Claude Skills Guide

A skill is a folder that teaches Claude how to do a specific task. It contains a SKILL.md file with instructions, plus optional scripts, templates, and reference files.

Unlike a saved prompt, a skill can:

• Load automatically when it is relevant
• Include scripts Claude can run
• Bundle templates and examples
• Keep long reference material out of context until needed
• Be shared with a team
• Work across claude.ai, Claude Code, and the API

A skill is a reusable expert procedure, written once and used many times.

claude.ai and the apps

Available on Free, Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise plans.

Claude Code

Personal, project, plugin, and enterprise skill folders.

Claude API

Through the Skills API.

Skills first launched in October 2025.

Skills use progressive disclosure, which keeps them light:

• Claude always sees each skill’s name and description
• The full instructions load only when the skill is used
• Supporting files load only when referenced

This means you can install many skills without filling Claude’s context.

The description decides when a skill is used. Write it carefully.

Free, Pro, Max

Settings, then Capabilities, and turn on Code execution and file creation.

Team, Enterprise

An admin enables Cloud code execution and file creation and Skills under Organization settings, then Plugins & skills.

Anthropic’s built-in skills for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and PDF then work automatically when relevant.

Good candidates are tasks that are:

• Repeated often
• Done the same way each time
• Hard to explain in one prompt
• Dependent on templates or examples
• Better with a script
• Shared across a team

Examples: weekly reports, brand-consistent posts, contract checklists, code reviews, invoice processing.

Every skill needs a SKILL.md file with a name and a description at the top, followed by instructions.

--- name: weekly-report description: Create our weekly client report from the metrics spreadsheet. Use when asked for a weekly report or client update. --- 1. Read the latest metrics file. 2. Summarize the five key changes. 3. Use the template in template.md. 4. Flag any metric that dropped more than 10%.

The description tells Claude when to use the skill. Include:

• What the skill does
• When to use it
• Words a person would naturally say
• What it should not be used for

Too vague, and the skill never triggers. Too broad, and it triggers when it should not.

• Use numbered steps
• Explain the goal before the steps
• State inputs and outputs
• Include one or two examples
• List common mistakes to avoid
• Say how to check the result

Keep SKILL.md focused. Move long reference material into separate files and link to them.

Templates

Documents or formats to fill in

Examples

Good outputs to imitate

References

Policies, style guides, or data

Scripts

Code for steps that must be exact

Use scripts for anything that must be precise. Use instructions for judgment.

Anthropic’s skill-creator skill helps you build new skills by asking questions, drafting the files, and testing the result.

Prompt:

Use the skill-creator skill to turn this workflow into a skill. Ask me what you need to know, draft SKILL.md and any supporting files, then test it on an example.

• Package the skill folder as a ZIP file
• Open Customize, then Skills
• Click +, then + Create skill
• Choose Upload a skill and select the ZIP

On Team and Enterprise plans, admins can provision skills for everyone in the organization.

Personal

~/.claude/skills/<name>/SKILL.md for all your projects

Project

.claude/skills/<name>/SKILL.md for one repository

Plugin

Inside an installed plugin, invoked as /plugin-name:skill-name

Run a skill directly with /skill-name, or let Claude use it automatically when the description matches.

Default

Both you and Claude can use it.

disable-model-invocation: true

Only you can run it. Best for actions like deploys.

user-invocable: false

Only Claude uses it, as background knowledge.

Use allowed-tools to pre-approve specific tools while the skill runs.

In Claude Code, add Anthropic’s example skills with:

/plugin marketplace add anthropics/skills

Many tool makers also publish official skills, such as Remotion and HyperFrames for video.

Read every third-party skill before installing it. Skills can run code.

• Try the skill on three real examples
• Check whether it triggers when expected
• Check whether it stays quiet when it should
• Compare output with your best manual work
• Fix the instructions, not just the output

If a skill triggers too often, make the description more specific.

• Commit project skills to your repository
• Bundle related skills into a plugin
• Provision organization skills on Team or Enterprise
• Version skills and note changes
• Name an owner for each skill

• Never put passwords or API keys in a skill
• Review scripts before running them
• Install skills only from sources you trust
• Limit tools with allowed-tools where possible
• Require human approval for risky actions

A skill has the same power as the instructions and code inside it.

Choose

Pick a repeated, valuable workflow.

Describe

Write a precise description.

Instruct

Write clear numbered steps.

Equip

Add templates, examples, and scripts.

Test

Run it on real examples.

Refine

Fix triggers and instructions.

Share

Give it to your team.

Help me turn [workflow] into a Claude skill. First, interview me about the goal, inputs, steps, quality standards, and common mistakes. Then draft SKILL.md with a precise name and description that says exactly when to use it. Move long reference material into separate files, and use scripts only for steps that must be exact. Finally, test the skill on one example and list anything that needs my decision.