An agent skill is code-adjacent configuration. Even when the main file is plain text, it may point to scripts, network calls, credentials, files, or actions that deserve review.
Inspect before you install
Open the repository and read the skill file. Check the publisher, license, recent changes, install command, scripts, references, and external URLs. Be wary of instructions that ask you to reveal secrets, disable security controls, or run opaque commands.
Use a constrained environment
Try unfamiliar skills in a test repository or sandbox. Give the agent only the files and permissions required for the task. Keep credentials out of the workspace until you know the workflow is safe and useful.
Watch the first run
Review the commands the agent proposes, the files it touches, and the network requests it makes. Ask it to explain a step that is unclear. A good skill makes its method legible; it should not need hidden behavior to be valuable.
Keep provenance visible
Save the source URL, version or commit, install date, and owner. Re-check a skill when it changes. The EveryAI skills library keeps publisher and install metadata close to the discovery step, so you can make that decision with context.