What Cursor skills are
Cursor skills are reusable instruction packages. Each one lives at .cursor/skills/<name>/SKILL.md. The YAML description is how the agent decides relevance. The markdown body is the full standard it should apply once the skill loads.
Official Cursor docs treat skills as the preferred way to extend agent behavior: dynamic context, loaded when the task matches, so the window stays lean. That is different from a 600-line .cursorrules dump that the model drops in the middle.
Why they matter for SaaS founders
Solo founders repeat the same corrections: tenant from session, verify the Stripe signature, one H1, no offset pagination. If that only exists in your head, every new chat starts at zero. A skill makes the correction a file. The next session can load it without you pasting it.
Skills also keep marketing and engineering from sharing a brain. The on-page SEO skill should not be in the same always-on rule as Postgres/Drizzle standards. Load the one the job needs.
How Cursor skills work
- Install a kit. AgenticKit writes the skill directories into
.cursor/skills/. - Cursor indexes each SKILL.md. The description is the match key.
- You start a task. The agent loads matching skills, or a slash command points at them.
- The body of the skill constrains the edit: practices, bans, output shape.
Example: run /seo-audit and the session should read the on-page SEO, entity SEO, and pillar-cluster skills before it writes the audit.
Skill categories
31 engineering skills cover App Router, Drizzle, Stripe, auth, RAG, CI, and multi-tenant SaaS patterns. 18 marketing skills cover Dunford positioning, landing CRO, on-page SEO, LinkedIn, Reddit, and growth loops.
Engineering skills are consumed by the engineering agents and /ship, /build-api, /audit. Marketing skills are consumed by seo-specialist, launch-coordinator, and /launch.
Most-used Cursor skills for this kit
- Next.js App Router & Server ComponentsArchitecture patterns for React Server Components, Suspense, and Server Actions.
- On-Page SEO & Semantic HTML ArchitectureTitle tag formulas, meta descriptions, single H1 rule, and semantic hierarchy.
- Stripe Subscriptions & Webhook HandlingCheckout sessions, customer portal, idempotency, and webhook verification.
- April Dunford Product Positioning FrameworkCompetitive alternatives, unique attributes, value props, and target markets.
- Project Conventions & CURSOR.md StandardsRepository structure, naming conventions, import aliases, and rules sync.
- Pillar-and-Cluster Content ArchitectureTopical authority trees, internal linking webs, and cluster sub-topics.
Related Cursor commands
Skills teach. Commands trigger. The commands that load the most skills are /ship, /seo-audit, /blog-post, /launch, and /stripe-billing.
Related Cursor agents
tech-lead routes work and points at project-conventions. seo-specialist reads the SEO skills. api-engineer reads api-patterns. The agent is the role; the skill is the standard.
31 Engineering & architecture skills
next-app-router
Next.js App Router & Server Components
Architecture patterns for React Server Components, Suspense, and Server Actions.
postgres-drizzle
PostgreSQL & Drizzle ORM Schema Standards
Type-safe schemas, relational queries, migrations, and index optimization.
stripe-payments
Stripe Subscriptions & Webhook Handling
Checkout sessions, customer portal, idempotency, and webhook verification.
auth-patterns
Authentication & Session Security Patterns
NextAuth, Supabase, Lucia, OAuth 2.0, and multi-tenant RBAC.
api-patterns
REST & API Route Design Patterns
Zod validation, standard error schemas, HTTP status codes, and pagination.
llm-integration
LLM Integration & Streaming AI Workflows
Anthropic, OpenAI, streaming tokens, structured JSON, and fallback routing.
vector-database
Vector Databases & Embeddings Storage
pgvector, Pinecone, similarity search, HNSW indexing, and distance metrics.
rag-patterns
Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) Architecture
Document chunking, hybrid search, re-ranking, and context compression.
prompt-engineering
System Prompt Engineering & Few-Shot Design
Role assignment, XML delimiters, few-shot examples, and deterministic schemas.
