Create New Skills

Understanding Skills

What is a Skill?

• A directory containing a SKILL.md file with YAML frontmatter
• Instructions that Claude loads on-demand when relevant
• Optional supporting files (scripts, documentation, templates)
• Like an onboarding guide for a new team member

Progressive Disclosure (3 Levels):

1. Metadata (always loaded): name and description in YAML frontmatter
2. Instructions (loaded when triggered): Main body of SKILL.md
3. Resources (loaded as needed): Additional files, scripts, templates

Key Principle: Only relevant content enters the context window at any time.

Skill Creation Workflow

Step 1: Define the Skill's Purpose

Ask the user these questions:

1. What task or domain should this skill cover?
2. When should Claude use this skill? (triggers)
3. What expertise or workflows need to be captured?
4. Does it need scripts, templates, or other resources?

Document the answers for reference.

Step 2: Create the Skill Directory Structure

Create skills in the project's .claude/skills/ directory for team sharing:

mkdir -p .claude/skills/<skill-name>

Naming conventions:

• Use lowercase with hyphens (e.g., pdf-processing, data-analysis)
• Be descriptive but concise
• Avoid generic names

Note: Project skills (.claude/skills/) are automatically shared with your team via git. For personal skills only you use, create in ~/.claude/skills/ instead.

Step 3: Design the SKILL.md Structure

Every skill must have:

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