All three support SKILL.md, but they handle skills differently. Here's a practical comparison.
Claude Code
Best for: Deep coding tasks, complex refactoring
- Reads SKILL.md from project root
- Strong at following multi-step skill instructions
- Expensive but powerful (Opus model)
- Skills work in terminal and IDE
Cursor
Best for: IDE-native development, real-time coding
- SKILL.md support via rules files
- Great autocomplete integration
- Skills enhance inline suggestions
- Best if you live in VS Code
OpenClaw
Best for: Automation, agents, multi-platform
- Native SKILL.md + script.sh execution
- Skills can include executable scripts
- Runs on servers, Raspberry Pi, anywhere
- Best for headless/automated workflows
- Largest skill marketplace (ClawHub)
The Verdict
There's no single winner. Use Claude Code for heavy coding, Cursor for IDE work, and OpenClaw for automation. The beauty of SKILL.md is that the same skills work across all three.
Our Recommendation
Start with whichever tool matches your primary workflow. Install skills from ClawHub. If you outgrow one tool, your skills come with you.