Skill Builder

This skill helps create high-quality, reusable Agent Skills for Claude Code.

When to Use This Skill

• •User explicitly asks to "create a skill", "build a new skill", "scaffold a skill", or similar.
• •User describes a workflow, expertise, or task that should be packaged as a reusable skill.
• •Need guidance on skill structure, best practices, or troubleshooting why a skill isn't triggering.

Step-by-Step Skill Creation Process

1. •

   Understand the Goal
   Clarify what the new skill should do, key triggers (e.g., keywords like "PDF", "commit message"), and scope (keep it focused!).

2. •

   Choose Skill Type and Location

   • •Personal: ~/.claude/skills/new-skill-name/
   • •Project: .claude/skills/new-skill-name/ (recommended for team sharing)
3. •

   Generate SKILL.md Structure
   Use this template:

   yaml

   ---
   name: your-skill-name (lowercase, hyphens only)
   description: What this skill does + when to use it (include triggers!). Keep under 1024 chars.
   # Optional: allowed-tools: Read, Grep, Bash (etc., for restricted access)
   ---
   # Skill Title
   
   ## Instructions
   Detailed step-by-step guidance for Claude.
   
   ## Examples
   Show 2-3 concrete before/after examples.
   
   ## Best Practices / Checklist
   - Bullet points for quality standards
   

4. •

   Add Supporting Files (Optional but Recommended)

   • •reference.md: Detailed docs, schemas, APIs
   • •examples/ folder: Sample inputs/outputs
   • •scripts/ folder: Helper Python/bash scripts (e.g., data processors)
   • •templates/ folder: File templates

   Reference them like: See reference.md for details.

5. •

   Make Description Trigger-Happy
   Good example: "Analyze React components for performance and accessibility. Use when reviewing UI code, optimizing frontend, or mentioning React/JSX."

   Bad: "Helps with code."

6. •

   Test the Skill

   • •Restart Claude Code
   • •Ask: "List available skills"
   • •Trigger with a matching query
   • •If not activating: Refine description triggers
7. •

   Optional: Generate Files Automatically
   Use the helper script below to scaffold a new skill directory.

Helper Script: scaffold_skill.py

Usage: python scripts/scaffold_skill.py 'Skill Name' 'Brief description with triggers'

Run it via Bash tool when needed: python scripts/scaffold_skill.py "Commit Message Generator" "Generate conventional commit messages from git diffs. Use when creating commits or reviewing changes."

Best Practices Reminder

• •One skill = one focused capability
• •Specific triggers in description → reliable auto-invocation
• •Use allowed-tools for safe/read-only skills
• •Version your skills in the markdown