12 KiB
WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) Sync Guide
Complete guide for syncing Claude Code agents and skills using WSL on Windows.
🎯 Why WSL is Better Than Native Windows
- ✅ Same commands as Linux - No path conversions or PowerShell/Batch differences
- ✅ Native curl/git - Skillshare installs with one command
- ✅ Better performance - Git operations are faster
- ✅ Consistent with server - Same environment as server-ai
- ✅ Easy shell scripts - Bash scripts work as-is
📋 Prerequisites
Install WSL (If Not Already Installed)
# In PowerShell as Administrator
wsl --install
# Or install specific distro
wsl --install -d Ubuntu-22.04
# Reboot Windows
Verify WSL Installation
# Check WSL version (should be WSL 2)
wsl --version
# Enter WSL
wsl
# Check distro
cat /etc/os-release
🔀 Two Setup Strategies
Strategy 1: Shared (Recommended)
WSL and Windows Claude Code share the same skills/agents
Use when:
- You use Claude Code in both WSL and Windows
- Want consistency across both environments
- Don't want duplicate files
Strategy 2: Separate
WSL has independent skills/agents, syncs separately
Use when:
- Only use Claude Code in WSL or Windows, not both
- Need different skills for different environments
- Want complete isolation
🔗 Strategy 1: Shared Setup (WSL + Windows)
Step 1: Install in Windows First
Follow the Windows guide to set up agents/skills in Windows:
- Agents:
C:\Users\YourName\.claude\agents - Skills:
C:\Users\YourName\.config\skillshare\skills
Step 2: Create Symlinks in WSL
# In WSL - Replace YourName with your Windows username
# Create .claude directory if it doesn't exist
mkdir -p ~/.claude
# Symlink agents (WSL points to Windows)
ln -s /mnt/c/Users/YourName/.claude/agents ~/.claude/agents
# Symlink skills target (for Claude Code in WSL)
ln -s /mnt/c/Users/YourName/.claude/skills ~/.claude/skills
# Symlink Skillshare source directory
mkdir -p ~/.config
ln -s /mnt/c/Users/YourName/.config/skillshare ~/.config/skillshare
Step 3: Verify Symlinks
# Check symlinks
ls -la ~/.claude/
ls -la ~/.config/
# Should show:
# agents -> /mnt/c/Users/YourName/.claude/agents
# skills -> /mnt/c/Users/YourName/.claude/skills
# skillshare -> /mnt/c/Users/YourName/.config/skillshare
Step 4: Install Skillshare in WSL (Optional)
# If you want to run skillshare commands from WSL
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/runkids/skillshare/main/install.sh | sh
# Test
skillshare status
Step 5: Daily Sync (From WSL)
# Pull agents (from WSL)
cd ~/.claude/agents # Actually points to Windows directory
git pull origin main
# Pull skills (from WSL)
skillshare pull --remote # Updates Windows skillshare directory
How it works:
- Both WSL and Windows Claude Code read from same directories
- Changes in WSL appear instantly in Windows (and vice versa)
- Git sync updates both environments automatically
🔧 Strategy 2: Separate Setup (WSL Only)
Step 1: Install Git in WSL
# Update packages
sudo apt update
# Install git
sudo apt install git -y
# Configure git
git config --global user.name "admin"
git config --global user.email "admin@server-ai.local"
git config --global init.defaultBranch main
Step 2: Clone Agents
# Clone agents to WSL
git clone https://admin:MyN3wP%40ssword%21@gitea.pressmess.duckdns.org/admin/claude-agents.git ~/.claude/agents
# Verify
ls ~/.claude/agents/
Step 3: Install Skillshare
