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curl

Included in pluginshared-skillsView on GitHub ↗

Files

SKILL.mdagentsreferencesscripts

Install

Install the containing plugin
/plugin install shared-skills@llm-skills
Invoke this skill after installation
/shared-skills:curl
Download curl-skill.zip
This skill is bundled inside shared-skills. Install the plugin once, then Claude Code can use any of its included skills. Browse the full plugin repository at github.com/alisonaquinas/llm-shared-skills.

SKILL.md

name: curl description: > Transfer data with URL syntax using curl for HTTP requests, API calls, downloads, uploads, headers, authentication, redirects, and response inspection. Use when the agent needs to fetch an endpoint, send JSON or form data, inspect HTTP status and headers, download a file with precise request control, or troubleshoot TLS, proxy, and redirect behavior from the command line.

curl

Transfer data with URL syntax for HTTP, HTTPS, and related protocols.

Quick Start

  1. Verify curl is available: curl --version
  2. Establish the command surface: curl --help or man curl
  3. Start with a safe probe: curl --head --fail --location https://example.com

Intent Router

Load only the reference file needed for the active request.

  • references/install-and-setup.md — Installing curl, checking versions, CA store, and proxy basics
  • references/cheatsheet.md — Common flags, GET and POST requests, headers, output capture, and status extraction
  • references/advanced-usage.md — Multipart uploads, auth flows, retries, resume, proxies, APIs, and structured response output
  • references/troubleshooting.md — DNS, TLS, redirect, quoting, proxy, timeout, and HTTP failure recovery

Core Workflow

  1. Verify the installed build and TLS backend: curl --version
  2. Inspect the target safely first with --head or a simple GET before sending data
  3. Add request details explicitly: --request, --header, --data, --user, --location
  4. Fail clearly on HTTP errors with --fail or --fail-with-body
  5. Separate body, headers, and status output intentionally with --output, --dump-header, and --write-out

Quick Workflows

Read-only endpoint check

curl --head --fail --location https://example.com

JSON API request

curl --fail-with-body --location --request POST \
  --header "Content-Type: application/json" \
  --data '{"name":"demo"}' \
  https://example.com/api/items

File download with explicit output

curl --fail --location --output artifact.zip https://example.com/download/artifact.zip

Quick Command Reference

curl --version
curl --head --fail --location https://example.com
curl --fail --location https://example.com/api/items
curl --fail --location --header "Accept: application/json" https://example.com/api/items
curl --fail-with-body --location --request POST \
  --header "Content-Type: application/json" \
  --data '{"name":"demo"}' \
  https://example.com/api/items
curl --fail --location --output artifact.zip https://example.com/download/artifact.zip
curl --silent --show-error --output response.json \
  --write-out "%{http_code}\n" \
  https://example.com/api/items
curl --fail --location --user "$API_USER:$API_PASS" https://example.com/api/secure
man curl

Safety Notes

AreaGuardrail
Initial probeStart with --head or a read-only GET before mutating requests or large downloads.
HTTP failuresPrefer --fail or --fail-with-body so scripts stop on 4xx and 5xx responses.
RedirectsAdd --location only when redirect following is intended; unexpected redirects can hide the true target.
SecretsAvoid inline credentials when shell history, process listings, or logs are exposed. Prefer environment variables, netrc, config files, or prompting.
TLS verificationKeep certificate verification enabled. Use --insecure only for a temporary diagnostic step and remove it after identifying the issue.
Output pathsSet --output explicitly for files to avoid mixing binary payloads into terminal logs or pipelines.
Request bodiesConfirm method, content type, and payload before sending writes to production services.
Structured outputUse --write-out and --dump-header to separate status and headers from the body for reliable automation.

Scope Boundary

This skill does not cover full-site mirroring or recursive crawling. Use wget for those workflows.

Source Policy

  • Treat the installed curl behavior and curl --help or man curl as runtime truth.
  • Use the local build output from curl --version to confirm TLS backend and supported protocols.
  • Validate advanced flags against the official curl manual before documenting them.
  • Prefer explicit flags over shorthand when documenting reproducible request behavior.

Resource Index

  • scripts/install.sh — Install curl on macOS or Linux.
  • scripts/install.ps1 — Install curl on Windows or any platform via PowerShell.
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