Migrating to AgentKit

If you set up ClaudeKit before early 2026 by manually cloning claudekit-engineer and copying .claude/ files, this guide explains how to upgrade to the current AgentKit-based installation.

What Changed

Before (pre-AgentKit)After (AgentKit)
Clone claudekit-engineer repock init -g --kit engineer
Copy .claude/ manuallyCLI installs skills automatically
Skills in claudekit-engineer/.claude/skills/Skills sourced from agentkit/kits/*/skills/
Update by re-cloningUpdate by re-running ck init -g
Single repo for all skillsThree kits: engineer, marketing, core

The invocation syntax — /ck:skill-name — did not change. Your muscle memory is intact.

Before You Start

Check what you currently have:

# Where are your skills installed?
ls ~/.claude/skills/       # global
ls .claude/skills/         # local (project-specific)

# What version is installed?
cat ~/.claude/.ck.json 2>/dev/null || echo "No .ck.json found"

Migration Steps

Step 1: Install the CLI

npm install -g claudekit-cli
ck --version

Step 2: Back Up Any Customized Skills

If you have modified any skill files locally, back them up before upgrading:

# Back up only customized skills (ones you edited)
cp -r ~/.claude/skills/my-custom-skill ~/claude-skills-backup/

Standard ClaudeKit skill files (SKILL.md, references/) will be overwritten by ck init. Custom skills you created with skill-creator should also be backed up.

Step 3: Run ck init -g

ck init -g --kit engineer

This will:

  1. Detect your existing ~/.claude/ installation
  2. Download the latest AgentKit engineer kit release
  3. Install/update skills using smart merge (preserving customizations where possible)
  4. Update agents and configuration files

If you also use the marketing kit:

ck init -g --kit marketing

Step 4: Restore Custom Skills

If you backed up custom skills in Step 2, restore them:

cp -r ~/claude-skills-backup/my-custom-skill ~/.claude/skills/

Step 5: Verify

# Skills present
ls ~/.claude/skills/ | head -20

# Launch Claude Code and test a skill
claude
# Then type: /ck:brainstorm test that skills are working

Changed Skill Locations

Skills that moved or were renamed between old CK and AgentKit:

Old name / locationNew nameKit
/ck:code/ck:cookcore
/ck:plan --two/ck:plan --two (unchanged)engineer
/ck:plan --hard/ck:plan --hard (unchanged)engineer
.claude/commands/core/cook.md~/.claude/skills/cook/SKILL.mdcore
.claude/commands/fix/fast.md~/.claude/skills/fix/SKILL.md (use --quick)core

Deprecated Skills

These skills existed in the old claudekit-engineer but were not carried forward to AgentKit kits. Their capabilities were merged into other skills or dropped:

Deprecated skillAlternative
cti-expertNo direct replacement; use /ck:brainstorm for threat modeling
/integrate:polarUse payment-integration skill
/integrate:sepayUse payment-integration skill

FAQ

Q: Do I need to delete my old .claude/ files first?
No. ck init -g merges into your existing installation. Only delete manually if you want a completely clean slate.

Q: Will my custom CLAUDE.md be overwritten?
No. ck init does not touch CLAUDE.md. It only updates files inside .claude/.

Q: What about local (project-level) installations?
Run ck init --kit engineer (without -g) from your project root to update that project’s .claude/ directory.

Q: The skills I use aren’t in AgentKit — what happened?
A small number of skills from the old kit were archived or merged. See the “Deprecated Skills” table above. If a skill you relied on is missing, open a request on Discord.