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Bolt: Update Skills Imported From GitHub

BoltView original changelog

Bolt added an Update from GitHub option for skills imported from a public GitHub repository. Imported skills stay linked to their source folder, and users can pull in the latest version on demand from the skill's menu. Bolt does not sync automatically, and editing an imported skill disconnects it from GitHub.

Key Takeaways

  • Skills imported from GitHub stay linked to their source folder, so a repository becomes the single source of truth for a shared skill.
  • Updates are manual, not automatic: users choose Update from GitHub from the skill's three-dot menu, so projects never change unexpectedly.
  • The update replaces the skill with the latest version of the same folder, and Bolt uses it the next time the skill runs.
  • Editing an imported skill in Bolt disconnects it from GitHub and removes the update option, with a warning shown before saving.
  • Renames are handled by updating the slash command, but the update fails if a skill with the new name already exists.
  • The repository must be public and the skill under 2 MB; if the repo goes private or the folder is deleted, the skill keeps working but cannot be updated.

Keeping Imported Skills Current

Bolt Skills are reusable bundles of context, rules and workflows that the AI agent applies while building. Skills can be imported from a public GitHub repository, which makes it easy to share conventions across a team. Until now, an imported skill was effectively a snapshot. Bolt has now added an Update from GitHub action, so a skill can be refreshed when its source repository changes.

How the Update Works

Imported skills stay linked to the GitHub folder they came from, but they do not update automatically. Bolt only syncs when a user asks it to. To refresh a skill, open the Skills library (or Project settings and then Skills for a project-level skill), click the three dots icon next to the skill's name, and choose Update from GitHub.

The update replaces the skill with the latest version of the same folder. Bolt uses the updated version the next time the skill is invoked, so there is no need to re-import or reconfigure anything in the project.

Behavior Worth Knowing

Renamed skills

If the skill was renamed in the repository, Bolt shows the new name and updates the slash command to match. If a skill with the new name already exists, the update fails. Renaming or removing the existing skill and trying again resolves it.

Edited skills are disconnected

Editing an imported skill inside Bolt disconnects it from GitHub, and the Update from GitHub option disappears. Bolt warns users before the edit is saved. The option is also unavailable for skills imported from a file, and for skills imported before GitHub updates existed. Importing the skill again creates a linked copy.

Workspace skills and projects

If a workspace skill was turned off in some projects, an update may turn it back on. Users should switch it off again in those projects after updating.

Limits and failure cases

The 2 MB size limit that applies to imports also applies to updates. If the source repository becomes private or the folder is deleted, the skill keeps working but cannot be updated until the repository is public again.

Why It Matters

Teams that maintain a shared skills repository can now improve a skill once in GitHub and roll the change out to Bolt workspaces and projects with a couple of clicks. The manual approach is predictable: nothing changes underneath a project until someone chooses to update.