Know what you install
We say our skills are scanned, we do not say they are safe. This page explains what the scan checks, what it does not check and what we leave to your decision.
What the scan checks and what it does not
Scanning means we go through a skill's files before it enters the catalog. We put the two lists side by side so you know its limits.
The scan checks
The instruction file
We read the skill's instruction file. We look at what it tells your AI to do and whether that matches the job it describes.
Helper programs
In the small programs that come with a skill we look for three patterns: connecting to the internet, starting another program and deleting files.
Source and author
We verify the original address where the skill is published and who wrote it. Both are shown next to the skill.
License
We open and read the license file at its source. If there is no license, or it contradicts itself, we do not copy the skill.
Requirements
We note whether the skill needs an extra program on your computer or a separate account.
The scan does not check
It is not a line-by-line review
A pattern search can miss an operation that is cleverly hidden. The scan does not replace an expert security review.
Whether the output is correct
It does not check the number in the presentation or the fact in the text a skill produces. You check the result.
Extra programs and outside services
It does not review the other programs a skill uses or the services it connects to. Those are the responsibility of their owners.
Rights to the parts inside
It does not examine one by one the rights to parts placed inside a skill, such as a font or an image.
Later changes
The scan describes the version we looked at. If the author changes it later, we ask you again before installing the new version.
That is why we do not say safe. Scanning lowers the risk, it does not remove it. When you work with skills that open and rewrite files, we suggest using copies of your important documents.
Source, author and license in plain sight
Three pieces of information are shown next to every skill in the catalog. The one on the right is a real record from the catalog.
46 skills from 22 different sources. Every source and license was checked one by one.
See every skillSlide decks
Builds PowerPoint decks and edits existing ones
- Written by
- Anthropic
- The person or organization that wrote the skill. Skillducks keeps the author's name during setup too.
- License
- Apache-2.0
- The conditions under which the author shares the skill. What the types mean is explained below.
- Original name
- anthropics/skills/pptx
- The name and address of the skill at the author's source. You can click through and look at the original yourself.
Licenses in plain words
A license is the short text in which the author says under which conditions you may use the skill.
Of the 46 skills in the catalog, 42 are openly licensed and 4 are referral only.
What licenses mean- MIT
- A short, open license. It lets you use, copy and change the skill. Its one request is that the author's name and the license text stay with the copy.
- Apache 2.0
- It gives the same permissions as MIT. In addition it says the author opens the related patent rights to whoever uses the skill, and it asks that changed files be marked.
- Referral only
- This is how we mark skills with no license or with contradicting license information. We do not copy and distribute them. If you choose one, the setup downloads it straight from the author's own source.
Skillducks will
- Show the source, author and license of every skill
- Ask you before installing and before updating
- Keep the author's name and the license text
- Install skills without a clear license straight from the author's source
- Suggest only freely published skills and the ones we write ourselves
It will not
- Sell someone else's skill
- Install anything without your approval
- Load every skill at once
The final decision is yours
Skillducks suggests, you decide. Before setup you see which skill will be installed, who wrote it and under which license. Nothing installs without your approval.
We ask for updates too. Declining is always up to you, and if you decline nothing changes on your computer.