--- source_url: https://www.pubnub.com/docs/ai/pubnub-skills title: PubNub agent skills updated_at: 2026-07-24T13:31:41.000Z --- # PubNub agent skills ## Documentation index To discover more PubNub resources: 1. Fetch [PubNub's llms.txt](https://www.pubnub.com/llms-full.txt) for a list of available pages in Markdown format. 2. Identify relevant URLs from that index. 3. Fetch the target pages. Do not assume a path exists, always check the index first. The PubNub Skills Collection is a comprehensive set of skills for building real-time applications with PubNub's platform. Each skill provides focused guidance, code examples, and best practices for specific PubNub capabilities. For example, you can ask your AI coding assistant to *build a live auction app with real-time bidding and presence* or *add PubNub chat with typing indicators* in plain English. ### Who it's for and what it does PubNub Skills are designed for anyone who wants to: * Build real-time PubNub applications using AI-assisted coding tools. * Apply production-ready patterns without deep SDK expertise. * Get guided architecture for channels, presence, Functions, App Context, and more. Once installed, skills are automatically available in compatible AI coding assistants. Ask about PubNub topics and the relevant skill is invoked. For live account access and API operations, set up the [PubNub MCP Server](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/ai/pubnub-mcp-server.md). For a complete list of MCP tools your AI assistant can use with your PubNub account, refer to [Available tools](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/ai/available-mcp-tools.md). :::tip Skills, MCP Server, and docs — what to use when * **PubNub Skills** — focused guidance, code examples, and best practices for PubNub capabilities. Install once; your AI coding assistant applies them automatically. * **MCP Server** — live account access: create apps, manage keysets, publish messages, and query analytics in real time. Requires a PubNub account and IDE authorization. * **PubNub docs** — detailed API reference and how-to guides. Both Skills and the MCP Server surface docs to your AI assistant, but you can also browse them directly. Skills are designed to work seamlessly with the PubNub MCP Server. For the fastest path from prompt to production, use both together. ::: ## Prerequisites Before you begin, ensure you have: * A [PubNub account](https://admin.pubnub.com/signup) — required to use the PubNub APIs and SDKs your AI will generate code for * One of the supported AI coding assistants: Claude Code — skills load automatically from the project directory, Cursor IDE — skills are picked up via the .cursor/skills/ convention, VS Code with GitHub Copilot — compatible via the Vercel skills CLI, Codex and other agents that support the SKILL.md format ## Install Choose your installation method below. Once installed, PubNub Skills are automatically available to your AI coding assistant in the current project. ### Vercel Skills CLI The skills CLI requires no installation and can be run directly using npx. To install all 22 PubNub skills without any prompts: ```bash npx skills add pubnub/skills --all ``` To choose specific skills or agents interactively, omit `--all`: ```bash npx skills add pubnub/skills ``` For more details, see the [Skills CLI reference](https://skills.sh/docs/cli). ### Tessl CLI To search for PubNub skills in the Tessl registry: ```bash npx tessl search --type skills pubnub ``` To install a specific skill individually: ```bash npx tessl install pubnub/ ``` :::note One skill at a time Tessl installs skills one at a time. To install all PubNub skills in a single command, use the Vercel Skills CLI. ::: ## Available skills The collection includes **22 skills** organized into four categories. Each skill links to its source in the [PubNub Skills repo](https://github.com/pubnub/skills). * **Core Platform** — core platform capabilities that apply to all real-time apps * **Platform Services** — serverless compute, data storage, and integration services * **Operations** — reliability, observability, and platform management * **Vertical** — domain-specific guidance for common real-time application types ### Core Platform skills | Skill | Skill name | Description | | --- | --- | --- | | [App developer](https://github.com/pubnub/skills/blob/master/pubnub-app-developer/SKILL.md) | `pubnub-app-developer` | Core pub/sub messaging, channels, SDK patterns | | [Presence](https://github.com/pubnub/skills/blob/master/pubnub-presence/SKILL.md) | `pubnub-presence` | Real-time user online/offline status, occupancy | | [Security](https://github.com/pubnub/skills/blob/master/pubnub-security/SKILL.md) | `pubnub-security` | Access Manager, AES-256 encryption, TLS | | [Chat](https://github.com/pubnub/skills/blob/master/pubnub-chat/SKILL.md) | `pubnub-chat` | Chat SDK, messaging, typing