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Codex CLI Skills: How to Install and Use SKILL.md with OpenAI Codex

Use SKILL.md skills with OpenAI Codex CLI. Same format as Claude Code — install once, works across agents.

OpenAI's Codex CLI supports the SKILL.md standard, which means the same skills that work on Claude Code and OpenClaw also work on Codex. Here's how to set it up.

Quick Answer: To install and use SKILL.md with OpenAI Codex, place skill files in ~/.codex/skills/ (personal) or .codex/skills/ (project), then invoke them using $ followed by the skill name in the Codex CLI, or allow automatic activation."}

Codex CLI skill paths

Personal skills: ~/.codex/skills/ Project skills: .codex/skills/

mkdir -p ~/.codex/skills

Installing skills

The process is identical to other SKILL.md agents:

# From Agensi
unzip skill-name.zip -d ~/.codex/skills/

From GitHub

git clone https://github.com/author/skill.git cp -r skill ~/.codex/skills/skill-name

From Claude Code (reuse existing skills)

cp -r ~/.claude/skills/code-reviewer ~/.codex/skills/ ```

Invoking skills in Codex CLI

Codex CLI uses the $ prefix for explicit skill invocation:

$code-reviewer review the changes in this PR

Or use the /skills selector to browse available skills.

Skills also activate automatically when your request matches the skill's description, just like in Claude Code.

Cross-agent compatibility

The SKILL.md format is the same everywhere. A skill downloaded from Agensi works on Codex CLI, Claude Code, OpenClaw, and Cursor without any changes. Install it once, copy it to each agent's skills directory, and you're set.


Browse SKILL.md skills for Codex CLI and other agents on Agensi.

Tags:#codex cli#openai#skill.md#install skills#tutorial

Source

Originally published on agensi.io. Mirrored with attribution.

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Codex CLI Skills: Install & Use SKILL.md (2026 Guide) | PromptSpace Learn