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Migrate To Skills

Community
coco-research
migrate-to-skills

Convert 'Applied intelligently' Cursor rules (.cursor/rules/*.mdc) and slash commands (.cursor/commands/*.md) to Agent Skills format (.cursor/skills/). Use when the user wants to migrate rules or commands to skills, convert .mdc rules to SKILL.md format, or consolidate commands into the skills directory.

Overview

Publishercoco-research
Repositorycoco
Skill namemigrate-to-skills
Stars
550
Forks
12
Bundled files
Instructions only
Links
  • Markdown instructions

    A SKILL.md file the model loads on demand, so it only costs tokens when a request actually matches.

  • Works with any LLM

    AI skills are plain Markdown, not provider-specific code, so this works with GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, or a local model.

  • Self-contained

    Everything the model needs lives in the instructions — no extra files to sync.

  • Open source

    Published by coco-research on GitHub. Read the source before you install it.

Installation

Install the Migrate To Skills AI skill in TypingMind to use it with any LLM, or drop it into another agent that reads SKILL.md.

1

Install in TypingMind

TypingMind installs a skill straight from its GitHub folder — it reads SKILL.md, bundles the resource files, and stores the result locally.

  1. Open the app and go to Plugins → Skills.
  2. Choose "Install from GitHub".
  3. Paste the skill folder URL below and confirm.
    https://github.com/coco-research/coco/tree/main/adapters/cursor/skills/migrate-to-skills
  4. Enable the skill in any chat where you want it available.
Plugins → Skills → Add skill → From GitHub URL, then paste the folder URL and press Continue.
2

Install in another agent

Any agent that reads the Agent Skills format can use this skill — copy the folder into that agent's skills directory.

Claude Code — .claude/skills
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/coco-research/coco.git /tmp/coco
mkdir -p .claude/skills
cp -r /tmp/coco/adapters/cursor/skills/migrate-to-skills .claude/skills/migrate-to-skills
Restart Claude Code after copying so it picks up the new skill.

Use it in TypingMind

Enable Migrate To Skills in any TypingMind chat and the model takes it from there. Its name and description sit in the system prompt, and the moment a request matches, the model loads the full instructions itself — you never invoke it by hand, and it costs no tokens until it is actually used.

The model loads Migrate To Skills on its own as soon as a request matches it.

Works with any AI model

AI skills are plain Markdown instructions rather than provider-specific code, so Migrate To Skills is not tied to the model it was written for. Install it once in TypingMind and use it with GPT-5, Claude, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek, Mistral, Llama, or a local model you run yourself — all on your own API keys.

  • Loaded only when it is needed

    The system prompt carries just the name and description. The instructions are fetched on the first matching request, so an idle skill costs nothing.

  • Switch models mid-chat

    Because the skill is instructions rather than code, changing model does not break it — the next model reads the same SKILL.md.

Skill instructions

This is the SKILL.md content the model loads. Read it before installing — a skill is instructions your model will follow.

Migrate Rules and Slash Commands to Skills

Convert Cursor rules ("Applied intelligently") and slash commands to Agent Skills format.

CRITICAL: Preserve the exact body content. Do not modify, reformat, or "improve" it - copy verbatim.

Locations

LevelSourceDestination
Project{workspaceFolder}/**/.cursor/rules/*.mdc, {workspaceFolder}/.cursor/commands/*.md
User~/.cursor/commands/*.md

Notes:

  • Cursor rules inside the project can live in nested directories. Be thorough in your search and use glob patterns to find them.
  • Ignore anything in ~/.cursor/worktrees
  • Ignore anything in ~/.cursor/skills-cursor. This is reserved for Cursor's internal built-in skills and is managed automatically by the system.

Finding Files to Migrate

Rules: Migrate if rule has a description but NO globs and NO alwaysApply: true.

Commands: Migrate all - they're plain markdown without frontmatter.

Conversion Format

Rules: .mdc → SKILL.md

markdown
# Before: .cursor/rules/my-rule.mdc
---
description: What this rule does
globs:
alwaysApply: false
---
# Title
Body content...
markdown
# After: .cursor/skills/my-rule/SKILL.md
---
name: my-rule
description: What this rule does
---
# Title
Body content...

Changes: Add name field, remove globs/alwaysApply, keep body exactly.

Commands: .md → SKILL.md

markdown
# Before: .cursor/commands/commit.md
# Commit current work
Instructions here...
markdown
# After: .cursor/skills/commit/SKILL.md
---
name: commit
description: Commit current work with standardized message format
disable-model-invocation: true
---
# Commit current work
Instructions here...

Changes: Add frontmatter with name (from filename), description (infer from content), and disable-model-invocation: true, keep body exactly.

Note: The disable-model-invocation: true field prevents the model from automatically invoking this skill. Slash commands are designed to be explicitly triggered by the user via the / menu, not automatically suggested by the model.

