, with commands for each platform: How to install skills in Claude Code: five ways
Questions about remove-background
How do I install remove-background in Claude?
Run npx skills add pilioai/skills --skill remove-background -a claude-code. The skill lands at ~/.claude/skills/remove-background/SKILL.md.
What does remove-background do?
It removes an image background through the Pilio developer API and returns a task with the result. Works for portraits, products and transparent cutouts.
What do I need before using it?
A PILIO_API_KEY environment variable. You don't paste the key into the conversation.
Source text
SKILL.md · MIT
--- name: remove-background description: Remove an image background with the Pilio developer API. Use when the user wants transparent-background cutouts, portrait or product background removal, or automated image background cleanup through Pilio. --- # Remove Background Use the Pilio CLI so file upload and task creation are handled by the official SDK. Require `PILIO_API_KEY` in the environment. Do not ask the user to paste API keys into the conversation. Try the same workflow online first: https://pilio.ai/background-remover Run: ```bash pnpm dlx @pilio/cli remove-background --input ./portrait.png ``` The command returns a task payload. If the task is still pending or processing, wait for it: ```bash pnpm dlx @pilio/cli task wait <task_id> ```
© pilioai · MIT · pilioai/skills
