Do AI skills work in Claude?

Yes. Claude.ai supports skills on Pro and up, and they run in Anthropic's cloud sandbox on the files you share in the chat. They do not touch your own computer.

What is different about an agent like Claude Code or Codex?

An agent runs on your machine with access to your files. It saves the skill as a real file in its skills folder and runs it against your actual work, so a skill is truly installed rather than pasted into a sandbox.

In an agent, the skill runs locally and nothing has to leave your device. In chat, the file you upload is processed in the provider's cloud. That is why AgentPod is agentic-first.

Chat vs agent

Do AI skills work in ChatGPT? Yes, but where they run changes everything.

Q: Do AI skills work in ChatGPT?

Partly. ChatGPT can run a skill in its cloud sandbox on files you upload, but the formal Skills feature is only on ChatGPT Business, Enterprise and Edu, not on Free, Go, Plus or Pro. On those plans you can still paste a skill's instructions in as a Custom GPT or a one-off prompt.

A skill is a small folder of instructions and scripts. What it can actually do depends on where it runs. In a chat app it runs in the provider's cloud, on files you upload. In an agent on your computer it installs as a real file and works on your real files. That gap is the whole story, and it is why AgentPod is built agent-first.

The short answer

On your machine

Full power

Your agent saves the skill as a real file and runs it against your actual files, folders and tools.

Installs into Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Cowork and more
Acts on your real files and apps, with your permission
Runs locally, so nothing leaves your device
Saved for good, ready in every session

This is where a skill is truly installed, and truly yours.

In chat

Sandboxed

ChatGPT and Claude on the web can run a skill too, but only in the provider's cloud, on files you upload.

Runs in the provider's cloud, not on your computer
Only touches the files you upload into the chat
Claude: skills on Pro and up · ChatGPT: Business and Enterprise only
Nothing is installed onto your machine

Handy for quick tasks, but it cannot reach your real work.

Only using ChatGPT or Claude chat?

You can still use our skills. On Claude (Pro and up) you can add a skill in Settings, and it runs in Claude's sandbox. On ChatGPT, the built-in Skills feature is limited to Business, Enterprise and Edu accounts; on Free, Go, Plus and Pro you can paste a skill's instructions in as a Custom GPT or a single prompt. Either way, the skill works on what you share in the chat, not on your own machine.

It is genuinely useful for quick, one-off tasks. But if you want a skill to sort your actual inbox, tidy a real folder, or edit files in a project, that needs an agent.

Getting the full version is easy

An agentic tool is just an app that lets the AI act on your computer. Popular ones include Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, Gemini CLI, Cursor, Google Antigravity, Windsurf, GitHub Copilot, JetBrains Junie and Claude Cowork. Once you use one, every skill here installs into it and runs on your real work, privately. Pick the tool you use and the whole site tailors itself, including the exact install steps.

Ready when you are

Tell us which agent you use and we will speak your language, or just browse the catalogue and start adding skills.

Browse the skills →