# Stop Installing Skills Globally. Symlink Them Per Project

> Author: Tony Lee
> Published: 2026-06-24
> URL: https://tonylee.im/en/blog/skills-via-symlink-not-global-install/
> Reading time: 2 minutes
> Language: en
> Tags: claude-code, codex, skills, symlink, context, devtools

## Canonical

https://tonylee.im/en/blog/skills-via-symlink-not-global-install/

## Rollout Alternates

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## Description

A full global skills library loads junk into every session. Keep one warehouse of clones and symlink only what each repo needs.

## Summary

Stop Installing Skills Globally. Symlink Them Per Project is part of Tony Lee's ongoing coverage of AI agents, developer tools, startup strategy, and AI industry shifts.

## Outline

- Install skills per project, not globally
- Symlink from a single warehouse
- Maintenance collapses to one place

## Content

The context window is the agent’s desk. It is finite. Dump dozens of skills into the global install and the agent loads the wrong ones, burning space on noise.

I fixed that with symlinks.

## Install skills per project, not globally

Codex and Claude Code both support global and project skills. Global means every repo inherits everything. After a few sessions full of unused skills, I switched to project-only installs. The desk only holds what the job needs.

Copy-pasting skill folders into every repo creates drift. Five projects means five copies to update.

## Symlink from a single warehouse

A symlink is a desktop shortcut: one real file, many pointers. I keep open-source skill repos under something like `~/GitHub/…`, then link:

`.agents/skills/tightened-slide` → `~/GitHub/future-slide/skills/tightened-slide`

Add an entrypoint so agents can find them: `.claude/skills` → `.agents/skills`. The chain resolves to the warehouse original.

You do not need to memorize `ln -s`. Tell Codex or Claude Code in natural language to link a skill from the warehouse into the current project.

## Maintenance collapses to one place

`git pull` once in the warehouse updates every project that links it. Bugs fixed on a symlink are fixed on the original, so a PR contributes upstream instead of dying in a copy.

One source, many projects, almost no skill sprawl. If you run skills across repos, switch to symlinks once and stop babysitting copies.

## Related URLs

- Author: https://tonylee.im/en/author/
- Publication: https://tonylee.im/en/blog/about/
- Related article: https://tonylee.im/en/blog/agent-transition-starts-with-initial-setup/
- Related article: https://tonylee.im/en/blog/codex-starter-guide-vible/
- Related article: https://tonylee.im/en/blog/codex-config-fix-performance-and-quota/

## Citation

- Author: Tony Lee
- Site: tonylee.im
- Canonical URL: https://tonylee.im/en/blog/skills-via-symlink-not-global-install/

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Author: Tony Lee | Website: https://tonylee.im
For more articles, visit: https://tonylee.im/en/blog/
This content is original and authored by Tony Lee. Please attribute when quoting or referencing.