Create Claude Code Skill

Create custom skills for Claude Code following the standard skill structure.

Trigger

Use when the user asks to:

• •Create a new Claude Code skill
• •Add a custom skill to the project
• •Set up a skill for a specific workflow or task
• •Document a repeatable process as a skill

Required Structure

Each skill must be a folder with SKILL.md as the entry point:

.claude/skills/
└── skill-name/
    └── SKILL.md           # Required - main instructions

Important: Flat files like .claude/skills/skill-name.md are NOT recognized.

Optional Supporting Files

Skills can include additional resources:

skill-name/
├── SKILL.md               # Required entry point
├── template.md            # Template for Claude to fill in
├── examples/              # Example outputs
│   └── sample.md
├── scripts/               # Scripts Claude can execute
│   └── validate.sh
└── reference/             # Reference documentation
    └── spec.md

Reference File Restrictions

All supporting files must be within the skill's directory. You cannot reference files outside the skill folder.

How to reference supporting files in SKILL.md:

## Additional Resources

- For templates, see [template.md](template.md)
- For examples, see [examples/sample.md](examples/sample.md)

If you need external data, you must either:

1. •Copy the files into the skill directory
2. •Hardcode external paths in bash commands within the skill instructions

SKILL.md Structure

1. Title and Description

# Skill Name

Brief one-line description of what this skill does.

2. Trigger Section

Define when Claude should use this skill:

## Trigger

Use when the user asks to:
- [Action verb] [specific task]
- [Action verb] [related task]
- [Action verb] [variant task]

3. Input Section (Optional)

Describe what input the skill expects:

## Input

The user provides:
- [Required input type/format]
- [Optional input], OR
- [Alternative input]

4. Output Section

Specify the expected output format:

## Output Format

[Describe structure, formatting rules, examples]

5. Workflow/Steps Section

Document the process:

## Workflow

1. **Step name**: Description
2. **Step name**: Description
3. **Step name**: Description

6. Rules/Guidelines Section (Optional)

Add constraints or best practices:

## Rules

1. [Constraint or guideline]
2. [Constraint or guideline]

7. Examples Section (Optional)

Show input/output examples:

## Example

**Input:**
> [example input]

**Output:**
[example output]

Naming Conventions

• •Use lowercase with hyphens: my-skill-name
• •Be descriptive but concise
• •Avoid generic names like helper or utility

Good: create-skill, latex, requirement-document-style Bad: skill1, helper, misc

Best Practices

1. •Single responsibility: Each skill should do one thing well
2. •Clear triggers: Make it obvious when the skill applies
3. •Concrete examples: Show expected input/output
4. •Actionable steps: Use imperative verbs
5. •No ambiguity: Be specific about formats and constraints
6. •Reference files: Use relative paths to supporting files

Template

# [Skill Name]

[One-line description of the skill's purpose.]

## Trigger

Use when the user asks to:
- [Primary use case]
- [Secondary use case]
- [Variant use case]

## Input

The user provides:
- [Input description]

## Output Format

[Describe the expected output structure and format]

## Workflow

1. **[Step]**: [Description]
2. **[Step]**: [Description]
3. **[Step]**: [Description]

## Rules

1. [Key constraint]
2. [Key constraint]

## Example

**Input:**
> [Example input]

**Output:**
[Example output]

Skill Locations

Skills can be placed in:

• •Project-level: .claude/skills/ (applies to current project)
• •User-level: ~/.claude/skills/ (applies to all projects)

Project-level skills take precedence over user-level skills with the same name.