# Install Skillshare
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/runkids/skillshare/main/install.sh | sh
# Verify
skillshare version
Step 4: Setup Skills
# Initialize Skillshare
skillshare init --no-copy --all-targets --git
# Add remote
cd ~/.config/skillshare/skills
git remote add origin https://admin:MyN3wP%40ssword%21@gitea.pressmess.duckdns.org/admin/claude-skills.git
# Pull skills
skillshare pull --remote
# Verify
skillshare status
Step 5: Daily Sync
# Same as Linux commands - pull agents
cd ~/.claude/agents && git pull
# Pull skills
skillshare pull --remote
🗂️ Understanding WSL Paths
Accessing Windows from WSL
# Windows C: drive
/mnt/c/
# Windows user directory
/mnt/c/Users/YourName/
# Windows Claude directory
/mnt/c/Users/YourName/.claude/
# Windows Documents
/mnt/c/Users/YourName/Documents/
Accessing WSL from Windows
# In Windows Explorer, type:
\\wsl$\Ubuntu\home\yourname\.claude\
# Or in PowerShell
cd \\wsl$\Ubuntu\home\yourname\.claude\
Path Translations
| Windows | WSL |
|---|---|
C:\Users\YourName\ |
/mnt/c/Users/YourName/ |
%USERPROFILE%\.claude |
/mnt/c/Users/YourName/.claude |
D:\Projects\ |
/mnt/d/Projects/ |
🚀 Quick Setup Commands
Shared Setup (Fastest)
# Run in WSL after Windows setup is complete
mkdir -p ~/.claude ~/.config
ln -s /mnt/c/Users/$(cmd.exe /c "echo %USERNAME%" | tr -d '\r')/.claude/agents ~/.claude/agents
ln -s /mnt/c/Users/$(cmd.exe /c "echo %USERNAME%" | tr -d '\r')/.claude/skills ~/.claude/skills
ln -s /mnt/c/Users/$(cmd.exe /c "echo %USERNAME%" | tr -d '\r')/.config/skillshare ~/.config/skillshare
Separate Setup (Full Linux)
# Run in WSL
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/runkids/skillshare/main/install.sh | sh
git clone https://admin:MyN3wP%40ssword%21@gitea.pressmess.duckdns.org/admin/claude-agents.git ~/.claude/agents
skillshare init --no-copy --all-targets --git
cd ~/.config/skillshare/skills
git remote add origin https://admin:MyN3wP%40ssword%21@gitea.pressmess.duckdns.org/admin/claude-skills.git
skillshare pull --remote
📝 WSL Shell Aliases
Add to ~/.bashrc in WSL:
# Sync shortcuts
alias sync-agents='cd ~/.claude/agents && git pull origin main'
alias sync-skills='skillshare pull --remote'
alias sync-all='sync-agents && sync-skills'
# Push shortcuts
alias push-agents='cd ~/.claude/agents && git add . && git commit -m "Update from WSL" && git push'
alias push-skills='skillshare sync && skillshare push -m "Update from WSL"'
# Status shortcuts
alias agent-status='cd ~/.claude/agents && git status'
alias skill-status='skillshare status'
# Reload bashrc
source ~/.bashrc
Usage:
sync-all # Pull both agents and skills
push-agents # Push agent changes
skill-status # Check skillshare status
🔄 Daily Workflow (WSL)
Morning Sync
# Open WSL terminal
wsl
# Pull latest from all machines
sync-all # Or manually:
cd ~/.claude/agents && git pull
skillshare pull --remote
Working
# Create new agent
nano ~/.claude/agents/my-new-agent.md
# Create new skill
skillshare new my-helper
nano ~/.config/skillshare/skills/my-helper/SKILL.md
Evening Push
# Push agents
cd ~/.claude/agents
git add .
git commit -m "Add my-new-agent"
git push origin main
# Push skills
skillshare sync
skillshare push -m "Add my-helper skill"
🛠️ WSL-Specific Tips
1. Performance
WSL 2 is fast, but accessing Windows files (/mnt/c/) is slower than native WSL files (~/).
