Free MIT skills for Cursor & agent teams
Download SKILL.md guides — £0 forever.
Copy into ~/.cursor/skills/, reload Cursor, @-invoke.
Need rules, hooks, and CI? Upgrade to plugins.
One skill per folder · no license required · Install steps · GitHub repo
UI foundation skills
Motion, design system, auth, docs — MIT · free
Governance & delivery skills
Orchestration, verify-before-ship, full-stack bootstrap
Skills teach governed delivery. Governed plugins enforce it.
Free skills are instructions only — no always-on rules, hooks, scaffolds, CI, or Team Marketplace until you license the matching plugin.
Browse plugins for enforceable governance → · Submit your kit idea
Install procedure
Copy one skill at a time — no GitHub invite required
| Step | Input | Action | Verify |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Skill card above | Download or clone from cursor-plugin-kits-skills | SKILL.md present in folder |
| 2 | Local path | Copy folder to ~/.cursor/skills/<skill-name>/ | Path matches invoke name |
| 3 | Cursor IDE | Reload window or restart Cursor | Skill appears in agent picker |
| 4 | Agent chat | @-invoke (e.g. @governed-builds) | Agent follows governed delivery gates |
Need always-on rules, hooks, and Team Marketplace? See IDE plugins · stuck? Support
Adoption funnel
flowchart TD
A[Free MIT skill] --> B[@-invoke in agent chat]
B --> C{Need enforcement?}
C -->|No| D[Stay on skills + methodology]
C -->|Yes| E[IDE plugin license]
E --> F[Private repo + Team Marketplace]
D --> G[gate-methodology.html]
F --> H[enterprise.html rollout]
Typical adoption path — skills are the free top-of-funnel; plugins add persistent governance.
Skill vs plugin — comparison
| Layer | Free MIT skill | Paid IDE plugin |
|---|---|---|
| Delivery | GitHub · self-serve | Private repo · license email |
| Activation | @-invoke only | Always-on rules + hooks |
| CI / ship gates | Instructions in SKILL.md | governed-verify.yml scaffold |
| Team rollout | Copy skills per developer | Cursor Team Marketplace Required |
| Support | Self-serve install guide | Email + Enterprise SLA |
FAQ
What do skills lack without the plugin?
Skills ship SKILL.md and reference docs only — no always-on rules, shell hooks, production scaffolds, CI workflows, private GitHub repos, or Team Marketplace delivery. Agents follow guidance when @-invoked; they are not governed on every run until you install the matching plugin.
What does a free skill include?
SKILL.md and reference documentation — enough for agents to follow governed delivery when @-invoked.
When should I buy the plugin?
When you need persistent enforcement — rules that always apply, hooks that block bad commands, install scripts, and private Team Marketplace rollout across your org.
Can I use skills commercially?
Yes — MIT license. Proprietary plugins are licensed separately per organization.
Ready for enforceable agent governance?
Browse proprietary plugins with rules, hooks, and 12 months of updates.
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