Project vs user scope#

Every supported client can be installed at one of two scopes. The choice is independent of which client you're installing.

	User scope (default)	Project scope (`--project`)
Path	`~/.<client>/...`	`<cwd>/.<client>/...`
Activation	Every session, every project	Only inside this project
Best for	Solo developer, one machine	Team-shared repos (commit the install)
Auto-detect	Triggered by markers under `~/`	Triggered by markers under `cwd`

For the exact install path each client uses at each scope, see the per-client guide linked from the AI clients overview.

Symlink mode (developer loop)#

--symlink links to the bundled location instead of copying. After pip upgrade safelint, the skill / rule reflects the new content immediately, no safelint skill install --force needed.

safelint skill install --symlink
safelint skill install --client cursor --symlink

Every client installs a single file, so --symlink is one symlink at the install destination pointing at the bundled artefact inside the wheel. pip upgrade safelint reflects content changes immediately through the link.

Caveat: symlink mode requires symlink support, POSIX shells, or Windows with developer mode enabled. If you hit "operation not permitted", drop the --symlink flag and use the default copy mode.