indicators, reactions | | [App Context](https://github.com/pubnub/skills/blob/master/pubnub-app-context/SKILL.md) | `pubnub-app-context` | Objects API: users, channels, memberships, metadata | ### Platform Services skills | Skill | Skill name | Description | | --- | --- | --- | | [Functions](https://github.com/pubnub/skills/blob/master/pubnub-functions/SKILL.md) | `pubnub-functions` | Serverless edge functions, webhooks, KVStore | | [History](https://github.com/pubnub/skills/blob/master/pubnub-history/SKILL.md) | `pubnub-history` | Storage & Playback, timetoken pagination, offline catch-up, dedup-on-merge | | [Events and Actions](https://github.com/pubnub/skills/blob/master/pubnub-events-and-actions/SKILL.md) | `pubnub-events-and-actions` | Webhook / Lambda / Kafka / SQS / EventBridge integrations | | [Illuminate](https://github.com/pubnub/skills/blob/master/pubnub-illuminate/SKILL.md) | `pubnub-illuminate` | Business Objects, Metrics, Decisions, Queries, Dashboards | ### Operations skills | Skill | Skill name | Description | | --- | --- | --- | | [Scale](https://github.com/pubnub/skills/blob/master/pubnub-scale/SKILL.md) | `pubnub-scale` | High-volume optimization, channel groups, wildcard subscriptions | | [Reliability](https://github.com/pubnub/skills/blob/master/pubnub-reliability/SKILL.md) | `pubnub-reliability` | Backoff+jitter, idempotent publish, queue+retry, dedup, schema versioning | | [Observability](https://github.com/pubnub/skills/blob/master/pubnub-observability/SKILL.md) | `pubnub-observability` | Logging correlation, test pyramid, runbooks, payload hygiene, usage metrics | | [Keyset management](https://github.com/pubnub/skills/blob/master/pubnub-keyset-management/SKILL.md) | `pubnub-keyset-management` | Apps, keysets, env separation, key hygiene, demo keys | ### Vertical skills | Skill | Skill name | Description | | --- | --- | --- | | [Live auctions](https://github.com/pubnub/skills/blob/master/pubnub-live-auctions/SKILL.md) | `pubnub-live-auctions` | Real-time auction platforms with bidding and countdowns | | [Live betting and casino](https://github.com/pubnub/skills/blob/master/pubnub-live-betting-casino/SKILL.md) | `pubnub-live-betting-casino` | Real-time betting and casino game platforms | | [Live sport updates](https://github.com/pubnub/skills/blob/master/pubnub-live-sport-updates/SKILL.md) | `pubnub-live-sport-updates` | Real-time sports scores, play-by-play, scoreboards | | [Live stock quote updates](https://github.com/pubnub/skills/blob/master/pubnub-live-stock-quote-updates/SKILL.md) | `pubnub-live-stock-quote-updates` | Real-time stock quotes and market data | | [Live voting](https://github.com/pubnub/skills/blob/master/pubnub-live-voting/SKILL.md) | `pubnub-live-voting` | Real-time voting and polling systems | | [Multiplayer gaming](https://github.com/pubnub/skills/blob/master/pubnub-multiplayer-gaming/SKILL.md) | `pubnub-multiplayer-gaming` | Real-time multiplayer game state synchronization | | [Order and delivery driver](https://github.com/pubnub/skills/blob/master/pubnub-order-delivery-driver/SKILL.md) | `pubnub-order-delivery-driver` | Real-time order tracking and delivery driver systems | | [Telemedicine](https://github.com/pubnub/skills/blob/master/pubnub-telemedicine/SKILL.md) | `pubnub-telemedicine` | HIPAA-compliant telemedicine applications | ## Sample prompts Once skills are installed, describe what you want to build in plain English. Your AI assistant applies the relevant PubNub skill automatically. ```text Create a live auction app using PubNub Skills. The app should include real-time bidding, bidder presence, auction countdown timers, bid history, and anti-sniping behavior where any bid placed in the last 10 seconds automatically extends the auction. ``` ```text Build a multiplayer game lobby with real-time chat, player presence indicators, and team matchmaking using PubNub. ``` ```text Create a HIPAA-compliant telehealth app with a virtual waiting room, secure patient-provider messaging, and WebRTC video consultation signaling. ``` ```text Build a live sports scoreboard that shows real-time scores, play-by-play updates, and fan voting. ``` ```text Create a real-time delivery tracking app with GPS location streaming from drivers and a customer-facing map. ``` ```text Add PubNub presence to my existing app so users can see who else is online in each channel. ``` ## Terms in this document * **PubNub** - PubNub is a real-time messaging platform that provides APIs and SDKs for building scalable applications. It handles the complex infrastructure of real-time communication, including: Message delivery and persistence, Presence detection, Access control, Push notifications, File sharing, Serverless processing with Functions and Events & Actions, Analytics and monitoring with BizOps Workspace, AI-powered insights with Illuminate. Last updated at: 2026-07-24T13:31:41.000Z