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Common Errors

Error messages and their solutions.

Config Errors​

config not found: run 'skillshare init' first​

Cause: No configuration file exists.

Solution:

skillshare init

Add --source if you want a custom path:

skillshare init --source ~/my-skills

Target Errors​

target add: path does not exist​

Cause: The skills directory doesn't exist yet.

Solution:

mkdir -p ~/.myapp/skills
skillshare target add myapp ~/.myapp/skills

target path does not end with 'skills'​

Cause: Warning that path doesn't follow convention.

Solution: This is a warning, not an error. Proceed if your path is intentional, or fix it:

skillshare target add myapp ~/.myapp/skills  # Preferred

target directory already exists with files​

Cause: Target has existing files that might be overwritten.

Solution:

skillshare backup
skillshare sync

Sync Errors​

deleting a symlinked target removed source files​

Cause: You ran rm -rf on a target in symlink mode.

Solution:

# If git is initialized
cd ~/.config/skillshare/skills
git checkout -- .

# Or restore from backup
skillshare restore <target>

Prevention: Use skillshare target remove instead of manual deletion.

sync seems stuck or slow​

Cause: Large files in skills directory.

Solution: Add ignore patterns:

# ~/.config/skillshare/config.yaml
ignore:
  - "**/.DS_Store"
  - "**/.git/**"
  - "**/node_modules/**"

Git Errors​

push: remote has changes​

Cause: Remote repository is ahead of local.

Solution:

skillshare pull   # Get remote changes first
skillshare push   # Now push works

pull: local has uncommitted changes​

Cause: You have local changes that haven't been pushed.

Solution:

# Option 1: Push your changes first
skillshare push -m "Local changes"
skillshare pull

# Option 2: Discard local changes
cd ~/.config/skillshare/skills
git checkout -- .
skillshare pull

merge conflicts​

Cause: Same file was edited on multiple machines.

Solution:

cd ~/.config/skillshare/skills
git status                    # See conflicted files
# Edit files to resolve conflicts
git add .
git commit -m "Resolve conflicts"
skillshare sync

Install Errors​

skill already exists​

Cause: A skill with the same name is already installed.

Solution:

# Update the existing skill
skillshare install <source> --update

# Or force overwrite
skillshare install <source> --force

invalid skill: SKILL.md not found​

Cause: The source doesn't have a valid SKILL.md file.

Solution: Check the source path is correct and points to a skill directory.

Upgrade Errors​

GitHub API rate limit exceeded​

Cause: Too many unauthenticated API requests.

Solution:

# Option 1: Set a GitHub token (recommended)
export GITHUB_TOKEN=ghp_your_token_here
skillshare upgrade

# Option 2: Force upgrade
skillshare upgrade --cli --force

Create a token at: https://github.com/settings/tokens (no scopes needed for public repos)

Skill Errors​

skill not appearing in AI CLI​

Causes:

  1. Skill not synced
  2. Invalid SKILL.md format
  3. AI CLI caching

Solutions:

# 1. Sync
skillshare sync

# 2. Check format
skillshare doctor

# 3. Restart AI CLI

skill name collision detected​

Cause: Multiple skills have the same name field.

Solution: Use namespaced names:

# In _team-a/skill/SKILL.md
name: team-a:skill-name

# In _team-b/skill/SKILL.md
name: team-b:skill-name

Binary Errors​

integration tests cannot find the binary​

Cause: Binary not built or wrong path.

Solution:

go build -o bin/skillshare ./cmd/skillshare
# Or set
export SKILLSHARE_TEST_BINARY=/path/to/skillshare

Still Having Issues?​

See Troubleshooting Workflow for a systematic debugging approach.