> For clean Markdown content of this page, append .md to this URL. For the complete documentation index, see https://buildwithfern.com/learn/llms.txt.

# Skills for using Fern Docs

> Install the fern-docs agent skill to teach coding agents how to author and edit Fern Docs sites.

#### Early access

Agent skills are in early access. [Reach out](mailto:support@buildwithfern.com) to request specific skills.

The [`fern-docs`](https://www.skills.sh/fern-api/skills/fern-docs) [agent skill](https://www.skills.sh) teaches coding agents (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, Copilot, and others) how to author and edit Fern Docs sites, including navigation, custom components, landing pages, changelog entries, and access control (authentication & RBAC). It ships in the [`fern-api/skills`](https://github.com/fern-api/skills) repository.

Your docs site can also [host your own skills](/learn/docs/ai-features/host-skills) for your users to discover and install.

## Install

From your project, run the command for your agent:

#### Claude Code

```bash
npx skills add fern-api/skills --skill fern-docs -a claude-code
```

#### Cursor

```bash
npx skills add fern-api/skills --skill fern-docs -a cursor
```

#### Codex

```bash
npx skills add fern-api/skills --skill fern-docs -a codex
```

#### GitHub Copilot

```bash
npx skills add fern-api/skills --skill fern-docs -a github-copilot
```

This [`skills`](https://www.skills.sh) command writes the skill into your repo at the correct location (`.claude/skills/`, `.agents/skills/`, etc.), along with a `skills-lock.json` lockfile. Commit these files so everyone working in the repo gets the skill. Your agent then loads it automatically whenever a task involves authoring or editing your Fern Docs.

Add `-g` to install globally. The skill then loads on relevant docs tasks across every project you work in.

You can also install this skill from the **Install skills** action in the [page actions toolbar](/learn/docs/configuration/site-level-settings#install-skills-action) on this documentation site.

## What the skill covers

The skill's `SKILL.md` is an index that agents read first. It contains:

* **Link construction rules** for building internal URLs from `docs.yml` config rather than file paths
* **URL preservation rules** for setting up [redirects](/learn/docs/seo/redirects) when an edit moves, renames, or deletes a page
* **Cross-referencing guidelines** for connecting related pages
* **Authentication and RBAC guidance** for gating pages and inline content by role, wiring in an auth method, and understanding which config lives in the repo versus the Dashboard
* **Pointers to Fern resources** the agent can query at runtime, like [Fern's MCP server](/learn/docs/ai-features/fern-mcp-servers) and [`llms.txt`](/learn/docs/ai-features/llms-txt), along with the convention for fetching any page as [Markdown](/learn/docs/ai-features/markdown) by appending `.md` to its URL

### References

The skill routes agents to task-specific guides in a `references/` directory. The agent loads only the reference matching its task, not the whole set.

| Reference                      | Loaded when                                                                                                  |
| ------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `references/changelog.md`      | Writing or editing a changelog entry.                                                                        |
| `references/products.md`       | Setting up a product switcher, adding a product, or refactoring navigation into the products format.         |
| `references/redirects.md`      | Moving, renaming, or deleting a page, or any edit that changes a published URL.                              |
| `references/authentication.md` | Restricting pages or content by role (RBAC), or wiring docs into an auth method (password, SSO, JWT, OAuth). |
| `references/snippets.md`       | Editing the same content across multiple pages, or adding generic/boilerplate content.                       |

An agent writing a changelog entry loads `references/changelog.md` and skips the rest, keeping context small.

> Install the fern-docs agent skill to teach coding agents how to author and edit Fern Docs sites.