design-systems
Design Systems, Tokens & Vanilla CSS Architecture
CSS variables, fluid typography, dark mode tokens, and responsive layout grids.
github-actions
GitHub Actions CI/CD Pipeline Automation
Matrix testing, linting, build caching, secret management, and deployments.
docker-deploy
Multi-Stage Docker & Container Deployments
Minimal Alpine images, standalone Next.js builds, and security hardening.
terraform-iac
Terraform Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
AWS/GCP infrastructure, S3 buckets, RDS PostgreSQL, and DNS records.
playwright-e2e
Playwright End-to-End Browser Testing
User journey tests, cross-browser suites, visual regression, and auth state.
testing-vitest
Vitest Unit & Integration Testing
Fast unit testing, mock fixtures, edge cases, and code coverage.
typescript-strict
Strict TypeScript Standards & Type Safety
Zero `any` policy, branded types, discriminated unions, and inference.
error-handling
Resilient Error Handling & Fault Tolerance
Try-catch boundaries, custom error classes, graceful degradation, and logs.
performance-web
Web Performance & Core Web Vitals Optimization
LCP, FID/INP, CLS optimization, image preloading, and font subsetting.
realtime-websockets
WebSockets & Realtime State Synchronization
Socket.io, Server-Sent Events, connection heartbeat, and reconnection logic.
data-pipelines
Asynchronous Background Jobs & Task Queues
BullMQ, Redis queues, exponential retries, concurrency, and rate limiting.
sre-observability
Observability, Telemetry & SRE Monitoring
Structured logging, OpenTelemetry tracing, Prometheus metrics, and alerts.
security-basics
Web Security Fundamentals & OWASP Defense
CSP headers, XSS prevention, SQL injection defense, and secret scanning.
compliance-soc2
SOC2 Compliance & Data Privacy Controls
Audit logging, access controls, data encryption, and GDPR compliance.
oauth-integrations
OAuth 2.0 & Third-Party API Integrations
PKCE flow, refresh token rotation, scope management, and webhook listeners.
mobile-react-native
React Native & Mobile App Development
Expo Router, native device APIs, responsive mobile styling, and offline cache.
ml-training
Machine Learning Fine-Tuning & Model Evaluation
LoRA fine-tuning, dataset cleaning, loss curves, and evaluation benchmarks.
product-analytics
Product Analytics & Funnel Tracking
Event taxonomy, PostHog setup, conversion funnels, and retention cohorting.
technical-docs
Technical Documentation & OpenAPI Spec Design
OpenAPI 3.0, Markdown guides, Mermaid diagrams, and code sample generators.
saas-patterns
SaaS Architecture Patterns & Multi-Tenancy
Workspace scoping, subscription gates, seat management, and audit trails.
project-conventions
Project Conventions & CURSOR.md Standards
Repository structure, naming conventions, import aliases, and rules sync.
activation-onboarding
In-Product Activation & First-Run UX
Empty states, checklists, and one first-value moment.
ticket-triage
Customer Ticket Triage & Reply
Reproduce, patch small, reply in human.
billing-dunning
Billing Dunning, Seats & Portal
Failed cards, proration, seats, customer portal.
transactional-notify
Transactional Email & In-App Notify
One job per message. Prefs. No promo in receipts.
exploratory-qa
Exploratory QA Heuristic Pass
New-user click-through before writing more tests.
dependency-upgrades
Dependency & Framework Upgrades
Changelog, lockfile, green tests, rollback note.
18 Marketing & growth skills
dunford-positioning
April Dunford Product Positioning Framework
Competitive alternatives, unique attributes, value props, and target markets.
landing-page-cro
Landing Page Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)
Hero section architecture, visual hierarchy, CTA placement, and social proof.
on-page-seo
On-Page SEO & Semantic HTML Architecture
Title tag formulas, meta descriptions, single H1 rule, and semantic hierarchy.
entity-seo
Entity SEO & JSON-LD Structured Data
Schema.org markup, SoftwareApplication, Organization, and BreadcrumbList.
