name: skill-creator description: Guide for creating effective skills that extend Claude's capabilities. Use when users want to create a new skill or update an existing skill. allowed-tools: Read, Write, Edit, Glob, Grep

Skill Creator

Guide for creating effective skills that extend Claude's capabilities.

About Skills

Skills are modular, self-contained packages that extend Claude's capabilities by providing specialized knowledge, workflows, and tools. Think of them as "onboarding guides" for specific domains.

What Skills Provide

1. Specialized workflows - Multi-step procedures for specific domains
2. Tool integrations - Instructions for working with specific file formats or APIs
3. Domain expertise - Company-specific knowledge, schemas, business logic
4. Bundled resources - Scripts, references, and assets for complex tasks

Core Principles

Concise is Key

The context window is a public good. Only add context Claude doesn't already have.

Default assumption: Claude is already very smart. Challenge each piece of information: "Does Claude really need this explanation?"

Prefer concise examples over verbose explanations.

Anatomy of a Skill

skill-name/
├── SKILL.md (required)
│   ├── YAML frontmatter (name, description)
│   └── Markdown instructions
└── Bundled Resources (optional)
    ├── scripts/      - Executable code
    ├── references/   - Documentation
    └── assets/       - Templates, images

SKILL.md Components

Frontmatter (YAML)

---
name: skill-name
description: What the skill does. Use when [activation trigger].
---

The description is the primary triggering mechanism. Include both what the skill does AND when to use it.

Body (Markdown)

Instructions and guidance. Only loaded AFTER the skill triggers.

Bundled Resources

Scripts (scripts/)

Executable code for tasks requiring deterministic reliability.

References (references/)

Documentation loaded as needed into context.

Assets (assets/)

Files used in output (templates, images, fonts).

Progressive Disclosure

Skills use three-level loading:

1. Metadata - Always in context (~100 words)
2. SKILL.md body - When skill triggers (<5k words)
3. Bundled resources - As needed

Keep SKILL.md under 500 lines. Split content when approaching this limit.

Skill Creation Process

1. Understand - Gather concrete usage examples
2. Plan - Identify reusable scripts, references, assets
3. Initialize - Create skill directory structure
4. Edit - Implement resources and write SKILL.md
5. Package - Bundle for distribution
6. Iterate - Improve based on real usage

What NOT to Include

• README.md
• INSTALLATION_GUIDE.md
• CHANGELOG.md
• User-facing documentation

Skills are for AI agents, not humans. Only include what Claude needs to do the job.