> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.narrative.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Installing skills

> Install Narrative skills into Claude Code or any agentskills.io-compliant agent

[Skills](/concepts/mcp/skills) are pre-built workflows that orchestrate Narrative's MCP server to complete specific tasks — drafting NQL queries, generating Rosetta Stone mappings, building identity graphs, and more. Skills are harness-agnostic: you can install them with the standalone `skills` CLI into any spec-compliant agent, or as Claude Code plugins.

## Prerequisites

* An agent runtime that loads skills. Either:
  * Any [agentskills.io](https://agentskills.io)-compliant agent (used with the `skills` CLI), or
  * Claude Code, updated to a version that supports the `/plugin` command.
* The Narrative MCP server connected to that agent. See [Connecting to the Narrative MCP Server](/guides/mcp/connecting-an-ai-assistant) if you haven't set this up yet.
* A Narrative account with access to the active company you want the skills to operate against.

<Info>
  Skills run inside your agent and call the MCP server on your behalf. Without an active MCP connection, skills can't reach your Narrative data.
</Info>

## Install skills

Each skill's detail page in the [Skills catalog](https://app.narrative.io/marketplace/skills) shows an **Installation** picker with the two options below. Pick whichever matches your agent.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="skills CLI">
    The standalone [`skills` CLI](https://agentskills.io) installs a skill's rendered `SKILL.md` into any spec-compliant agent. No repo clone, no Bun runtime, no Claude Code required.

    <Steps>
      <Step title="Add the Narrative skills marketplace">
        Run the install command from any skill's detail page, or globally for the whole marketplace:

        ```text theme={null}
        npx skills add narrative-io/narrative-skills-marketplace
        ```

        The CLI fetches the marketplace and installs every available skill into your active agent's skills directory.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Verify the skill is loaded">
        Open your agent and ask it to describe the skills it has available. You should see entries such as **Find Attribute**, **Write NQL**, and **Design Analysis**.
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Claude Code">
    Narrative also publishes its skills as Claude Code plugins from the public [`narrative-io/narrative-skills-marketplace`](https://github.com/narrative-io/narrative-skills-marketplace) repository. You add the marketplace once, then install whichever plugins you want.

    <Steps>
      <Step title="Add the Narrative skills marketplace">
        In a Claude Code session, run:

        ```text theme={null}
        /plugin marketplace add narrative-io/narrative-skills-marketplace
        ```

        Claude Code fetches the marketplace manifest and lists the available plugins. You only need to do this once.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Install the plugin">
        Install the plugin that contains the skill you want. For general-purpose authoring, querying, and Rosetta Stone work:

        ```text theme={null}
        /plugin install narrative-common@narrative-skills-marketplace
        ```

        For identity resolution and partner overlap work:

        ```text theme={null}
        /plugin install narrative-identity@narrative-skills-marketplace
        ```

        For audience expansion and look-alike modeling:

        ```text theme={null}
        /plugin install narrative-audience@narrative-skills-marketplace
        ```

        Installing a plugin makes every skill it contains available in the current Claude Code session.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Verify the skill is loaded">
        In a Claude Code chat, ask Claude to describe its available skills. You should see entries for each skill in the plugin you installed (for example, **Find Attribute**, **Write NQL**, **Design Analysis**).
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Use a skill

Once a plugin is installed, you invoke its skills with natural-language prompts. Claude routes the request to the matching skill and follows its instructions.

For example, with the `narrative-common` plugin installed:

```text theme={null}
Find the Rosetta Stone attribute for a SHA-256 hashed email.
```

Claude calls the **Find Attribute** skill, which uses the `narrative_attributes_search` and `narrative_attributes_describe` MCP tools to resolve the description to a canonical attribute ID (`sha256_hashed_email`).

Each skill's detail page in the [Skills catalog](https://app.narrative.io/marketplace/skills) lists example prompts, accepted arguments, and the use cases each one addresses.

### Slash commands and arguments

Many skills also expose a slash-command form with explicit arguments. For example, **Write NQL** accepts `--dataset`, `--run`, and `--limit`:

```text theme={null}
/write-nql --dataset 123 --run --limit 50 distinct users in the last 30 days
```

The slash-command form is useful for scripting, scoping a skill to a specific dataset, or chaining skills together. See each skill's **Arguments** table on its detail page for the full list of flags and defaults.

<Tip>
  Skills that produce artifacts — NQL queries, workflow specifications, mapping definitions — always show you the draft and wait for explicit approval before submitting it. You can edit the draft or ask Claude to revise it before saying "go."
</Tip>

## Where skills run

Skills run on your machine inside the agent you installed them into. They reach Narrative through the MCP server using the OAuth credential you established when you connected the agent to the server. Skills never bypass MCP — every action they take is a tool call you can inspect in the agent's transcript.

This also means skills inherit MCP's company scoping: they operate against whichever company is active in your MCP session. Use the `narrative_context_set_company` tool (or ask the agent to switch companies) before invoking a skill if you need to target a different account.

## Update or remove a skill

If you used the **skills CLI**, rerun the add command to pick up newer versions, or use the CLI's remove command to uninstall:

```text theme={null}
npx skills add narrative-io/narrative-skills-marketplace
```

If you used **Claude Code**, manage plugins with `/plugin`:

```text theme={null}
/plugin update narrative-common@narrative-skills-marketplace
/plugin uninstall narrative-common@narrative-skills-marketplace
```

The skill version shown on each catalog detail page matches the semver in the skill's `SKILL.md` frontmatter. Reinstall to pick up newer versions.

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Skills concepts" icon="sparkles" href="/concepts/mcp/skills">
    How skills relate to the MCP server, plugins, and runtimes.
  </Card>

  <Card title="MCP tool reference" icon="book" href="/reference/integrations/mcp-server">
    The underlying tools that skills call.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Connect to the MCP server" icon="plug" href="/guides/mcp/connecting-an-ai-assistant">
    Set up the OAuth connection skills depend on.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Browse the Skills catalog" icon="grid" href="https://app.narrative.io/marketplace/skills">
    Every published skill with example prompts and install commands.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>