pillar-cluster
Pillar-and-Cluster Content Architecture
Topical authority trees, internal linking webs, and cluster sub-topics.
content-funnel
Content Marketing Funnel (TOFU, MOFU, BOFU)
Educational awareness, comparative evaluation, and high-intent conversion.
onboarding-emails
User Onboarding & Email Drip Automation
Welcome series, activation milestones, feature nudges, and upgrade urgency.
linkedin-content
LinkedIn Thought Leadership & Founder Branding
Scroll-stopping hooks, line break formatting, takeaways, and comments.
reddit-marketing
Developer Community & Reddit Growth Playbook
High-value answers, anti-spam etiquette, subreddit rules, and AMA formats.
brand-voice-guide
Brand Voice Guidelines & Jargon Elimination
Clear tone rules, banned buzzwords, technical accuracy, and personality.
competitive-matrix
Competitor Analysis & Feature Differentiation Matrix
Feature parity audits, pricing comparisons, SWOT analysis, and positioning.
marketing-psychology
Marketing Psychology & Direct Response Principles
Loss aversion, social proof, reciprocity, urgency, and cognitive load.
schwartz-awareness
Eugene Schwartz 5 Stages of Customer Awareness
Unaware, Problem-Aware, Solution-Aware, Product-Aware, and Most Aware.
jtbd-interview
Jobs-To-Be-Done (JTBD) Customer Research
Push/pull forces, customer timeline interviews, and outcome-driven specs.
mom-test
The Mom Test Customer Validation Framework
Asking past-behavior questions, avoiding false compliments, and real commitments.
aarrr-diagnostic
AARRR Pirate Metrics Diagnostic & Optimization
Acquisition, Activation, Retention, Referral, and Revenue analysis.
growth-loops
Product-Led Growth (PLG) & Growth Loops
Self-reinforcing viral loops, free tool acquisition, and flywheel mechanics.
win-loss-analysis
Win/Loss Analysis & Churn Diagnostics
Post-purchase surveys, cancellation feedback, and positioning refinements.
marketing-auto-save
Marketing Deliverable Auto-Save & Repo Sync
Auto-saving copy and launch assets into docs/marketing/ markdown files.
outbound-sales
Founder Outbound for First 100
Named list, one ask, one follow-up. No blasts.
feature-narrative
Ship-to-Customer Feature Narrative
Why they should care, not the git subject line.
case-study-narrative
Customer Case Study Narrative
Before, after, cited quote. [NEEDS QUOTE] if missing.
demo-video-scripts
Product Demo & Loom Scripts
Spoken 90s, shots, titles. You still record.
help-center
User Help Center Articles
Task-based how-to from a real ticket.
pricing-packaging
Pricing Tiers & Packaging Copy
Who each tier is for. Stripe amounts on HOLD.
Frequently asked questions
What are Cursor skills?
Cursor skills are SKILL.md playbooks in .cursor/skills/. The agent loads a skill when the task matches its description. They are longer than rules and are not typed like slash commands.How are Cursor skills different from Cursor rules?
Rules are always-on or glob-scoped constraints. Skills are on-demand domain playbooks. AgenticKit uses both: a short core rule plus skills for Stripe, SEO, Next.js, and the rest.How are Cursor skills different from slash commands?
You type a command (/ship, /launch). A skill is loaded by the agent when relevant, or pointed at by a command. Commands run workflows. Skills teach how to do the work.Where do AgenticKit skills install?
npx agentickit-cursor init writes them to .cursor/skills/<slug>. Each skill is a directory with SKILL.md that Cursor discovers automatically.Which Cursor skills should a SaaS founder install first?
project-conventions, saas-patterns, next-app-router, stripe-payments, on-page-seo, and dunford-positioning. Those six cover the weekly ship-and-launch loop.Can I use these skills without buying AgenticKit?
The format is a normal Cursor skill. AgenticKit is the packaged set plus the agents and commands that know which skill to open.
Install the 61 skills into your repo
Engineering, marketing, or both. Skills land in .cursor/skills/ with the agents that know when to open them.