Creating Computer Configuration Skills
When creating a new skill for installing software or configuring a computer:
Structure
Create the skill in .claude/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md
Required Frontmatter
yaml
--- name: skill-name description: Brief description of what this installs/configures ---
Instructions to Include
- •Prerequisites - What must be installed first (e.g., Homebrew, apt)
- •Installation commands - The exact commands to run
- •Configuration steps - Any post-install configuration needed
- •Verification - How to confirm success
- •Update - How to update to newer versions
- •Uninstallation - How to remove the software and clean up configuration files
Example Skill
yaml
--- name: install-node description: Installs Node.js via nvm. Use when setting up Node.js or JavaScript development. --- ## Prerequisites - macOS or Linux - curl installed ## Installation 1. Install nvm: `curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.40.0/install.sh | bash` 2. Restart terminal or run: `source ~/.bashrc` 3. Install Node: `nvm install --lts` ## Verify Run `node --version` to confirm installation. ## Update - Update nvm itself: `cd ~/.nvm && git fetch --tags && git checkout $(git describe --tags --abbrev=0)` - Install newer Node version: `nvm install --lts` (keeps previous versions) - Switch to new version: `nvm use --lts` - Set new default: `nvm alias default <version>` ## Uninstall 1. Remove installed Node versions: `nvm uninstall <version>` or `nvm uninstall --lts` 2. Remove nvm itself: - Delete nvm directory: `rm -rf ~/.nvm` - Remove nvm lines from shell config (`~/.bashrc`, `~/.zshrc`, or `~/.profile`) 3. Restart terminal to apply changes
Guidelines
- •Keep skills focused on one tool or configuration
- •Use Homebrew on macOS, apt on Debian/Ubuntu
- •Include rollback steps for complex changes
- •Prefer idempotent commands that can safely re-run
- •Always include update instructions for upgrading to newer versions
- •Always include uninstall instructions covering both software removal and config cleanup