If using shared setup:
- Acceptable for git pull/push
- Skillshare sync might be slightly slower
If performance is critical:
- Use separate setup (pure WSL paths)
2. Line Endings
Git in WSL handles line endings correctly by default:
# Verify (should be false or input)
git config --global core.autocrlf
# Set if needed
git config --global core.autocrlf input
3. File Permissions
Windows files accessed from WSL may have unusual permissions:
# If you see weird permissions like 777
# Add to ~/.bashrc or /etc/wsl.conf
echo "[automount]
options = metadata,umask=22,fmask=11" | sudo tee -a /etc/wsl.conf
# Restart WSL
wsl --shutdown
wsl
4. VS Code Integration
VS Code works great with WSL:
# In WSL, open VS Code
code ~/.claude/agents/
code ~/.config/skillshare/skills/
# VS Code will connect to WSL automatically
🐛 Troubleshooting WSL
Symlink Not Working
# Check if symlink exists
ls -la ~/.claude/agents
# Remove broken symlink
rm ~/.claude/agents
# Recreate
ln -s /mnt/c/Users/YourName/.claude/agents ~/.claude/agents
Permission Denied
# Check Windows directory permissions
ls -la /mnt/c/Users/YourName/.claude/
# If owned by root, fix permissions
sudo chown -R $(whoami):$(whoami) ~/.claude/
Git Not Found in WSL
# Install git
sudo apt update
sudo apt install git -y
Skillshare Not Found
# Check installation
which skillshare
# If not found, reinstall
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/runkids/skillshare/main/install.sh | sh
# Add to PATH if needed
echo 'export PATH="/usr/local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc
WSL Can't Access Windows Files
# Check if Windows drives are mounted
ls /mnt/c/
# If not mounted, check WSL config
cat /etc/wsl.conf
# Should have:
# [automount]
# enabled = true
🎯 Recommended Setup by Use Case
Case 1: Claude Code in Both WSL and Windows
Use: Shared Setup
- Symlink WSL to Windows directories
- One set of skills/agents
- Sync from either environment
Case 2: Claude Code Only in WSL
Use: Separate Setup
- Native WSL paths (~/.claude/)
- Better performance
- Pure Linux experience
Case 3: Claude Code Only in Windows
Use: Windows Native Setup
- Don't need WSL for Claude Code
- But can use WSL for git commands (faster)
- Symlink Windows to WSL if desired
Case 4: Development in WSL, Claude Code in Windows
Use: Shared Setup
- Code in WSL, run Claude in Windows
- Both access same skills/agents
- Best of both worlds
📊 Performance Comparison
| Operation | Native Windows | WSL (Shared) | WSL (Separate) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Git clone | Medium | Medium | Fast |
| Git pull | Medium | Medium | Fast |
| Skillshare sync | Medium | Slow | Fast |
| File access | Fast | Slow | Fast |
| Overall | Medium | Medium | Fastest |
Recommendation: If performance matters, use separate WSL setup.
🔐 Credentials in WSL
Option 1: Store in Git URL (Already Configured)
# Already set in remote URL
https://admin:MyN3wP%40ssword%21@gitea.pressmess.duckdns.org/...
Option 2: Git Credential Helper
# Install credential helper
git config --global credential.helper store
# First pull/push will prompt for password
# Then stored in ~/.git-credentials
Option 3: SSH Keys
# Generate SSH key in WSL
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "admin@wsl"
# Copy public key
cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
# Add to Gitea (Settings → SSH Keys)
# Update remotes
cd ~/.claude/agents
git remote set-url origin git@gitea.pressmess.duckdns.org:admin/claude-agents.git
📚 Resources
- WSL Install: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/install
- WSL Best Practices: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/setup/environment
- VS Code + WSL: https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/remote/wsl
✅ Quick Checklist
Shared Setup:
- Install WSL
- Set up agents/skills in Windows
- Create symlinks from WSL to Windows
- Test:
ls ~/.claude/agents - Optional: Install Skillshare in WSL
Separate Setup:
- Install WSL
- Install git in WSL
- Clone agents repo
- Install Skillshare
- Initialize Skillshare with remote
- Test sync
Last Updated: 2026-01-29 Version: 1.0 WSL Version: WSL 2 Tested With: Ubuntu 22.04, Ubuntu 24.04