Notes

  • name must be lowercase with hyphens only
  • description is critical for skill discovery
  • Optionally delete originals after verifying migration works

Migrate a Rule (.mdc → SKILL.md)

  1. Read the rule file
  2. Extract the description from the frontmatter
  3. Extract the body content (everything after the closing --- of the frontmatter)
  4. Create the skill directory: .cursor/skills/{skill-name}/ (skill name = filename without .mdc)
  5. Write SKILL.md with new frontmatter (name and description) + the EXACT original body content (preserve all whitespace, formatting, code blocks verbatim)
  6. Delete the original rule file

Migrate a Command (.md → SKILL.md)

  1. Read the command file
  2. Extract description from the first heading (remove # prefix)
  3. Create the skill directory: .cursor/skills/{skill-name}/ (skill name = filename without .md)
  4. Write SKILL.md with new frontmatter (name, description, and disable-model-invocation: true) + blank line + the EXACT original file content (preserve all whitespace, formatting, code blocks verbatim)
  5. Delete the original command file

CRITICAL: Copy the body content character-for-character. Do not reformat, fix typos, or "improve" anything.

Workflow

If you have the Task tool available: DO NOT start to read all of the files yourself. That function should be delegated to the subagents. Your job is to dispatch the subagents for each category of files and wait for the results.

  1. Create the skills directories if they don't exist (.cursor/skills/ for project, ~/.cursor/skills/ for user)
  2. Dispatch three fast general purpose subagents (NOT explore) in parallel to do the following steps for project rules (pattern: {workspaceFolder}/**/.cursor/rules/*.mdc), user commands (pattern: ~/.cursor/commands/*.md), and project commands (pattern: {workspaceFolder}/**/.cursor/commands/*.md): I. [ ] Find files to migrate in the given pattern II. [ ] For rules, check if it's an "applied intelligently" rule (has description, no globs, no alwaysApply: true). Commands are always migrated. DO NOT use the terminal to read files. Use the read tool. III. [ ] Make a list of files to migrate. If empty, done. IV. [ ] For each file, read it, then write the new skill file preserving the body content EXACTLY. DO NOT use the terminal to write these files. Use the edit tool. V. [ ] Delete the original file. DO NOT use the terminal to delete these files. Use the delete tool. VI. [ ] Return a list of all the skill files that were migrated along with the original file paths.
  3. Wait for all subagents to complete and summarize the results to the user. IMPORTANT: Make sure to let them know if they want to undo the migration, to ask you to.
  4. If the user asks you to undo the migration, do the opposite of the above steps to restore the original files.

If you don't have the Task tool available:

  1. Create the skills directories if they don't exist (.cursor/skills/ for project, ~/.cursor/skills/ for user)
  2. Find files to migrate in both project (.cursor/) and user (~/.cursor/) directories
  3. For rules, check if it's an "applied intelligently" rule (has description, no globs, no alwaysApply: true). Commands are always migrated. DO NOT use the terminal to read files. Use the read tool.
  4. Make a list of files to migrate. If empty, done.
  5. For each file, read it, then write the new skill file preserving the body content EXACTLY. DO NOT use the terminal to write these files. Use the edit tool.
  6. Delete the original file. DO NOT use the terminal to delete these files. Use the delete tool.
  7. Summarize the results to the user. IMPORTANT: Make sure to let them know if they want to undo the migration, to ask you to.
  8. If the user asks you to undo the migration, do the opposite of the above steps to restore the original files.

Frequently asked questions

What does the Migrate To Skills AI skill do?

Convert 'Applied intelligently' Cursor rules (.cursor/rules/*.mdc) and slash commands (.cursor/commands/*.md) to Agent Skills format (.cursor/skills/). Use when the user wants to migrate rules or commands to skills, convert .mdc rules to SKILL.md format, or consolidate commands into the skills directory.

Why use Migrate To Skills on TypingMind?

Because you install it once and use it with any model. Migrate To Skills is plain Markdown rather than provider-specific code, so the same skill runs on GPT-5, Claude, Gemini, Grok, or a local model — and you can switch model mid-chat without it breaking. TypingMind runs on your own API keys, so you pay providers directly instead of a per-seat subscription, and your skills and chats stay in your own storage.

How do I install Migrate To Skills in TypingMind?

Open Plugins → Skills → Install from GitHub in TypingMind and paste https://github.com/coco-research/coco/tree/main/adapters/cursor/skills/migrate-to-skills. TypingMind reads its SKILL.md and installs it as a skill you can enable per chat.

Which AI models can use Migrate To Skills?

Any model you connect in TypingMind. AI skills are plain Markdown instructions rather than provider-specific code, so GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, and local models can all load this skill when a request matches it.

How many AI models can I use with Migrate To Skills?

As many as you like. As long as a model supports skills, you can use Migrate To Skills with it — GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek, Mistral, Llama and more — all on TypingMind with your own API keys.

Is the Migrate To Skills AI skill free?

It is published on GitHub by coco-research. Check the repository for licensing terms. You only pay your own AI provider for the tokens you use.

What are AI skills?

An AI skill is a reusable instruction bundle that teaches an AI model how to do one specific task. It follows the open Agent Skills format: a SKILL.md file with a name and description, plus any scripts, templates or reference files the model may need. The model reads the instructions only when your request matches the skill, so an installed skill costs nothing until it is used.

How are AI skills different from plugins or MCP servers?

A plugin or MCP server gives a model new tools to call — code that runs somewhere and returns a result. An AI skill gives the model knowledge and process instead: how to approach a task, which steps to follow, what good output looks like. Skills are plain Markdown, so they need no server, no API key and no runtime, and they work with any model.

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